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How to Write a Persuasive Essay

The ancient art of rhetoric dates back to the Classical period of ancient Greece, when rhetoricians used this persuasive form of public speaking to address their fellow citizens in the Greek republics. As time went on, rhetoric remained at the center of education in the western world for nearly 2,000 years. In our modern world, rhetoric is still an integral part of human discourse, utilized by world leaders and students alike to argue their points of view.

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The definition of rhetoric is the “art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing,” where language is used to have a convincing or impressive effect on the audience being addressed. 

At some point in every student’s academic career, instructors will deliver the assignment to write a persuasive essay that argues for or against a certain topic. Whether or not you’ve taken a course in rhetoric, students can apply the principles of rhetoric to write an effective persuasive essay that convinces the audience to accept a certain viewpoint.

To be as convincing as Aristotle on the stand, your persuasive essay must be based on sound logic and factual evidence that support the overall argument. As you begin to think about writing a persuasive essay, here are several tips that will help you argue your topic like a true rhetorician. 

Choose a position you’re passionate about

The first step in writing a persuasive essay is choosing a topic and picking a side. If the topic is something you believe in, it will make the entire experience of researching, writing, and arguing your perspective more personal. Choosing a topic that appeals to you on an emotional or sentimental level will make its defense easier. Plus, chances are you’ll already know a good deal of information about the topic, so you won’t be left scrambling when it’s time to start your research.

Thoroughly research both sides

Every argument has a counterargument—this is one of the staples of rhetoric. To convince your reader to agree with you, you must be knowledgeable of the opposing side. As important as it is to thoroughly research your topic, identifying and studying both sides of the argument will help you develop the strongest supporting evidence possible. During the research process, gather as much information as you can about the topic at hand. Use your school’s resources like the library, academic journals, and reference materials. With a full understanding of your topic, you’ll be able to readily counter the opposition and assuage any follow-up questions that might cast doubt on your claims.

>>READ MORE:  7 Essay Writing Tips

Draft your thesis statement

One of the most important elements of your persuasive essay is your thesis statement , which should tell readers exactly what your stance encompasses. Without a forceful thesis, you won’t be able to deliver an effective argument. The construction of your thesis statement should include the “what” and the “how” of your argument—what is the argument you are trying to convince your readers to accept? And how will I convince my readers that the argument is sound? While the “how” may become clearer as your essay progresses, your thesis statement should set up the organizational pattern of your essay while presenting your position.

Create a working structure or outline

Outlining your paper will give you a clear view of your argument and the way it develops. Think critically about the strengths and weaknesses of your argument—where would it be most effective for you to introduce your strongest supporting evidence? For rhetoric’s sake, it’s probably not wise to save the best for last. Instead, use your outline to get organized from the outset, anchoring each point in evidence, analysis, and counterargument. List out all of your major claims and the research that supports each point. Creating a working structure will allow you to break down your argument in a logical and concise order, which will make the writing process more straightforward.

Write with integrity and empathy

The most successful rhetorical arguments draw on three main elements: ethos (ethical reasoning) , logos (logical reasoning) , and pathos (passionate reasoning). If amassed perfectly, these three components will make your argument so powerfully robust that nobody could disagree. However, this is easier said than done; even master rhetoricians struggle to find a balance of these three elements. Ethically, you’ll want to make sure you aren’t misleading or manipulating your argument. Logically, your points must be based in fact and progress in a way that makes sense. Passionately, you should emphasize your evidence and use strategic repetition to compel your audience. The key is to find a harmony or balance among these three elements, writing with integrity and empathy.

>>READ MORE:  How to Write Better Essays

As Eben Pagan said, “You can’t convince anyone of anything. You can only give them the right information, so that they can convince themselves.” In the spirit of the ancient Greek rhetoricians, knowing how to write a persuasive essay is an essential function of human discourse—and a true art form when done correctly.

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113 Perfect Persuasive Essay Topics for Any Assignment

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Do you need to write a persuasive essay but aren’t sure what topic to focus on? Were you thrilled when your teacher said you could write about whatever you wanted but are now overwhelmed by the possibilities? We’re here to help!

Read on for a list of 113 top-notch persuasive essay topics, organized into ten categories. To help get you started, we also discuss what a persuasive essay is, how to choose a great topic, and what tips to keep in mind as you write your persuasive essay.

What Is a Persuasive Essay?

In a persuasive essay, you attempt to convince readers to agree with your point of view on an argument. For example, an essay analyzing changes in Italian art during the Renaissance wouldn’t be a persuasive essay, because there’s no argument, but an essay where you argue that Italian art reached its peak during the Renaissance would be a persuasive essay because you’re trying to get your audience to agree with your viewpoint.

Persuasive and argumentative essays both try to convince readers to agree with the author, but the two essay types have key differences. Argumentative essays show a more balanced view of the issue and discuss both sides. Persuasive essays focus more heavily on the side the author agrees with. They also often include more of the author’s opinion than argumentative essays, which tend to use only facts and data to support their argument.

