I need this by Thursday

•

• Step 1: Watch the following instructional video to learn more about drafting a Persuasive Letter.

• https://youtu.be/kQr6frpKWdA

The Persuasive Letter

• Step 2: Review The Persuasive Letter Assignment Guide.

•

• Assignment Prompt

• For this assignment, you will be writing a letter compelling a friend or family member to change either a behavior or a belief with which you disagree. Choose your own topic, but for example, this letter could petition an enthusiastic neighbor to scale down his blinding Christmas decorations, an immature cousin to take a gap year between high school and college, a grandparent to vote to pass the new school district budget, a friend to stop drinking, or a spouse to reconcile with an estranged sibling. Because the letter will be written to an individual of your choosing, you must tailor your language and logic to the person to whom you are writing. 

•

• Assignment-Specific Requirements:

• Length: This assignment should be at least 750 words. 

• Thesis: Underline your thesis statement or the main claim of your letter.

• Sources Needed: None required. Cite if used, following MLA guidelines. 

• Page Formatting: Use MLA guidelines.  Also add an opening salutation (e.g. Dear Sarah, or Hello, Jon.), and a closing salutation & signature

(Best regards, Tom or Sincerely, Liza)

•

• MLA Requirements: See Formatting your Essay: MLA 8th Edition

Step 3: Review the assignment rubric.

Grading Guide: The Persuasive Letter

ENG 101 Rubric: Persuasive Letter

  Points

0-1

Points

2

Points

3

Points

4

Points

5

Introd uctio n & Thesi s/ Claim 20%

Defin e the proble m/ purpo se for writin g

Consi derati on of audie nce: letter or other wise inten ded audie nce.

thesis /claim State ment

Limite d introdu ctory paragr aph that accom plishe s none of the followi ng: effecti vely hooks the reader , clearly define s a proble matic behavi or or belief, offers neces sary backgr ound and contex tual inform ation, shows excell ent aware ness of the audien ce, and deliver s a strong thesis/ claim statem ent.

An undev eloped introdu ctory paragr aph that accom plishe s few of the followi ng:  effecti vely hooks the reader , clearly define s a proble matic behavi or or belief, offers neces sary backgr ound and contex tual inform ation, shows excell ent aware ness of the audien ce, and deliver s a strong thesis/ claim statem ent.

Moder ately- develo ped introdu ctory paragr aph that accom plishe s some of the followi ng: effecti vely hooks the reader , clearly define s a proble matic behavi or or belief, offers neces sary backgr ound and contex tual inform ation, shows excell ent aware ness of the audien ce, and deliver s a strong thesis/ claim statem ent.

Well- develo ped introdu ctory paragr aph that accom plishe s all but one of the followi ng: effecti vely hooks the reader , clearly define s a proble matic behavi or or belief, offers neces sary backgr ound and contex tual inform ation, shows excell ent aware ness of the audien ce, and deliver s a strong thesis/ claim statem ent.

 

Exem plary introdu ctory paragr aph that accom plishe s each of the followi ng: effecti vely hooks the reader , clearly define s a proble matic behavi or or belief, offers neces sary backgr ound and contex tual inform ation, shows excell ent aware ness of the audien ce, and deliver s a strong thesis/ claim statem ent.

 

Main Body & Point s of Supp ort 20%

Body Parag raphs

Coher ence/ Organ izatio n

Less than three main points, with poor or no develo pment of ideas. Transit ional phrase s are not used or used ineffec tively. Organi zation greatly hinder s the argum ent.

Less than three main points, with poor develo pment of ideas. Main points may be similar and or repetiti ous. Transit ional phrase s are not used or used ineffec tively. The organi zation of the ideas deters from the writer’ s point.

Three or more main points are discer nible, but all three lack develo pment. Main points are similar and/or repetiti ous. Transit ional phrase s are used, but requir e further attenti on. The essay is lackin g a though tful organi zation of the main points.

Three or more main points are presen t but may lack detail and develo pment in one or two. Transit ional phrase s are used some what effecti vely.  A though tful organi zation of the main points is eviden t.

Three or more main points are well- develo ped with suppor ting details . Transit ional phrase s are used effecti vely.  The organi zation of the main points enhan ces the essay.

Concl usion / Closi ng 20%

Sum mary of main points of argu ment/ essay

Resta temen t of thesis / claim.

Concl usion is either severe ly limited or missin g. The point of the essay is not clearly noted in the conclu sion. The conclu sion drama tically under mines the argum ent.

Concl usion is appar ent but does not adequ ately summ arize the main points. The argum ent  is weake ned throug h the inadeq uacy of the conclu sion.

An ineffec tive conclu sion that summ arizes main topics, but is repetiti ve– lackin g depth and possib ly deterri ng from the overall argum ent. 

An effecti ve conclu sion that revisit s the main topics.   Some conclu ding ideas may lack strengt h or develo pment. Concl usion may not enhan ce the argum ent.

An exemp lary conclu sion that revisit s the thesis/ claim and major suppor ting points withou t repeati ng previo us senten ces.

The conclu sion clearly enhan ces the writer’ s persua sive efforts by provok ing the reader to think or feel after they have finishe d readin g. 

