The aim of persuasive writing is to convince your reader to embrace your point of view.
The goal of a persuasive essay is to convince the reader to agree with your argument. In order to get someone to adopt your way of thinking, you must get them to share your values and agree with your facts. Persuasive essays, also known as argumentative essays, rely heavily on sound reasoning, consistency and the implementation of agreed-upon facts.
Establishing Facts
The use of indisputable facts lends immediate credibility to any persuasive essay. Evidence in the form of statistics (or other verifiable truths) can help promote your point of view. For example, in a paper opposing capital punishment, powerful facts such as the following can help bring readers to your side of the argument: "Since 1973, over 130 people have been released from death rows throughout the country [United States] due to evidence of their wrongful convictions. In 2003 alone, 10 wrongfully convicted defendants were released," according to Amnesty International.
Repetition
Repeating your argument is important. A reader cannot agree with your point of view if they are unclear as to what it is. Repeatedly state your position -- but do it in different ways. For example, make your argument both directly and indirectly. Indirect arguments can come in the form of anecdotes, stories or quotations.
Reasons Why
According to copyblogger.com, psychological studies reveal that people are more likely to comply with requests if they are given reasons why. Therefore, it is important to remember the power of "because" when explaining your point of view on a controversial subject. Reasonably explain your stance early in your essay and spend the rest of the paper supporting the stance.
Address Objections
A solid argument considers and prepares for any and all "yes, but ..." rebuttals. Persuasive essays should address objections people may pose to the argument. This will solidify the author's point of view and make it more difficult for people to disagree. For example, in a paper opposing capital punishment, the following facts could be used to quash the argument that the death penalty is a deterrent to crime: "There is no credible evidence that the death penalty deters crime more effectively than long terms of imprisonment. States that have death penalty laws do not have lower crime rates or murder rates than states without such laws," according to the American Civil Liberties Union.
Tags: point view, your point, your point view, agree with, agree with your, death penalty