How to Write a Persuasive Argument Essay

You probably associate the word “essay” with writing freely and everything that comes to your mind, don’t you? Essays are oftentimes related to various social, philosophical, and political topics which are very easy to be discussed and reflected upon in a written form. Persuasive essays also revolve around discussing a given issue, but they contain logical and valid arguments, thus standing closer to academic papers, as it seems. In this sense, you should not think that writing a persuasive argument essay is quite easy. It actually requires excellent logical skills and also comprehensive knowledge in the given field.

How to write a persuasive argument essay – 6 key tips

1. What is a persuasive argument essay

A persuasive argument essay is such an essay which presents a given view on a certain issue. The view in question should be opposed to another counter-argument, thereby being the only one reliable and strong argument.

2. Ethics of persuasion

There is something tricky here. To persuade a given person does not mean that you must be absolutely convinced in your point of view. The so-called Sophists in Ancient Greece taught how to convince the opponent, never mind your point of view. Some of these teachers-orators said that they are able to prove a thesis, and then prove that its counter-thesis is true. In such a sense, you should choose whether you want to convince your opponent(s) in the thesis which you personally do not believe in, or your thesis will be related to your opinion on the question.

We recommend to figure out a thesis which stands closer to your personal convictions. Only professional orators are able to argue for theses which they do not adhere to personally.

3. Define your thesis and arguments

When your thesis is clear, it will be easier for you to convince the audience. Do not allow too abstract definitions, and also never use terms whose meaning is unknown to you. If needed, check their meaning several times.

The arguments should be logically connected with the thesis. The best way to defend the thesis is by using statistics and detailed information. Be careful not to refer to unreliable sources (opinions of forum users, tweets on Twitter, or Facebook statuses).

4. Refer to renowned scholars

Although from a logical point of view any reference to renowned theorists does not have any logical value, you may still do it in order to have stronger effect on your audience. It is always useful to refer to the theory of an important scholar. However, you should be careful here because these are slippery slopes. Your opponent may criticize the fact you refer to other scholars instead of presenting your own arguments.

5. Repudiate the counter-thesis

This element is pretty important because it shows that you know your opponent’s theory very well. It happens very often that disputants are not familiar with the theory of their opponent, thus not being able to repudiate it essentially. You need to read a lot about the theory you want to repudiate and find some flaws in it. The flaws could be: referring to irrelevant data and facts, using false (or even fake) data, emotional arguments (referring to what one feels instead of referring to objective data), and misinterpretation of various data (of experiments, observations, and so forth).

6. Add a bibliography

Your bibliography should include titles referred to throughout your essay. Do not forget also to add articles or books written by the representatives of the theory you want to repudiate.

There isn’t a universal formula concerning how to write a persuasive argument essay. In all cases, you need to practice more: to write essays and also discuss various topics with opponents.