Lang uage & Style 13.4 %

Sente nce Struct ure (Gram mar)

Word Choic e/ Voca bulary (redu ndanc y, repetit ion, awkw ardne ss)

The writer has given very little or no appar ent consid eration to langua ge and style. Word choice is sloppy and/or incorre ct.

The writer’ s use of langua ge and style dimini shes the nature and strengt h of the essay. Writer’ s langua ge/ style choice s make the essay less cohesi ve and/or difficul t to unders tand.

The writer’ s use of langua ge and style, at times, deters from the overall argum ent. The writer’ s word choice and style someti mes detract s from the overall messa ge.

The writer’ s use of langua ge and style helps conve y the author’ s point(s ). The writer almost always uses langua ge and style as a tool to enhan ce the argum ent.

The writer’ s use of langua ge and style accent uates the nature of the essay. Writer wields langua ge and style as a tool to enhan ce the argum ent.

Punct uatio n & Capit alizati on 13.3 %

Com ma errors , comm a splice s, apostr ophe errors , capita lizatio n errors , semic olon errors , colon errors , typos/ missp elling s

Contai ns more than 6 differe nt punctu ation/ capital ization errors.

The identic al or similar errors may be repeat ed throug hout. 

The errors help to signific antly deter from the writer’ s overall argum ent.

Contai ns many (more than 4)  differe nt punctu ation/ capital ization errors. The identic al or similar errors are repeat ed throug hout.

The errors deter from the writer’ s overall argum ent.

Contai ns more than 3 differe nt punctu ation/ capital ization errors. The identic al or similar errors may be repeat ed throug hout. At times, the errors deter from the writer’ s overall argum ent.

Contai ns 1-2 types of punctu ation/ capital ization errors, which may be repeat ed throug hout the essay. The errors do not deter from the writer’ s overall argum ent, but they serve as a distrac tion.

Contai ns either no punctu ation/ capital ization errors, or no more than 2 differe nt errors with no repetiti on, and/or the errors do not deter from the writer’ s argum ent.

Atten tion to Direc tions/ Form at of Essa y using MLA

13.3 %

Headi ng

Origin al Title

1” Margi ns

Doubl e- Spac ed

Thesi s/ claim or main point is underl ined.

Mini mum word count : 750 word s

Doesn ’t meet format ting and/or word count requir ement s, and as a result, the writing   is difficul t to read or unrea dable.

Meets very few format ting requir ement s, and those missin g deter from the reada bility of the writing .

Meets some format ting requir ement s: the lack of appro priate format ting may lead to a lack of reada bility or to a distrac tion while readin g.

Meets most format ting requir ement s; the format ting does not discou rage reada bility.

Meets all of the sugge sted essay format ting requir ement s; format ting enhan ces the reada bility of the writing .

ENG 101 Rubric: Persuasive Letter

  Points

0-1

Points

2

Points

3

Points

4

Points

5

Introd uctio n & Thesi s/ Claim 20%

Defin e the proble m/ purpo se for writin g

Consi derati on of audie nce: letter or other wise inten ded audie nce.

thesis /claim State ment

Limite d introdu ctory paragr aph that accom plishe s none of the followi ng: effecti vely hooks the reader , clearly define s a proble matic behavi or or belief, offers neces sary backgr ound and contex tual inform ation, shows excell ent aware ness of the audien ce, and deliver s a strong thesis/ claim statem ent.

An undev eloped introdu ctory paragr aph that accom plishe s few of the followi ng:  effecti vely hooks the reader , clearly define s a proble matic behavi or or belief, offers neces sary backgr ound and contex tual inform ation, shows excell ent aware ness of the audien ce, and deliver s a strong thesis/ claim statem ent.

Moder ately- develo ped introdu ctory paragr aph that accom plishe s some of the followi ng: effecti vely hooks the reader , clearly define s a proble matic behavi or or belief, offers neces sary backgr ound and contex tual inform ation, shows excell ent aware ness of the audien ce, and deliver s a strong thesis/ claim statem ent.

Well- develo ped introdu ctory paragr aph that accom plishe s all but one of the followi ng: effecti vely hooks the reader , clearly define s a proble matic behavi or or belief, offers neces sary backgr ound and contex tual inform ation, shows excell ent aware ness of the audien ce, and deliver s a strong thesis/ claim statem ent.

 

Exem plary introdu ctory paragr aph that accom plishe s each of the followi ng: effecti vely hooks the reader , clearly define s a proble matic behavi or or belief, offers neces sary backgr ound and contex tual inform ation, shows excell ent aware ness of the audien ce, and deliver s a strong thesis/ claim statem ent.

 

Main Body & Point s of Supp ort 20%

Body Parag raphs

Coher ence/ Organ izatio n

Less than three main points, with poor or no develo pment of ideas. Transit ional phrase s are not used or used ineffec tively. Organi zation greatly hinder s the argum ent.

Less than three main points, with poor develo pment of ideas. Main points may be similar and or repetiti ous. Transit ional phrase s are not used or used ineffec tively. The organi zation of the ideas deters from the writer’ s point.

Three or more main points are discer nible, but all three lack develo pment. Main points are similar and/or repetiti ous. Transit ional phrase s are used, but requir e further attenti on. The essay is lackin g a though tful organi zation of the main points.