All persuasive essays have the following:

• Introduction: Introduces the topic, explains why it’s important, and ends with the thesis.
• Thesis: A sentence that sums up what the essay be discussing and what your stance on the issue is.
• Reasons you believe your side of the argument: Why do you support the side you do? Typically each main point will have its own body paragraph.
• Evidence supporting your argument: Facts or examples to back up your main points. Even though your opinion is allowed in persuasive essays more than most other essays, having concrete examples will make a stronger argument than relying on your opinion alone.
• Conclusion: Restatement of thesis, summary of main points, and a recap of why the issue is important.

What Makes a Good Persuasive Essay Topic?

Theoretically, you could write a persuasive essay about any subject under the sun, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you should. Certain topics are easier to write a strong persuasive essay on, and below are tips to follow when deciding what you should write about.

It’s a Topic You Care About

Obviously, it’s possible to write an essay about a topic you find completely boring. You’ve probably done it! However, if possible, it’s always better to choose a topic that you care about and are interested in. When this is the case, you’ll find doing the research more enjoyable, writing the essay easier, and your writing will likely be better because you’ll be more passionate about and informed on the topic.

You Have Enough Evidence to Support Your Argument

Just being passionate about a subject isn’t enough to make it a good persuasive essay topic, though. You need to make sure your argument is complex enough to have at least two potential sides to root for, and you need to be able to back up your side with evidence and examples. Even though persuasive essays allow your opinion to feature more than many other essays, you still need concrete evidence to back up your claims, or you’ll end up with a weak essay.

For example, you may passionately believe that mint chocolate chip ice cream is the best ice cream flavor (I agree!), but could you really write an entire essay on this? What would be your reasons for believing mint chocolate chip is the best (besides the fact that it’s delicious)? How would you support your belief? Have enough studies been done on preferred ice cream flavors to support an entire essay? When choosing a persuasive essay idea, you want to find the right balance between something you care about (so you can write well on it) and something the rest of the world cares about (so you can reference evidence to strengthen your position).

It’s a Manageable Topic

Bigger isn’t always better, especially with essay topics. While it may seem like a great idea to choose a huge, complex topic to write about, you’ll likely struggle to sift through all the information and different sides of the issue and winnow them down to one streamlined essay. For example, choosing to write an essay about how WWII impacted American life more than WWI wouldn’t be a great idea because you’d need to analyze all the impacts of both the wars in numerous areas of American life. It’d be a huge undertaking. A better idea would be to choose one impact on American life the wars had (such as changes in female employment) and focus on that. Doing so will make researching and writing your persuasive essay much more feasible.

List of 113 Good Persuasive Essay Topics

Below are over 100 persuasive essay ideas, organized into ten categories. When you find an idea that piques your interest, you’ll choose one side of it to argue for in your essay. For example, if you choose the topic, “should fracking be legal?” you’d decide whether you believe fracking should be legal or illegal, then you’d write an essay arguing all the reasons why your audience should agree with you.

Arts/Culture

• Should students be required to learn an instrument in school?
• Did the end of Game of Thrones fit with the rest of the series?
• Can music be an effective way to treat mental illness?
• With e-readers so popular, have libraries become obsolete?
• Are the Harry Potter books more popular than they deserve to be?
• Should music with offensive language come with a warning label?
• What’s the best way for museums to get more people to visit?
• Should students be able to substitute an art or music class for a PE class in school?
• Are the Kardashians good or bad role models for young people?
• Should people in higher income brackets pay more taxes?
• Should all high school students be required to take a class on financial literacy?
• Is it possible to achieve the American dream, or is it only a myth?
• Is it better to spend a summer as an unpaid intern at a prestigious company or as a paid worker at a local store/restaurant?
• Should the United States impose more or fewer tariffs?
• Should college graduates have their student loans forgiven?
• Should restaurants eliminate tipping and raise staff wages instead?
• Should students learn cursive writing in school?
• Which is more important: PE class or music class?
• Is it better to have year-round school with shorter breaks throughout the year?
• Should class rank be abolished in schools?
• Should students be taught sex education in school?
• Should students be able to attend public universities for free?
• What’s the most effective way to change the behavior of school bullies?
• Are the SAT and ACT accurate ways to measure intelligence?
• Should students be able to learn sign language instead of a foreign language?
• Do the benefits of Greek life at colleges outweigh the negatives?
• Does doing homework actually help students learn more?
• Why do students in many other countries score higher than American students on math exams?
• Should parents/teachers be able to ban certain books from schools?
• What’s the best way to reduce cheating in school?
• Should colleges take a student’s race into account when making admissions decisions?
• Should there be limits to free speech?
• Should students be required to perform community service to graduate high school?
• Should convicted felons who have completed their sentence be allowed to vote?
• Should gun ownership be more tightly regulated?
• Should recycling be made mandatory?
• Should employers be required to offer paid leave to new parents?
• Are there any circumstances where torture should be allowed?
• Should children under the age of 18 be able to get plastic surgery for cosmetic reasons?
• Should white supremacy groups be allowed to hold rallies in public places?
• Does making abortion illegal make women more or less safe?
• Does foreign aid actually help developing countries?
• Are there times a person’s freedom of speech should be curtailed?
• Should people over a certain age not be allowed to adopt children?

