Lesson 2-4 Planning a Persuasive Essay
Completion requirements
Planning a Persuasive Essay
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Target |
Assignment |
Purpose
So far in this unit you have been looking at paragraphs. Paragraphs are the building blocks of essays. Intentionally combine a series of well-crafted paragraphs together, and you have a focused essay. As you learned in the previous lessons, there are three types of paragraphs: narrative, descriptive and expository. Which type of paragraph(s) you use in an essay will depend on your purpose.Every essay has a purpose. The purpose is connected to the type of paragraphs you might expect to use. The purpose of an essay might be:
Narrative Essay
to entertain or tell a storyDescriptive Essay
to describe a person. place, event, object, relationship...Expository Essay
to explain something or to inform people about somethingPersuasive Essay
to present reasons and evidence to convince people to act or think in a certain way|
Check Your Understanding: Are you clear on the different kinds of essay writing? Download the 2-4-SA Self-Assessment: Essay Types file by clicking here. Check your answers to the 2-4-SA Self-Assessment: Essay Types here. |
Power of Persuasion - Do YOU have it?
@Pixabay
Convincing an Audience
If an essay will convince an audience to consider a point of view, believe a certain way, or adopt a set of behaviours, it first must convince the audience to care about the issue. This is not always easy. How would you convince a musical band member that your school needs to buy more sports equipment for example?
To convince the audience (in this case, the musician) assume he or she knows nothing about your topic. Use clear language and avoid jargon (complicated technical terms). Consider how the audience will benefit from your position and speak to what motivates the person. Find common ground. Having an opinion about a topic does not constitute expertise. So, before speaking or writing, listen carefully to other points of view and research or know the subject. Then, to help the audience understand the issue, define it clearly.
The most powerful element of persuasion is a logical argument based on facts that demonstrate an informed understanding of an issue. Therefore, a persuasive writer or speaker takes a clear position. A well-prepared essay often foresees counterattacks and arguments and may address the most significant of these in an opinion piece. Conclude with a workable solution.
Can You Convince Me?
When we try to convince someone else of anything, there are two ways we can do it: - argument
- persuasion
Which one should you use? That depends on the topic and your approach to your presentation. Of course, you could use elements of both to persuade your audience.
Argument
- claims are based on factual evidence
- makes counter-claims: opposing views are taken into account
- neutralizes or reduces serious opposing ideas
- convinces audience through reasonable claims and proof
Persuasion
- claims are based on opinions
- may not take opposing ideas into account
- persuade audience by
- appealing to emotions
- appealing to common sense and logic
- appealing to sense of right and wrong (ethics)
Argument and Persuasion
Both of these strategies:- make claims
- rely on careful word choice and organization of information
- may or may not include opposing details
- appeal to the audience
Persuasive Essay
From convincing friends and family where to eat to convincing a teacher when an extension is needed, persuasion is personal, passionate, and compelling.
A persuasive essay defines a position, presents facts and opinions in a systematic way, and convinces readers to consider an issue through a compelling final statement.
Recognizing elements of persuasion and emotional language can help you to be persuasive in your own writing and to avoid being manipulated by others.
Read some of the persuasive paragraphs on this Canadian Geographic page Do they convince you to adopt the Canada goose as our national bird?
A persuasive essay defines a position, presents facts and opinions in a systematic way, and convinces readers to consider an issue through a compelling final statement.
Recognizing elements of persuasion and emotional language can help you to be persuasive in your own writing and to avoid being manipulated by others.
Read some of the persuasive paragraphs on this Canadian Geographic page Do they convince you to adopt the Canada goose as our national bird?
Monday, December 15, 2014 by Will Ferguson, Calgary Author
Big, bold and fiercely loyal
I'm excited. The choosing of an official national bird for Canada would allow us to finally mitigate the egregious error we made in naming the beaver as our national rodent, a creature whose most noble trait—I've often pointed out—is that he thinks to slap his tail and warn his buddies before he runs away. Joining Castor canadensis as national icon, I thereby nominate the strikingly coloured and conveniently named Canada goose.
Like the beaver, the Canada goose has webbed feet, but that's where the similarities end. Canada geese don't run away from anyone. They are highly adaptable to human environments, meaning they aren't intimidated by us in the least. They will chase you across a public park simply because they don't like the looks of you. These are big, bad-tempered birds. The largest of the species, Branta canadensis maxima, can weigh a whopping eight kilos, with a wingspan of two metres. (A typical bald eagle: Six kilograms, with a wingspan of 1.9 metres. I'm just sayin'.)
The Canada goose flies in distinctively crisp V-formation and is highly vocal, handsomely plumed and - being Canadian—likes to winter occasionally in Mexico. This is a goose with attitude. If birds could get tattoos, I have no doubt that the Canada goose would be first in line. But they are also fiercely loyal. Among the first to arrive in spring, and last to leave in winter, they mate for life and both parents share in raising their young. A fine role model all round, I'd say. And if I'm going to be chased through a public park anyway, I would rather it be by a national emblem.
http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/nationalbird/bird.asp?name=Canada-goose&id=1003 - Canada's National Bird Project
Big, bold and fiercely loyal
I'm excited. The choosing of an official national bird for Canada would allow us to finally mitigate the egregious error we made in naming the beaver as our national rodent, a creature whose most noble trait—I've often pointed out—is that he thinks to slap his tail and warn his buddies before he runs away. Joining Castor canadensis as national icon, I thereby nominate the strikingly coloured and conveniently named Canada goose.
Like the beaver, the Canada goose has webbed feet, but that's where the similarities end. Canada geese don't run away from anyone. They are highly adaptable to human environments, meaning they aren't intimidated by us in the least. They will chase you across a public park simply because they don't like the looks of you. These are big, bad-tempered birds. The largest of the species, Branta canadensis maxima, can weigh a whopping eight kilos, with a wingspan of two metres. (A typical bald eagle: Six kilograms, with a wingspan of 1.9 metres. I'm just sayin'.)
The Canada goose flies in distinctively crisp V-formation and is highly vocal, handsomely plumed and - being Canadian—likes to winter occasionally in Mexico. This is a goose with attitude. If birds could get tattoos, I have no doubt that the Canada goose would be first in line. But they are also fiercely loyal. Among the first to arrive in spring, and last to leave in winter, they mate for life and both parents share in raising their young. A fine role model all round, I'd say. And if I'm going to be chased through a public park anyway, I would rather it be by a national emblem.
http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/nationalbird/bird.asp?name=Canada-goose&id=1003 - Canada's National Bird Project