Three or more main points are presen t but may lack detail and develo pment in one or two. Transit ional phrase s are used some what effecti vely.  A though tful organi zation of the main points is eviden t.

Three or more main points are well- develo ped with suppor ting details . Transit ional phrase s are used effecti vely.  The organi zation of the main points enhan ces the essay.

Concl usion / Closi ng 20%

Sum mary of main points of argu ment/ essay

Resta temen t of thesis / claim.

Concl usion is either severe ly limited or missin g. The point of the essay is not clearly noted in the conclu sion. The conclu sion drama tically under mines the argum ent.

Concl usion is appar ent but does not adequ ately summ arize the main points. The argum ent  is weake ned throug h the inadeq uacy of the conclu sion.

An ineffec tive conclu sion that summ arizes main topics, but is repetiti ve– lackin g depth and possib ly deterri ng from the overall argum ent. 

An effecti ve conclu sion that revisit s the main topics.   Some conclu ding ideas may lack strengt h or develo pment. Concl usion may not enhan ce the argum ent.

An exemp lary conclu sion that revisit s the thesis/ claim and major suppor ting points withou t repeati ng previo us senten ces.

The conclu sion clearly enhan ces the writer’ s persua sive efforts by provok ing the reader to think or feel after they have finishe d readin g. 

Lang uage & Style 13.4 %

Sente nce Struct ure (Gram mar)

Word Choic e/ Voca bulary (redu ndanc y, repetit ion, awkw ardne ss)

The writer has given very little or no appar ent consid eration to langua ge and style. Word choice is sloppy and/or incorre ct.

The writer’ s use of langua ge and style dimini shes the nature and strengt h of the essay. Writer’ s langua ge/ style choice s make the essay less cohesi ve and/or difficul t to unders tand.

The writer’ s use of langua ge and style, at times, deters from the overall argum ent. The writer’ s word choice and style someti mes detract s from the overall messa ge.

The writer’ s use of langua ge and style helps conve y the author’ s point(s ). The writer almost always uses langua ge and style as a tool to enhan ce the argum ent.

The writer’ s use of langua ge and style accent uates the nature of the essay. Writer wields langua ge and style as a tool to enhan ce the argum ent.

Punct uatio n & Capit alizati on 13.3 %

Com ma errors , comm a splice s, apostr ophe errors , capita lizatio n errors , semic olon errors , colon errors , typos/ missp elling s

Contai ns more than 6 differe nt punctu ation/ capital ization errors.

The identic al or similar errors may be repeat ed throug hout. 

The errors help to signific antly deter from the writer’ s overall argum ent.

Contai ns many (more than 4)  differe nt punctu ation/ capital ization errors. The identic al or similar errors are repeat ed throug hout.

The errors deter from the writer’ s overall argum ent.

Contai ns more than 3 differe nt punctu ation/ capital ization errors. The identic al or similar errors may be repeat ed throug hout. At times, the errors deter from the writer’ s overall argum ent.

Contai ns 1-2 types of punctu ation/ capital ization errors, which may be repeat ed throug hout the essay. The errors do not deter from the writer’ s overall argum ent, but they serve as a distrac tion.

Contai ns either no punctu ation/ capital ization errors, or no more than 2 differe nt errors with no repetiti on, and/or the errors do not deter from the writer’ s argum ent.

Atten tion to Direc tions/ Form at of Essa y using MLA

13.3 %

Headi ng

Origin al Title

1” Margi ns

Doubl e- Spac ed

Thesi s/ claim or main point is underl ined.

Mini mum word count : 750 word s

Doesn ’t meet format ting and/or word count requir ement s, and as a result, the writing   is difficul t to read or unrea dable.

Meets very few format ting requir ement s, and those missin g deter from the reada bility of the writing .

Meets some format ting requir ement s: the lack of appro priate format ting may lead to a lack of reada bility or to a distrac tion while readin g.

Meets most format ting requir ement s; the format ting does not discou rage reada bility.

Meets all of the sugge sted essay format ting requir ement s; format ting enhan ces the reada bility of the writing .

ENG 101 Rubric: Persuasive Letter

  Points

0-1

Points

2

Points

3

Points

4

Points

5

Introd uctio n & Thesi s/ Claim 20%

Defin e the proble m/ purpo se for writin g

Consi derati on of audie nce: letter or other wise inten ded audie nce.

thesis /claim State ment

Limite d introdu ctory paragr aph that accom plishe s none of the followi ng: effecti vely hooks the reader , clearly define s a proble matic behavi or or belief, offers neces sary backgr ound and contex tual inform ation, shows excell ent aware ness of the audien ce, and deliver s a strong thesis/ claim statem ent.

An undev eloped introdu ctory paragr aph that accom plishe s few of the followi ng:  effecti vely hooks the reader , clearly define s a proble matic behavi or or belief, offers neces sary backgr ound and contex tual inform ation, shows excell ent aware ness of the audien ce, and deliver s a strong thesis/ claim statem ent.

Moder ately- develo ped introdu ctory paragr aph that accom plishe s some of the followi ng: effecti vely hooks the reader , clearly define s a proble matic behavi or or belief, offers neces sary backgr ound and contex tual inform ation, shows excell ent aware ness of the audien ce, and deliver s a strong thesis/ claim statem ent.