Government/Politics

• Should the minimum voting age be raised/lowered/kept the same?
• Should Puerto Rico be granted statehood?
• Should the United States build a border wall with Mexico?
• Who should be the next person printed on American banknotes?
• Should the United States’ military budget be reduced?
• Did China’s one child policy have overall positive or negative impacts on the country?
• Should DREAMers be granted US citizenship?
• Is national security more important than individual privacy?
• What responsibility does the government have to help homeless people?
• Should the electoral college be abolished?
• Should the US increase or decrease the number of refugees it allows in each year?
• Should privately-run prisons be abolished?
• Who was the most/least effective US president?
• Will Brexit end up helping or harming the UK?

• What’s the best way to reduce the spread of Ebola?
• Is the Keto diet a safe and effective way to lose weight?
• Should the FDA regulate vitamins and supplements more strictly?
• Should public schools require all students who attend to be vaccinated?
• Is eating genetically modified food safe?
• What’s the best way to make health insurance more affordable?
• What’s the best way to lower the teen pregnancy rate?
• Should recreational marijuana be legalized nationwide?
• Should birth control pills be available without a prescription?
• Should pregnant women be forbidden from buying cigarettes and alcohol?
• Why has anxiety increased in adolescents?
• Are low-carb or low-fat diets more effective for weight loss?
• What caused the destruction of the USS Maine?
• Was King Arthur a mythical legend or actual Dark Ages king?
• Was the US justified in dropping atomic bombs during WWII?
• What was the primary cause of the Rwandan genocide?
• What happened to the settlers of the Roanoke colony?
• Was disagreement over slavery the primary cause of the US Civil War?
• What has caused the numerous disappearances in the Bermuda triangle?
• Should nuclear power be banned?
• Is scientific testing on animals necessary?
• Do zoos help or harm animals?
• Should scientists be allowed to clone humans?
• Should animals in circuses be banned?
• Should fracking be legal?
• Should people be allowed to keep exotic animals as pets?
• What’s the best way to reduce illegal poaching in Africa?
• What is the best way to reduce the impact of global warming?
• Should euthanasia be legalized?
• Is there legitimate evidence of extraterrestrial life?
• Should people be banned from owning aggressive dog breeds?
• Should the United States devote more money towards space exploration?
• Should the government subsidize renewable forms of energy?
• Is solar energy worth the cost?
• Should stem cells be used in medicine?
• Is it right for the US to leave the Paris Climate Agreement?
• Should athletes who fail a drug test receive a lifetime ban from the sport?
• Should college athletes receive a salary?
• Should the NFL do more to prevent concussions in players?
• Do PE classes help students stay in shape?
• Should horse racing be banned?
• Should cheerleading be considered a sport?
• Should children younger than 18 be allowed to play tackle football?
• Are the costs of hosting an Olympic Games worth it?
• Can online schools be as effective as traditional schools?
• Do violent video games encourage players to be violent in real life?
• Should facial recognition technology be banned?
• Does excessive social media use lead to depression/anxiety?
• Has the rise of translation technology made knowing multiple languages obsolete?
• Was Steve Jobs a visionary or just a great marketer?
• Should social media be banned for children younger than a certain age?
• Which 21st-century invention has had the largest impact on society?
• Are ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft good or bad for society?
• Should Facebook have done more to protect the privacy of its users?
• Will technology end up increasing or decreasing inequality worldwide?

Tips for Writing a Strong Persuasive Essay

After you’ve chosen the perfect topic for your persuasive essay, your work isn’t over. Follow the three tips below to create a top-notch essay.

Do Your Research

Your argument will fall apart if you don’t fully understand the issue you’re discussing or you overlook an important piece of it. Readers won’t be convinced by someone who doesn’t know the subject, and you likely won’t persuade any of them to begin supporting your viewpoint. Before you begin writing a single word of your essay, research your topic thoroughly. Study different sources, learn about the different sides of the argument, ask anyone who’s an expert on the topic what their opinion is, etc. You might be tempted to start writing right away, but by doing your research, you’ll make the writing process much easier when the time comes.

Make Your Thesis Perfect

Your thesis is the most important sentence in your persuasive essay. Just by reading that single sentence, your audience should know exactly what topic you’ll be discussing and where you stand on the issue. You want your thesis to be crystal clear and to accurately set up the rest of your essay. Asking classmates or your teacher to look it over before you begin writing the rest of your essay can be a big help if you’re not entirely confident in your thesis.

Consider the Other Side

You’ll spend most of your essay focusing on your side of the argument since that’s what you want readers to come away believing. However, don’t think that means you can ignore other sides of the issue. In your essay, be sure to discuss the other side’s argument, as well as why you believe this view is weak or untrue. Researching all the different viewpoints and including them in your essay will increase the quality of your writing by making your essay more complete and nuanced.

Summary: Persuasive Essay Ideas

Good persuasive essay topics can be difficult to come up with, but in this guide we’ve created a list of 113 excellent essay topics for you to browse. The best persuasive essay ideas will be those that you are interested in, have enough evidence to support your argument, and aren’t too complicated to be summarized in an essay.

After you’ve chosen your essay topic, keep these three tips in mind when you begin writing:

• Do your research
• Make your thesis perfect
• Consider the other side

What's Next?

Need ideas for a research paper topic as well? Our guide to research paper topics has over 100 topics in ten categories so you can be sure to find the perfect topic for you.

Thinking about taking an AP English class? Read our guide on AP English classes to learn whether you should take AP English Language or AP English Literature (or both!)

Deciding between the SAT or ACT? Find out for sure which you will do the best on . Also read a detailed comparison between the two tests .

