C h a p t e r 1 3
Persuasion
A
persuasive (or argumentative) paper convinces. It may try to convince the reader
to follow a certain course of action or accept a belief or position and thus relies
on reasoning and clear logic. Persuasion is part of every facet of our lives: Convinc-
ing a potential employer to hire us, a neighbor to keep his dog from ruining our
shrubbery, the electric company that the house meter is faulty, the appliance store
that we paid the bill on time. Others use persuasion to convince us to vote for them,
to buy or use their products, to invest in their schemes, to follow their religious
beliefs, or to accept their points of view.
Many kinds of writing may include elements of persuasion: letters (especially letters
to the editor), short stories, comparison and contrasts, even biographies. Likewise,
different means of development can be used in a persuasive paper: definition, anal-
ogy, cause and effect, comparison and contrast, opinion, classification, and descrip-
tion. [See entries for each earlier in Part II for additional details.] A competent writer
finds persuasion to be one of the most versatile tools available.
cHaracteristics
The following characteristics should be evident in a persuasive paper. In general, a
persuasive paper
-^ deals with an appropriately debatable subject,
-^ assumes the reader to be antagonistic,
-^ begins on some common ground so that reader and writer have a point of
agreement,
-^ anticipates the reader’s concerns and opposing point of view,
-^ refutes opposing arguments,
-^ presents supporting details, including statistics, examples, cause-and-effect
relationships, and so on,
-^ places the topic or thesis sentence at the beginning or the end, depending on
the intensity of the reader’s antagonism,
-^ follows an organizational plan that anticipates objections by the reader,
-^ relies on logical reasoning,
-^ uses subtle emotional or psychological appeals,
-^ depends in large part on the writer’s credibility for acceptance,