Well- develo ped introdu ctory paragr aph that accom plishe s all but one of the followi ng: effecti vely hooks the reader , clearly define s a proble matic behavi or or belief, offers neces sary backgr ound and contex tual inform ation, shows excell ent aware ness of the audien ce, and deliver s a strong thesis/ claim statem ent.

 

Exem plary introdu ctory paragr aph that accom plishe s each of the followi ng: effecti vely hooks the reader , clearly define s a proble matic behavi or or belief, offers neces sary backgr ound and contex tual inform ation, shows excell ent aware ness of the audien ce, and deliver s a strong thesis/ claim statem ent.

 

Main Body & Point s of Supp ort 20%

Body Parag raphs

Coher ence/ Organ izatio n

Less than three main points, with poor or no develo pment of ideas. Transit ional phrase s are not used or used ineffec tively. Organi zation greatly hinder s the argum ent.

Less than three main points, with poor develo pment of ideas. Main points may be similar and or repetiti ous. Transit ional phrase s are not used or used ineffec tively. The organi zation of the ideas deters from the writer’ s point.

Three or more main points are discer nible, but all three lack develo pment. Main points are similar and/or repetiti ous. Transit ional phrase s are used, but requir e further attenti on. The essay is lackin g a though tful organi zation of the main points.

Three or more main points are presen t but may lack detail and develo pment in one or two. Transit ional phrase s are used some what effecti vely.  A though tful organi zation of the main points is eviden t.

Three or more main points are well- develo ped with suppor ting details . Transit ional phrase s are used effecti vely.  The organi zation of the main points enhan ces the essay.

Concl usion / Closi ng 20%

Sum mary of main points of argu ment/ essay

Resta temen t of thesis / claim.

Concl usion is either severe ly limited or missin g. The point of the essay is not clearly noted in the conclu sion. The conclu sion drama tically under mines the argum ent.

Concl usion is appar ent but does not adequ ately summ arize the main points. The argum ent  is weake ned throug h the inadeq uacy of the conclu sion.

An ineffec tive conclu sion that summ arizes main topics, but is repetiti ve– lackin g depth and possib ly deterri ng from the overall argum ent. 

An effecti ve conclu sion that revisit s the main topics.   Some conclu ding ideas may lack strengt h or develo pment. Concl usion may not enhan ce the argum ent.

An exemp lary conclu sion that revisit s the thesis/ claim and major suppor ting points withou t repeati ng previo us senten ces.

The conclu sion clearly enhan ces the writer’ s persua sive efforts by provok ing the reader to think or feel after they have finishe d readin g. 

Lang uage & Style 13.4 %

Sente nce Struct ure (Gram mar)

Word Choic e/ Voca bulary (redu ndanc y, repetit ion, awkw ardne ss)

The writer has given very little or no appar ent consid eration to langua ge and style. Word choice is sloppy and/or incorre ct.

The writer’ s use of langua ge and style dimini shes the nature and strengt h of the essay. Writer’ s langua ge/ style choice s make the essay less cohesi ve and/or difficul t to unders tand.

The writer’ s use of langua ge and style, at times, deters from the overall argum ent. The writer’ s word choice and style someti mes detract s from the overall messa ge.

The writer’ s use of langua ge and style helps conve y the author’ s point(s ). The writer almost always uses langua ge and style as a tool to enhan ce the argum ent.

The writer’ s use of langua ge and style accent uates the nature of the essay. Writer wields langua ge and style as a tool to enhan ce the argum ent.

Punct uatio n & Capit alizati on 13.3 %

Com ma errors , comm a splice s, apostr ophe errors , capita lizatio n errors , semic olon errors , colon errors , typos/ missp elling s

Contai ns more than 6 differe nt punctu ation/ capital ization errors.

The identic al or similar errors may be repeat ed throug hout. 

The errors help to signific antly deter from the writer’ s overall argum ent.

Contai ns many (more than 4)  differe nt punctu ation/ capital ization errors. The identic al or similar errors are repeat ed throug hout.

The errors deter from the writer’ s overall argum ent.

Contai ns more than 3 differe nt punctu ation/ capital ization errors. The identic al or similar errors may be repeat ed throug hout. At times, the errors deter from the writer’ s overall argum ent.

Contai ns 1-2 types of punctu ation/ capital ization errors, which may be repeat ed throug hout the essay. The errors do not deter from the writer’ s overall argum ent, but they serve as a distrac tion.

Contai ns either no punctu ation/ capital ization errors, or no more than 2 differe nt errors with no repetiti on, and/or the errors do not deter from the writer’ s argum ent.

Atten tion to Direc tions/ Form at of Essa y using MLA

13.3 %

Headi ng

Origin al Title

1” Margi ns

Doubl e- Spac ed

Thesi s/ claim or main point is underl ined.

Mini mum word count : 750 word s

Doesn ’t meet format ting and/or word count requir ement s, and as a result, the writing   is difficul t to read or unrea dable.

Meets very few format ting requir ement s, and those missin g deter from the reada bility of the writing .

Meets some format ting requir ement s: the lack of appro priate format ting may lead to a lack of reada bility or to a distrac tion while readin g.

Meets most format ting requir ement s; the format ting does not discou rage reada bility.