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Are you looking to improve your persuasive writing skills?

One of the best ways to do that is by reading persuasive essay examples. These examples can show you how to structure your arguments effectively.

But finding good examples can be a challenge. Don't worry, though – we've gathered some helpful persuasive essays for you right here!

So, if you're in search of persuasive essay examples to help you write your own, you're in the right place. 

Keep reading this blog to explore various examples!

• 1. Persuasive Essay Examples For Students
• 2. Persuasive Writing Example For Elementary Schools
• 3. Persuasive Essay Examples Middle School
• 4. Persuasive Essay Examples High School
• 5. Persuasive Essay Examples for College Students 
• 6. Persuasive Essay Examples For University
• 7. Persuasive Essay Examples for Different Formats
• 8. Basic Persuasive Essay Structure  
• 9. Catchy Persuasive Essay Topics

Persuasive Essay Examples For Students

A persuasive essay aims to convince the reader of the author’s point of view. 

To find the right path for your essay, it's helpful to go through some examples. Similarly, good essay examples also help to avoid any potential pitfalls and offer clear information to the readers to adopt.

Let’s take a look at 2 short persuasive essay examples, focusing on current and relevant issues:

Example 1: 

If you are looking for longer examples, below are some persuasive essay examples pdf for different academic levels. Read them for free.

Persuasive Writing Example For Elementary Schools

Here are provided some sample essays to further explain the concept of persuasive writing for students.

3rd-grade Persuasive Essay Example

4th-grade Persuasive Essay Example

Persuasive Essay Example 5th-grade

Persuasive Essay Examples Middle School

Check out these persuasive essay examples for middle school to get a comprehensive idea of the format structure. 

Persuasive Essay Examples for 6th Grade

7th-grade Persuasive Essay Example

8th-grade Persuasive Essay Example

Persuasive Essay Examples High School

The following are good persuasive essay examples for high school. Having a look at them will help you understand better.

Persuasive Essay Examples Grade 10

High-school Persuasive Essay Example

Examples of Persuasive Essay in Everyday Life

Persuasive Essay Examples for College Students 

Essay writing at the college level becomes more complicated. We have provided you with top-notch college persuasive and argumentative essay examples here. Read them to understand the essay writing process easily. 

11th-grade Persuasive Essay Example

Persuasive Essay Examples College

Higher English Persuasive Essay Example

Persuasive Essay About Smoking

Argumentative and Persuasive Examples

Persuasive Essay Examples For University

It becomes even more challenging to draft a perfect essay at the university level. Look at the examples of persuasive essays below to get an idea of writing one.

University Persuasive Essay Example

Political Persuasive Essay Examples

Persuasive Essay Examples About Life

Persuasive Essay Examples for Different Formats

A persuasive essay can be written in several formats. For instance, you can write the usual 5-paragraph essay, or even something longer or shorter.

Below are a few sample essays in various common formats.

Persuasive Essay Examples 5 Paragraph

Persuasive Essay Examples 3 Paragraph

These examples tell you how to remain convincing and persuasive regardless of the essay format you use.

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Basic Persuasive Essay Structure  

Here's a breakdown of the typical persuasive essay outline , along with an example for each step:

• Introduction (Grab Attention & Introduce the Issue):

Hook your reader with an interesting fact, anecdote, or question-related to the topic. Briefly introduce the issue you'll be arguing for.

For Example:

• Thesis Statement (Clearly State Your Position):

The thesis statement is a one-sentence summary of your entire argument. It should be clear, concise, and specific, and include your main points.

• Body Paragraphs (Develop Your Arguments):

Dedicate each paragraph to a single main point supporting your thesis. Use strong evidence to back up your claims. This can include statistics, research findings, expert opinions, or personal anecdotes. Use clear transitions between paragraphs to show the flow of your argument.

• Counterargument (Acknowledge Opposing Views):

Briefly acknowledge potential objections to your argument. This shows you've considered different viewpoints and strengthens your own position.

• Rebuttal (Address Counterarguments):

Explain why the counterarguments are not strong enough to invalidate your main points. Offer additional evidence to solidify your position.

• Conclusion (Restate & Call to Action):

Briefly restate your thesis and summarize your main points. End with a strong call to action, urging the reader to adopt your perspective or take a specific step.

By following this structure and incorporating strong evidence, you can craft a persuasive essay that effectively convinces your reader to see things your way.

Catchy Persuasive Essay Topics

Now that you have read some good examples, it's time to write your own persuasive essay.

But what should you write about? You can write persuasive essays about any topic, from business and online education to controversial topics like abortion, gun control, and more.

Here is a list of ten persuasive essay topics that you can use to grab your reader's attention and make them think:

• Should the government increase taxes to fund public health initiatives?
• Is the current education system effective in preparing students for college and the workplace?
• Should there be tighter gun control laws?
• Should schools have uniforms or a dress code?
• Are standardized tests an accurate measure of student performance?
• Should students be required to take physical education courses?
• Is undocumented immigration a legitimate cause for concern in the United States?
• Is affirmative action still necessary in today’s society?
• How much, if any, regulation should there be on technology companies?
• Is the death penalty an appropriate form of punishment for serious crimes?

Need more topic ideas? Check out our extensive list of unique persuasive essay topics and get started!

