An essay written to persuade uses tone and language designed to convince the audience to agree with the writer's point of view. Greek philosopher Aristotle defined three key tools employed by writers in persuasive writing: ethos, pathos, and logos. Ethos refers to the writer's character, their credibility in presenting the argument. Pathos is the emotional appeal the writer uses to sway the audience. It is the emotional response the writer hopes to stir in the readers. Logos refers to the writer's use of reason, the way in which the writer presents their argument. It is the text of the essay, the words that the writer choses and how the essay is written.
When writing an essay, the writer will consider the purpose, audience, and tone of the essay in order to best convey their ideas to the readers. The writer might also include a thesis statement in the essay's introduction. The thesis statement is usually the last sentence of the introduction and is the one-sentence purpose of the essay. Not all essay types need a thesis statement, such as an essay to inform or entertain, but the thesis works particularly well in a persuasive essay as it states the writer's argument in a single sentence. Let's look at some examples of how tone, audience, and purpose might be used in writing an essay about a water main break along a city sidewalk.
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Once you decide on your purpose for your essay, be sure to keep it in mind as you write. One way to do this is to write a clear and detailed thesis statement, which is one sentence outlining the main idea of the whole essay. For example, a thesis statement for a persuasive essay on recycling might be, 'Recycling should be mandated to all citizens because it saves our natural resources and reduces waste all while costing very little.' If each paragraph relates back to this thesis, then your whole essay will be persuasive.
Once you decide on your purpose, you must be sure to have a tone that falls within that field. For instance, imagine you are writing a persuasive essay trying to convince others to recycle paper. How would it sound if you include sarcastic comments degrading those who didn't recycle? That would probably offend a lot of people and turn them off of your argument. This kind of tone is inappropriate with a purpose to persuade. Instead, you should be respectful of other's opinions and try to speak directly to your reader. Also, you should provide examples and evidence to support your idea. This respectful attitude and relevant statistics will persuade the reader more than a sarcastic, demeaning tone.
Take a look at our list of persuasive essay topics for college students. We divided our ideas into sections so that you can find the most appropriate one. So, you can easily navigate throughout our page for a more effective search.
Activity: You probably have used persuasive writing before: a letter to your parent explaining why you need a later bedtime; an e-mail to your best friend giving advice and opinions about a relationship; an essay in the school paper encouraging kids to sign up for a new club; or a speech for class elections in which you were running for vice-president. Answer the following questions:
To choose a good topic, you need to think about your assignment. Different issues are appropriate for argumentative, persuasive, and other types of essays. The main thing is that the subject should interest you. Your essay would be more exciting for the readers if you have fun writing it.
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