Meets all of the sugge sted essay format ting requir ement s; format ting enhan ces the reada bility of the writing .

ENG 101 Rubric: Persuasive Letter

  Points

0-1

Points

2

Points

3

Points

4

Points

5

Introd uctio n & Thesi s/ Claim 20%

Defin e the proble m/ purpo se for writin g

Consi derati on of audie nce: letter or other wise inten ded audie nce.

thesis /claim State ment

Limite d introdu ctory paragr aph that accom plishe s none of the followi ng: effecti vely hooks the reader , clearly define s a proble matic behavi or or belief, offers neces sary backgr ound and contex tual inform ation, shows excell ent aware ness of the audien ce, and deliver s a strong thesis/ claim statem ent.

An undev eloped introdu ctory paragr aph that accom plishe s few of the followi ng:  effecti vely hooks the reader , clearly define s a proble matic behavi or or belief, offers neces sary backgr ound and contex tual inform ation, shows excell ent aware ness of the audien ce, and deliver s a strong thesis/ claim statem ent.

Moder ately- develo ped introdu ctory paragr aph that accom plishe s some of the followi ng: effecti vely hooks the reader , clearly define s a proble matic behavi or or belief, offers neces sary backgr ound and contex tual inform ation, shows excell ent aware ness of the audien ce, and deliver s a strong thesis/ claim statem ent.

Well- develo ped introdu ctory paragr aph that accom plishe s all but one of the followi ng: effecti vely hooks the reader , clearly define s a proble matic behavi or or belief, offers neces sary backgr ound and contex tual inform ation, shows excell ent aware ness of the audien ce, and deliver s a strong thesis/ claim statem ent.

 

Exem plary introdu ctory paragr aph that accom plishe s each of the followi ng: effecti vely hooks the reader , clearly define s a proble matic behavi or or belief, offers neces sary backgr ound and contex tual inform ation, shows excell ent aware ness of the audien ce, and deliver s a strong thesis/ claim statem ent.

 

Main Body & Point s of Supp ort 20%

Body Parag raphs

Coher ence/ Organ izatio n

Less than three main points, with poor or no develo pment of ideas. Transit ional phrase s are not used or used ineffec tively. Organi zation greatly hinder s the argum ent.

Less than three main points, with poor develo pment of ideas. Main points may be similar and or repetiti ous. Transit ional phrase s are not used or used ineffec tively. The organi zation of the ideas deters from the writer’ s point.

Three or more main points are discer nible, but all three lack develo pment. Main points are similar and/or repetiti ous. Transit ional phrase s are used, but requir e further attenti on. The essay is lackin g a though tful organi zation of the main points.

Three or more main points are presen t but may lack detail and develo pment in one or two. Transit ional phrase s are used some what effecti vely.  A though tful organi zation of the main points is eviden t.

Three or more main points are well- develo ped with suppor ting details . Transit ional phrase s are used effecti vely.  The organi zation of the main points enhan ces the essay.

Concl usion / Closi ng 20%

Sum mary of main points of argu ment/ essay

Resta temen t of thesis / claim.

Concl usion is either severe ly limited or missin g. The point of the essay is not clearly noted in the conclu sion. The conclu sion drama tically under mines the argum ent.

Concl usion is appar ent but does not adequ ately summ arize the main points. The argum ent  is weake ned throug h the inadeq uacy of the conclu sion.

An ineffec tive conclu sion that summ arizes main topics, but is repetiti ve– lackin g depth and possib ly deterri ng from the overall argum ent. 

An effecti ve conclu sion that revisit s the main topics.   Some conclu ding ideas may lack strengt h or develo pment. Concl usion may not enhan ce the argum ent.

An exemp lary conclu sion that revisit s the thesis/ claim and major suppor ting points withou t repeati ng previo us senten ces.

The conclu sion clearly enhan ces the writer’ s persua sive efforts by provok ing the reader to think or feel after they have finishe d readin g. 

Lang uage & Style 13.4 %

Sente nce Struct ure (Gram mar)

Word Choic e/ Voca bulary (redu ndanc y, repetit ion, awkw ardne ss)

The writer has given very little or no appar ent consid eration to langua ge and style. Word choice is sloppy and/or incorre ct.

The writer’ s use of langua ge and style dimini shes the nature and strengt h of the essay. Writer’ s langua ge/ style choice s make the essay less cohesi ve and/or difficul t to unders tand.

The writer’ s use of langua ge and style, at times, deters from the overall argum ent. The writer’ s word choice and style someti mes detract s from the overall messa ge.

The writer’ s use of langua ge and style helps conve y the author’ s point(s ). The writer almost always uses langua ge and style as a tool to enhan ce the argum ent.

The writer’ s use of langua ge and style accent uates the nature of the essay. Writer wields langua ge and style as a tool to enhan ce the argum ent.

Punct uatio n & Capit alizati on 13.3 %

Com ma errors , comm a splice s, apostr ophe errors , capita lizatio n errors , semic olon errors , colon errors , typos/ missp elling s

Contai ns more than 6 differe nt punctu ation/ capital ization errors.

The identic al or similar errors may be repeat ed throug hout. 

The errors help to signific antly deter from the writer’ s overall argum ent.