To Sum it Up!

This post gave you a bunch of persuasive essay examples to check out. By reading them, you learned how to build strong arguments, organize your essay, and use evidence to back up your ideas.

Now it's your time to write! Don't worry about being perfect, just give it a shot and make it your own. But if you're still feeling stuck, don't worry. 

Our persuasive essay writing service is here to the rescue!

Our experienced writers specialize in creating top-notch essays on a wide range of topics. Whether it's a challenging persuasive essay or any other type, we've got you covered.

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Persuasive Writing Examples: From Essays to Speeches

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Persuasive writing provides the opportunity to convince someone to adopt a particular viewpoint. Explore various persuasive writing examples designed to convince the reader to take a certain action. With these samples in mind, you’ll be able to go on and write a most convincing persuasive essay.

Persuasive Writing in Ad Campaigns

Persuasive writing is very common in ad campaigns where marketing wants to convince you to buy something. There’s an entire psychology behind ad campaigns. Expert marketers look for ways to convince customers to buy their products. Sometimes, they’ll make promises — true or false — and other times they’ll use words with a sense of urgency like “today” or “now.” Let’s explore a few examples.

• Chippers are the crispiest, crunchiest, and most delicious brand of chips you will ever taste. Buy a bag today.
• A Lexi Mattress is the most comfortable bed you’ll ever sleep on. Take a 30-day trial and see for yourself. If you’re not satisfied, we’ll come to your home, remove the mattress, and refund you in full. You’ve got nothing to lose. Give it a try today.
• Chompers Dog Food is sure to make your dog's tail wag. If you truly love your pup, you'll try one of our all-natural selections today.
• Why risk making a mistake on your tax returns or missing out on added money in your bank account? Trust the experts at 123 Accounting to ensure you get the biggest tax refund possible.
• Here at Schuster & Schuster, our injury attorneys have recovered millions of dollars for our clients. We will take your case and defend your interests to the very end. Call us today to schedule a free consultation.
• Our holistic headache medication will get rid of your headache with just one pill and fewer side effects than aspirin or ibuprofen. Be good to your body and try it today.

Persuasive Essay Examples

Persuasive essays are a great way to formulate sound arguments and distribute them to the public. If nothing else, these types of essays may be a requirement at some point in your academic career. You'll need a great persuasive essay topic to get started. Let’s take a look at a few excerpts from persuasive essays. Each of these could stand as the thesis statement in a well-crafted argument.

• The death penalty is a good deterrent for criminals. Beyond that, it is fair because the Bible supports “an eye for an eye.” We need to keep the death penalty on the books.
• Marijuana should be legalized. We are putting too many people in prison and spending too much money to incarcerate them for nonviolent crimes.

Mandatory Minimum Persuasive Essay Example

Rather than just an excerpt of a persuasive essay, sink your teeth into a short example of what a persuasive example might look like.

Mandatory minimum sentencing is harmful to the human race. It is a form of discrimination; many people receive long sentences for minor crimes. We should overturn mandatory minimum sentencing rules and give judges more leeway in their decision-making. Mandatory minimum sentences are one of the worst forms of discrimination. Because judges need to have a minimum sentence, they hand down sentences that don’t completely fit the crime. Someone that commits a minor crime receives a harsh punishment despite circumstances. For example, a man steals to try to feed his starving child and gets sentenced to the minimum requirement despite his circumstances. Furthermore, mandatory minimum sentences should be overturned to create a fair justice system. Rather than trying to meet a mandatory minimum, judges should be able to look at all the evidence and circumstances within a case and make a ruling accordingly. They shouldn’t just hand out sentences because they need to meet a quota. Lastly, removing mandatory minimum sentences could allow judges to use their own best judgment. After hearing all the evidence in the case, they could make a decision based on knowledge and their experience. They wouldn’t just be handing down an unfair, and quite honestly unjust, verdict. As you can clearly see, mandatory minimum sentences should be taken away. Rather than having a minimum to meet, judges should be able to use their own judgment and discretion in a case after looking at all the evidence. Don’t you think mandatory minimums are against our own human rights?

Speeches and Persuasive Writing

A powerful persuasive speech stands the chance of rocking an entire nation. Presidential candidates rally for months before an election year. Small town councils meet regularly, often to listen to persuasive speeches about the community. At some point in your college career, you might even find yourself in a public speaking class that will ask you to deliver a persuasive speech. Explore some examples of persuasive speeches at work.

• Are you tired of seeing your paychecks slashed by unjust tax deductions? We work hard to provide for our families and then wind up only being able to live paycheck to paycheck. If you vote for me, I’ll make sure your taxes are lowered and you get the government services that you depend on. Imagine everything you’ll be able to do with more wiggle room in your monthly income. Cast your vote today.
• Raising taxes is wrong because people should be entitled to keep their own money and because an increase in tax revenue will be stifling to businesses. We should keep taxes low or even reduce tax rates to encourage growth.

Saving Our Community Garden Persuasive Speech

Check out a short example of a persuasive speech in action.

