Your purpose in writing an argumentative or persuasive essay is to convince your readers to share your viewpoint on a particular topic.
Audience
Be especially mindful of your audience when writing a persuasive essay.
Your audience’s beliefs and values will influence your ability to persuade them and influence the types of evidence you will choose to support your argument.
In addition to persuading your audience, your goal is also to provide a clear and intelligent explanation of your position. Therefore, choose a topic you already have some knowledge about.
You may structure your persuasive essay in one of two ways: You may begin with your position and then provide your support for your position, or you may present your evidence and conclude with your position
Logical Errors
When providing evidence or support for your position, avoid the following errors in logic:
Ad hominem (to the person): criticizing a person’s position by criticizing that person’s character.
Ad populum argument (to the people): appealing to the bias of your audience instead of using facts.
Utilizing the testimony of an unqualified authority to support your argument.
Oversimplification: suggesting a simple solution to a complex problem.