Contai ns many (more than 4)  differe nt punctu ation/ capital ization errors. The identic al or similar errors are repeat ed throug hout.

The errors deter from the writer’ s overall argum ent.

Contai ns more than 3 differe nt punctu ation/ capital ization errors. The identic al or similar errors may be repeat ed throug hout. At times, the errors deter from the writer’ s overall argum ent.

Contai ns 1-2 types of punctu ation/ capital ization errors, which may be repeat ed throug hout the essay. The errors do not deter from the writer’ s overall argum ent, but they serve as a distrac tion.

Contai ns either no punctu ation/ capital ization errors, or no more than 2 differe nt errors with no repetiti on, and/or the errors do not deter from the writer’ s argum ent.

Atten tion to Direc tions/ Form at of Essa y using MLA

13.3 %

Headi ng

Origin al Title

1” Margi ns

Doubl e- Spac ed

Thesi s/ claim or main point is underl ined.

Mini mum word count : 750 word s

Doesn ’t meet format ting and/or word count requir ement s, and as a result, the writing   is difficul t to read or unrea dable.

Meets very few format ting requir ement s, and those missin g deter from the reada bility of the writing .

Meets some format ting requir ement s: the lack of appro priate format ting may lead to a lack of reada bility or to a distrac tion while readin g.

Meets most format ting requir ement s; the format ting does not discou rage reada bility.

Meets all of the sugge sted essay format ting requir ement s; format ting enhan ces the reada bility of the writing .

ENG 101 Rubric: Persuasive Letter

  Points

0-1

Points

2

Points

3

Points

4

Points

5

Introd uctio n & Thesi s/ Claim 20%

Defin e the proble m/ purpo se for writin g

Consi derati on of audie nce: letter or other wise inten ded audie nce.

thesis /claim State ment

Limite d introdu ctory paragr aph that accom plishe s none of the followi ng: effecti vely hooks the reader , clearly define s a proble matic behavi or or belief, offers neces sary backgr ound and contex tual inform ation, shows excell ent aware ness of the audien ce, and deliver s a strong thesis/ claim statem ent.

An undev eloped introdu ctory paragr aph that accom plishe s few of the followi ng:  effecti vely hooks the reader , clearly define s a proble matic behavi or or belief, offers neces sary backgr ound and contex tual inform ation, shows excell ent aware ness of the audien ce, and deliver s a strong thesis/ claim statem ent.

Moder ately- develo ped introdu ctory paragr aph that accom plishe s some of the followi ng: effecti vely hooks the reader , clearly define s a proble matic behavi or or belief, offers neces sary backgr ound and contex tual inform ation, shows excell ent aware ness of the audien ce, and deliver s a strong thesis/ claim statem ent.

Well- develo ped introdu ctory paragr aph that accom plishe s all but one of the followi ng: effecti vely hooks the reader , clearly define s a proble matic behavi or or belief, offers neces sary backgr ound and contex tual inform ation, shows excell ent aware ness of the audien ce, and deliver s a strong thesis/ claim statem ent.

 

Exem plary introdu ctory paragr aph that accom plishe s each of the followi ng: effecti vely hooks the reader , clearly define s a proble matic behavi or or belief, offers neces sary backgr ound and contex tual inform ation, shows excell ent aware ness of the audien ce, and deliver s a strong thesis/ claim statem ent.

 

Main Body & Point s of Supp ort 20%

Body Parag raphs

Coher ence/ Organ izatio n

Less than three main points, with poor or no develo pment of ideas. Transit ional phrase s are not used or used ineffec tively. Organi zation greatly hinder s the argum ent.

Less than three main points, with poor develo pment of ideas. Main points may be similar and or repetiti ous. Transit ional phrase s are not used or used ineffec tively. The organi zation of the ideas deters from the writer’ s point.

Three or more main points are discer nible, but all three lack develo pment. Main points are similar and/or repetiti ous. Transit ional phrase s are used, but requir e further attenti on. The essay is lackin g a though tful organi zation of the main points.

Three or more main points are presen t but may lack detail and develo pment in one or two. Transit ional phrase s are used some what effecti vely.  A though tful organi zation of the main points is eviden t.

Three or more main points are well- develo ped with suppor ting details . Transit ional phrase s are used effecti vely.  The organi zation of the main points enhan ces the essay.

Concl usion / Closi ng 20%

Sum mary of main points of argu ment/ essay

Resta temen t of thesis / claim.

Concl usion is either severe ly limited or missin g. The point of the essay is not clearly noted in the conclu sion. The conclu sion drama tically under mines the argum ent.

Concl usion is appar ent but does not adequ ately summ arize the main points. The argum ent  is weake ned throug h the inadeq uacy of the conclu sion.

An ineffec tive conclu sion that summ arizes main topics, but is repetiti ve– lackin g depth and possib ly deterri ng from the overall argum ent. 

An effecti ve conclu sion that revisit s the main topics.   Some conclu ding ideas may lack strengt h or develo pment. Concl usion may not enhan ce the argum ent.

An exemp lary conclu sion that revisit s the thesis/ claim and major suppor ting points withou t repeati ng previo us senten ces.

The conclu sion clearly enhan ces the writer’ s persua sive efforts by provok ing the reader to think or feel after they have finishe d readin g. 