Every day as you walk down Maple St., you might notice the small little garden flourishing under the sunlight. What you might not realize is that garden goes to feed everyone. It’s a staple of our community. And, we need to act now to save our community garden. This beautiful staple of our community is ten years in the making, with enough organic vegetables to feed every mouth in this neighborhood. Hud & Co. has no right to come into our town and pave a parking lot over one of our most prominent food sources. Many people depend on that food to survive. Where else can you find free fresh food to give your family? Where else can you find the coming together of a community to make sure everyone can eat? It isn’t just about a garden, it’s a way of life and a chemical free meal. Don’t let Hud & Co. take away our way of life for nothing more than extra parking spaces. Come rally with me this Friday night. Together, we will stand in their way and protect our beloved town.

Persuasive Review and Editorial Examples

Has a review ever made you pick up a book? Do you remember being sparked to action by an editorial in a paper? Reviews and editorials present an opinion about a book, movie, event, or topic. Using the reviewer’s personal opinion, they tell the reader why they should or shouldn’t check something out or learn more about it. Explore a few examples of persuasive reviews and editorials.

Book Review of Pride & Prejudice Excerpt

One of the most common forms of persuasive reviews is book reviews . Dive into a simple example of a book review.

Upon first cracking the old worn cover of this historical fiction, I began to wonder what I’d gotten myself into. Beyond just being a great classic, Pride and Prejudice gives us a look into history. It tells us about the hierarchy of the time and exactly where women stood. But it did more than that. Within her first few words, Austen works to suck you into a world much different than your own.

Persuasive Editorial on School Uniforms

An editorial presents an opinion on an issue, like a political stance. Check out a short example of a persuasive editorial.

School is not only for learning from books, it’s about learning about yourself. As you grow and change, throughout your formative years, you learn so much about your own style and personality. But that freedom of expression is taken away when uniforms are instilled in schools. According to a study by Pearson in Time magazine, school uniforms stunted the personal growth of more than 70% of youth. When freedom of expression is taken away, it’s hard for adolescents to truly develop a sense of self.

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In each example, the goal is to get someone to do something or support something. Sound reasoning is required to convince the audience that there’s a benefit to their taking action. Do you know who was the master of reason? Aristotle himself. He developed the three modes of reasoning - ethos, logos and pathos . That is, ethics, logic and emotion. Why not let Aristotle lead you down the pathway to persuasive success?

How to Write a Persuasive Essay: Step-by-Step Guide + Examples

Have you ever tried to get somebody round to your way of thinking? Then you should know how daunting the task is. Still, if your persuasion is successful, the result is emotionally rewarding.

A persuasive essay is a type of writing that uses facts and logic to argument and substantiate such or another point of view. The purpose is to assure the reader that the author’s position is viable. In this article by Custom-writing experts, you can find a guide on persuasive writing, compelling examples, and outline structure. Continue reading and learn how to write a persuasive essay!

⚖️ Argumentative vs. Persuasive Essay

• 🐾 Step-by-Step Writing Guide

🔗 References

An argumentative essay intends to attack the opposing point of view, discussing its drawbacks and inconsistencies. A persuasive essay describes only the writer’s opinion, explaining why it is a believable one. In other words, you are not an opponent; you are an advocate.

A persuasive essay primarily resorts to emotions and personal ideas on a deeper level of meaning, while an argumentative one invokes logic reasoning. Despite the superficial similarity of these two genres, argumentative speech presupposes intense research of the subject, while persuasive speech requires a good knowledge of the audience.

🐾 How to Write a Persuasive Essay Step by Step

These nine steps are the closest thing you will find to a shortcut for writing to persuade. With practice, you may get through these steps quickly—or even figure out new techniques in persuasive writing.

📑 Persuasive Essay Outline

Below you’ll find an example of a persuasive essay outline . Remember: papers in this genre are more flexible than argumentative essays are. You don’t need to build a perfectly logical structure here. Your goal is to persuade your reader.

Note that the next section contains a sample written in accordance with this outline.

Persuasive Essay Introduction

• Hook: start with an intriguing sentence.
• Background: describe the context of the discussed issue and familiarize the reader with the argument.
• Definitions: if your essay dwells upon a theoretical subject matter, be sure to explain the complicated terms.
• Thesis statement: state the purpose of your piece of writing clearly and concisely. This is the most substantial sentence of the entire essay, so take your time formulating it.

Persuasive Essay Body

Use the following template for each paragraph.

• Topic sentence: linking each new idea to the thesis, it introduces a paragraph. Use only one separate argument for each section, stating it in the topic sentence.
• Evidence: substantiate the previous sentence with reliable information. If it is your personal opinion, give the reasons why you think so.
• Analysis: build the argument, explaining how the evidence supports your thesis.

Persuasive Essay Conclusion

• Summary: briefly list the main points of the essay in a couple of sentences.
• Significance: connect your essay to a broader idea.
• Future: how can your argument be developed?

⭐ Persuasive Essay Examples

In this section, there are three great persuasive essay examples. The first one is written in accordance with the outline above, will the components indicated. Two others are downloadable.

Example #1: Being a Millionaire is a Bad Thing

Introduction.

Paragraph #1

Paragraph #2

Paragraph #3

Example #2: Teachers or Doctors?

The importance of doctors in the period of the COVID-19 pandemic is difficult to overstate. The well-being of the nation depends on how well doctors can fulfill their duties before society. The US society acknowledges the importance of doctors and healthcare, as it is ready to pay large sums of money to cure the diseases. However, during the lockdown, students and parents all around the world began to understand the importance of teachers.

