• By Daniel Millions
• Published 05/12/2008
• Writing

The whole basic purpose of writing a persuasive essay is to do your best to convince the reader to come around to agreeing with your point of view or to siding with your idea for a course of action that may or may not need to be taken. For example, you might argue that the taxpayer’s money is being wasted by building another exit road to a particular area when there are already four exits to that area from the interstate off-ramp. Or you might try getting the school to change the cafeteria menus to have vegetarian options for the student body. A well written persuasive essay will successfully use your evidence to support your point of view; to present opposing views and present a strong conclusion in favor of your P.O.V. Some of the faculty and staff that designates the use of funding may worry that changing the food selection to have vegetarian options would be too expensive. However, there are ways to lessen the cost. Much of what could be added can be bought inexpensively in bulk quantities and the kitchen staff educated in the cooking techniques that might be required for some of the unfamiliar foods. Have one of the lines of the cafeteria offering the regular menu and the other line having the veggie menu for the day.

Use good hard evidence to support your P.O.V. Use all the statistics for promoting healthier eating habits, health facts, quotes from various health experts and many other examples of just how delicious and awesome a vegetarian lifestyle can be. All these

types of facts will help you to build a strong case for your argument for just such an arrangement. Appeal to the readers sense of keeping an open mind about such ideas by presenting all of the relevant evidence in a clear, well-organized, and well-spoken manner. ALWAYS consider opposing view-points. If you do not show the opposing view points presented fairly then your argument will sound weak and one-sided. Try to anticipate the issues and questions that a reader could have about your chosen subject. Responding to these points in a positive manner will give you the chance to explain why your point of view would be than the other person’s or persons, view point, or view points, as the case maybe. Build and give the strongest conclusion you can. With all of your evidence and presenting it in a well spoken and well-written format should build toward a strong ending in which you will summarize your view to make it as clear and to have the strongest possible impression and influence as you can. The final words in a persuasive essay might include a call to action and make the strongest impression on your audience and thereby drawing them in to seeing your viewpoint more strongly and clearly.

ALWAYS use a pleasant and reasonable tone for your essay. Using any sort of sarcasm, or turning to using name-calling and pithy language will weaken your argument. Presenting it with cool logic and level -headed fairness will help to keep it strong and will be more likely to win the reader to seeing things from your perspective and achieving the desired effect of having the vegetarian line option in your school cafeteria!