Lang uage & Style 13.4 %

Sente nce Struct ure (Gram mar)

Word Choic e/ Voca bulary (redu ndanc y, repetit ion, awkw ardne ss)

The writer has given very little or no appar ent consid eration to langua ge and style. Word choice is sloppy and/or incorre ct.

The writer’ s use of langua ge and style dimini shes the nature and strengt h of the essay. Writer’ s langua ge/ style choice s make the essay less cohesi ve and/or difficul t to unders tand.

The writer’ s use of langua ge and style, at times, deters from the overall argum ent. The writer’ s word choice and style someti mes detract s from the overall messa ge.

The writer’ s use of langua ge and style helps conve y the author’ s point(s ). The writer almost always uses langua ge and style as a tool to enhan ce the argum ent.

The writer’ s use of langua ge and style accent uates the nature of the essay. Writer wields langua ge and style as a tool to enhan ce the argum ent.

Punct uatio n & Capit alizati on 13.3 %

Com ma errors , comm a splice s, apostr ophe errors , capita lizatio n errors , semic olon errors , colon errors , typos/ missp elling s

Contai ns more than 6 differe nt punctu ation/ capital ization errors.

The identic al or similar errors may be repeat ed throug hout. 

The errors help to signific antly deter from the writer’ s overall argum ent.

Contai ns many (more than 4)  differe nt punctu ation/ capital ization errors. The identic al or similar errors are repeat ed throug hout.

The errors deter from the writer’ s overall argum ent.

Contai ns more than 3 differe nt punctu ation/ capital ization errors. The identic al or similar errors may be repeat ed throug hout. At times, the errors deter from the writer’ s overall argum ent.

Contai ns 1-2 types of punctu ation/ capital ization errors, which may be repeat ed throug hout the essay. The errors do not deter from the writer’ s overall argum ent, but they serve as a distrac tion.

Contai ns either no punctu ation/ capital ization errors, or no more than 2 differe nt errors with no repetiti on, and/or the errors do not deter from the writer’ s argum ent.

Atten tion to Direc tions/ Form at of Essa y using MLA

13.3 %

Headi ng

Origin al Title

1” Margi ns

Doubl e- Spac ed

Thesi s/ claim or main point is underl ined.

Mini mum word count : 750 word s

Doesn ’t meet format ting and/or word count requir ement s, and as a result, the writing   is difficul t to read or unrea dable.

Meets very few format ting requir ement s, and those missin g deter from the reada bility of the writing .

Meets some format ting requir ement s: the lack of appro priate format ting may lead to a lack of reada bility or to a distrac tion while readin g.

Meets most format ting requir ement s; the format ting does not discou rage reada bility.

Meets all of the sugge sted essay format ting requir ement s; format ting enhan ces the reada bility of the writing .

ENG 101 Rubric: Persuasive Letter

  Points

0-1

Points

2

Points

3

Points

4

Points

5

Introd uctio n & Thesi s/ Claim 20%

Defin e the proble m/ purpo se for writin g

Consi derati on of audie nce: letter or other wise inten ded audie nce.

thesis /claim State ment

Limite d introdu ctory paragr aph that accom plishe s none of the followi ng: effecti vely hooks the reader , clearly define s a proble matic behavi or or belief, offers neces sary backgr ound and contex tual inform ation, shows excell ent aware ness of the audien ce, and deliver s a strong thesis/ claim statem ent.

An undev eloped introdu ctory paragr aph that accom plishe s few of the followi ng:  effecti vely hooks the reader , clearly define s a proble matic behavi or or belief, offers neces sary backgr ound and contex tual inform ation, shows excell ent aware ness of the audien ce, and deliver s a strong thesis/ claim statem ent.

Moder ately- develo ped introdu ctory paragr aph that accom plishe s some of the followi ng: effecti vely hooks the reader , clearly define s a proble matic behavi or or belief, offers neces sary backgr ound and contex tual inform ation, shows excell ent aware ness of the audien ce, and deliver s a strong thesis/ claim statem ent.

Well- develo ped introdu ctory paragr aph that accom plishe s all but one of the followi ng: effecti vely hooks the reader , clearly define s a proble matic behavi or or belief, offers neces sary backgr ound and contex tual inform ation, shows excell ent aware ness of the audien ce, and deliver s a strong thesis/ claim statem ent.

 

Exem plary introdu ctory paragr aph that accom plishe s each of the followi ng: effecti vely hooks the reader , clearly define s a proble matic behavi or or belief, offers neces sary backgr ound and contex tual inform ation, shows excell ent aware ness of the audien ce, and deliver s a strong thesis/ claim statem ent.

 

Main Body & Point s of Supp ort 20%

Body Parag raphs

Coher ence/ Organ izatio n

Less than three main points, with poor or no develo pment of ideas. Transit ional phrase s are not used or used ineffec tively. Organi zation greatly hinder s the argum ent.

Less than three main points, with poor develo pment of ideas. Main points may be similar and or repetiti ous. Transit ional phrase s are not used or used ineffec tively. The organi zation of the ideas deters from the writer’ s point.

Three or more main points are discer nible, but all three lack develo pment. Main points are similar and/or repetiti ous. Transit ional phrase s are used, but requir e further attenti on. The essay is lackin g a though tful organi zation of the main points.