Before lockdown, everyone took the presence of teachers for granted, as they were always available free of charge. In this country, it has always been the case that while doctors received praises and monetary benefits, teachers remained humble, even though they play the most important role for humanity: passing the knowledge through generations. How fair is that? The present paper claims that even in the period of the pandemic, teachers contribute more to modern society than doctors do.

Example #3: Is Online or Homeschool More Effective?

The learning process can be divided into traditional education in an educational institution and distance learning. The latter form has recently become widely popular due to the development of technology. Besides, the COVID-19 pandemic is driving the increased interest in distance learning. However, there is controversy about whether this form of training is sufficient enough. This essay aims to examine online and homeschooling in a historical and contemporary context and to confirm the thesis that such activity is at least equivalent to a standard type of education.

Persuasive Essay Topics

• Why do managers hate the performance evaluation?
• Why human cloning should be prohibited.
• Social media have negative physical and psychological effect on teenagers.
• Using cell phones while driving should be completely forbidden.  
• Why is business ethics important?
• Media should change its negative representation of ageing and older people.
• What is going on with the world? 
• Good communication skills are critical for successful business.
• Why capitalism is the best economic system.  
• Sleep is extremely important for human health and wellbeing.
• Face-to-face education is more effective than online education.
• Why video games can be beneficial for teenagers.
• Bullies should be expelled from school as they encroach on the school safety.
• Why accountancy is a great occupation and more people should consider it as a future career.
• The reasons art and music therapy should be included in basic health insurance.
• Impact of climate change on the indoor environment.
• Parents should vaccinate their children to prevent the spread of deadly diseases.
• Why celebrities should pay more attention to the values they promote.
• What is wrong with realism? 
• Why water recycling should be every government’s priority.
• Media spreads fear and panic among people.
• Why e-business is very important for modern organizations.
• People should own guns for self-protection.  
• The neccessity of container deposit legislation.
• We must save crocodiles to protect ecological balance.
• Why we should pay more attention to renewable energy projects.
• Anthropology is a critically relevant science.  
• Why it’s important to create a new global financial order.
• Why biodiversity is crucial for the environment?
• Why process safety management is crucial for every organization.
• Speed limits must not be increased.
• What’s wrong with grades at school ?
• Why tattoos should be considered as a form of fine art.  
• Using all-natural bath and body products is the best choice for human health and safety.
• What is cancel culture?
• Why the Internet has become a problem of modern society.
• Illegal immigrants should be provided with basic social services.
• Smoking in public places must be banned for people’s safety and comfort.
• Why it is essential to control our nutrition.
• How to stimulate economic growth? 
• Why exercise is beneficial for people.  
• Studying history is decisive for the modern world.
• We must decrease fuel consumption to stop global warming.
• Why fighting social inequality is necessary.
• Why should businesses welcome remote work? 
• Social media harms communication within families.
• College athletes should be paid for their achievements.
• Electronic books should replace print books.
• People should stop cutting down rainforest.  
• Why every company should have a web page.
• Tips To Write An Effective Persuasive Essay: The College Puzzle, Stanford University
• 31 Powerful Persuasive Writing Techniques: Writtent
• Persuasive Essay Outline: Houston Community College System
• Essays that Worked: Hamilton College
• Argumentative Essays // Purdue Writing Lab
• Persuasion – Writing for Success (University of Minnesota)
• Persuasive Writing (Manitoba Education)
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10.4: Examples: Persuasive Essay

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Skills to Develop

• Read two examples of persuasive essays on the same topic

Justice: Retribution or Restoration?

Every day when I pick up my newspaper I read about crime. What strikes me as tragic in these discussions is that the solutions which are proposed are simply more of the same: bigger threats, more punishment. Few people ask more basic questions about whether punishment ought to be our main concern. Even fewer seem genuinely concerned about victims and what they need.

Consequently, victims’ needs and wishes continue to be ignored. Prisons are massively crowded, and the call for a return to the death penalty is back with a vengeance. The costs to us as taxpayers keep soaring.

Actually, there is good reason why we ignore victims and focus instead on more punishment for offenders. It has to do with our very definitions of what constitutes crime and what justice entails.

If you have been a victim, you know something about the fear, the anger, the shame, the sense of violation that this experience generates. You know something about the needs that result: needs for repayment, for a chance to talk, for support, for involvement, for an experience that feels like justice. Unfortunately, you may also know from personal experience how little help, information and involvement you can expect from the justice process.

If you have experienced crime, you know for a fact that you yourself are the victim, and you would like to be remembered in what happens thereafter. But the legal system does not define the offence that way and does not assume that you have a central role.

Legally, the essence of the crime lies in breaking a law rather than the actual damage done. More importantly, the official victim is the state, not you. It is no accident, then, that victims and their needs are so often forgotten: they are not even part of the equation, not part of the definition of the offence!

When a crime occurs, the state as victim decides what must be done, and the process of deciding focuses primarily on two questions: “Is the person guilty? If so, how much punishment does he or she deserve?” Our definitions of crime and justice, then, might be summarized like this:

Crime is a violation of the state and its laws.

Justice establishes blame and administers pain through a contest between offender and state.

This way of viewing crime might be called “retributive justice.” It has little place for victims, uses what some scholars have called a “battle model” for settling things, and, because it is centred so heavily on establishing blame, looks primarily to the past rather than the future. It assumes that punishment or pain, usually in the form of a prison term, is the normal outcome.

This process concentrates almost exclusively on offenders, but, ironically, does not hold them accountable. To be accountable, offenders ought to be helped to understand and acknowledge the human consequences of their actions. Then they ought to be encouraged to take responsibility for what happens thereafter, including taking steps to right the wrong. Yet this rarely happens; indeed, the justice process discourages responsibility. Thus neither victim nor offender is offered the kind of opportunities that might aid healing and resolution for both.

But what is the alternative? How should we understand crime and justice?

An alternate understanding of crime and justice might look something like this:

Crime is a violation of people and their relationships.

Justice identifies needs and obligations so that things can be made right through a process which encourages dialogue and involves both victims and offenders.

A restorative approach to justice would understand that the essence of crime is a violation of people and of harmonious relations between them. Instead of asking first of all, “Who ‘done’ it? What should they get?” (and rarely going beyond this), a restorative approach to justice would ask “Who has been hurt? What can be done to make things right, and whose responsibility is it?” True justice would have as its goals restoration, reconciliation, and responsibility rather than retribution.

Restorative justice would aim to be personal. Insofar as possible, it would seek to empower victims and offenders to be involved in their own cases and, in the process, to learn something about one another. As in the Victim-Offender Reconciliation Program (VORP), which operates in many communities in the U.S. and Canada, when circumstances permit, justice would offer victims and offenders an opportunity to meet in order to exchange information and decide what is to be done. Understanding of one another, acceptance of responsibility, healing of injuries, and empowerment of participants would be important goals.

Is restorative approach practical? Can it work? The experience of the VORP suggests that while there are limitations and pitfalls, restoration and reconciliation can happen, even in some tough cases. Moreover, our own history points in this direction. Through most of western history, most crimes were understood to be harms done to people by other people. Such wrongs created obligations to make right, and the normal process was to negotiate some sort of restitution agreement. Only in the past several centuries did our present retributive understanding displace this more reparative approach.

If our ancestors could view crime and justice this way, why can’t we?

Adapted from: Zehr, H. (n.d.). Justice: Retribution or Restoration? Retrieved from: www.peaceworkmagazine.org/pwo...499/049910.htm

Retribution

Retribution is perhaps the most intuitive—and the most questionable—aim of punishment in the criminal law. Quite contrary to the idea of rehabilitation and distinct from the utilitarian purposes of restraint and deterrence, the purpose of retribution is actively to injure criminal offenders, ideally in proportion with their injuries to society, and so expiate them of guilt.

The impulse to do harm to someone who does harm to you is older than human society, older than the human race itself (go to the zoo and watch the monkey cage for a demonstration.) It’s also one of the most powerful human impulses—so powerful that at times it can overwhelm all else. One of the hallmarks of civilization is to relinquish the personal right to act on this impulse, and transfer responsibility for retribution to some governing body that acts, presumably, on behalf of society entire. When society executes retribution on criminals by means of fines, incarceration, or death, these punishments are a social expression of the personal vengeance the criminal’s victims feel, rationally confined (it is hoped) to what is best for society as a whole.

While “it’s natural” tends not to carry much weight in the criminal law, “it’s morally right” can. Moral feelings and convictions are considered, even by the criminal law, to be some of the most powerful and binding expressions of our humanity. In binding criminal trial juries to restrict guilty verdicts to situations of the highest certainty, “beyond a reasonable doubt” is also often described as “to a moral certainty.” It is to their moral feelings of what is truly right that jury members are asked look before delivering a verdict. It’s perhaps not too much of a stretch, then, to argue that it’s morally right to make criminals suffer as their victims have suffered, if that’s the way one’s moral certainty points.

No matter what one’s moral feelings are about inflicting deliberate harm on a human being, the majority of the citizenry still holds that it’s right to exact retribution on criminal offenders. This is almost certainly true of the majority of victims, and their loved ones, for whom equanimity becomes more and more difficult depending on the severity of the crime. What rape victim does not wish to see her attacker suffer? What parent does not hate the one who killed their child? The outrage that would result from leaving these passions for revenge unsatisfied might be seen as a dramatic failure of the entire criminal justice system. It’s a good argument for retributive justice, then, that in this world public vengeance is necessary in order to avoid the chaos ensuing from individuals taking revenge into their own hands. And, until the moral certainty of a majority of society points towards compassion rather than revenge, this is the form the criminal law must take.

Adapted from: The Lectric Law Library. (n.d.). Retribution. Retrieved from: http://www.lectlaw.com/mjl/cl062.htm

Journal entry #10

Write a paragraph or two responding to the following.

Briefly describe one or two topics on which you may want to base your persuasive essay.

Why is this a good topic? What types of challenges do you think you may face in developing ideas on this topic?

Remember as mentioned in the Assessment Descriptions in your syllabus:

You will be expected to respond to the questions by reflecting on and discussing your experiences with the week’s material.

When writing your journals, you should focus on freewriting—writing without (overly) considering formal writing structures—but remember that it will be read by the instructor, who needs to be able to understand your ideas.

Your instructor will be able to see if you have completed this entry by the end of the week but not read all of the journals until week 11.