Three or more main points are presen t but may lack detail and develo pment in one or two. Transit ional phrase s are used some what effecti vely.  A though tful organi zation of the main points is eviden t.

Three or more main points are well- develo ped with suppor ting details . Transit ional phrase s are used effecti vely.  The organi zation of the main points enhan ces the essay.

Concl usion / Closi ng 20%

Sum mary of main points of argu ment/ essay

Resta temen t of thesis / claim.

Concl usion is either severe ly limited or missin g. The point of the essay is not clearly noted in the conclu sion. The conclu sion drama tically under mines the argum ent.

Concl usion is appar ent but does not adequ ately summ arize the main points. The argum ent  is weake ned throug h the inadeq uacy of the conclu sion.

An ineffec tive conclu sion that summ arizes main topics, but is repetiti ve– lackin g depth and possib ly deterri ng from the overall argum ent. 

An effecti ve conclu sion that revisit s the main topics.   Some conclu ding ideas may lack strengt h or develo pment. Concl usion may not enhan ce the argum ent.

An exemp lary conclu sion that revisit s the thesis/ claim and major suppor ting points withou t repeati ng previo us senten ces.

The conclu sion clearly enhan ces the writer’ s persua sive efforts by provok ing the reader to think or feel after they have finishe d readin g. 

Lang uage & Style 13.4 %

Sente nce Struct ure (Gram mar)

Word Choic e/ Voca bulary (redu ndanc y, repetit ion, awkw ardne ss)

The writer has given very little or no appar ent consid eration to langua ge and style. Word choice is sloppy and/or incorre ct.

The writer’ s use of langua ge and style dimini shes the nature and strengt h of the essay. Writer’ s langua ge/ style choice s make the essay less cohesi ve and/or difficul t to unders tand.

The writer’ s use of langua ge and style, at times, deters from the overall argum ent. The writer’ s word choice and style someti mes detract s from the overall messa ge.

The writer’ s use of langua ge and style helps conve y the author’ s point(s ). The writer almost always uses langua ge and style as a tool to enhan ce the argum ent.

The writer’ s use of langua ge and style accent uates the nature of the essay. Writer wields langua ge and style as a tool to enhan ce the argum ent.

Punct uatio n & Capit alizati on 13.3 %

Com ma errors , comm a splice s, apostr ophe errors , capita lizatio n errors , semic olon errors , colon errors , typos/ missp elling s

Contai ns more than 6 differe nt punctu ation/ capital ization errors.

The identic al or similar errors may be repeat ed throug hout. 

The errors help to signific antly deter from the writer’ s overall argum ent.

Contai ns many (more than 4)  differe nt punctu ation/ capital ization errors. The identic al or similar errors are repeat ed throug hout.

The errors deter from the writer’ s overall argum ent.

Contai ns more than 3 differe nt punctu ation/ capital ization errors. The identic al or similar errors may be repeat ed throug hout. At times, the errors deter from the writer’ s overall argum ent.

Contai ns 1-2 types of punctu ation/ capital ization errors, which may be repeat ed throug hout the essay. The errors do not deter from the writer’ s overall argum ent, but they serve as a distrac tion.

Contai ns either no punctu ation/ capital ization errors, or no more than 2 differe nt errors with no repetiti on, and/or the errors do not deter from the writer’ s argum ent.

Atten tion to Direc tions/ Form at of Essa y using MLA

13.3 %

Headi ng

Origin al Title

1” Margi ns

Doubl e- Spac ed

Thesi s/ claim or main point is underl ined.

Mini mum word count : 750 word s

Doesn ’t meet format ting and/or word count requir ement s, and as a result, the writing   is difficul t to read or unrea dable.

Meets very few format ting requir ement s, and those missin g deter from the reada bility of the writing .

Meets some format ting requir ement s: the lack of appro priate format ting may lead to a lack of reada bility or to a distrac tion while readin g.

Meets most format ting requir ement s; the format ting does not discou rage reada bility.

Meets all of the sugge sted essay format ting requir ement s; format ting enhan ces the reada bility of the writing .

ENG 101 Rubric: Persuasive Letter

  Points

0-1

Points

2

Points

3

Points

4

Points

5

Introd uctio n & Thesi s/ Claim 20%

Defin e the proble m/ purpo se for writin g

Consi derati on of audie nce: letter or other wise inten ded audie nce.

thesis /claim State ment

Limite d introdu ctory paragr aph that accom plishe s none of the followi ng: effecti vely hooks the reader , clearly define s a proble matic behavi or or belief, offers neces sary backgr ound and contex tual inform ation, shows excell ent aware ness of the audien ce, and deliver s a strong thesis/ claim statem ent.

An undev eloped introdu ctory paragr aph that accom plishe s few of the followi ng:  effecti vely hooks the reader , clearly define s a proble matic behavi or or belief, offers neces sary backgr ound and contex tual inform ation, shows excell ent aware ness of the audien ce, and deliver s a strong thesis/ claim statem ent.

Moder ately- develo ped introdu ctory paragr aph that accom plishe s some of the followi ng: effecti vely hooks the reader , clearly define s a proble matic behavi or or belief, offers neces sary backgr ound and contex tual inform ation, shows excell ent aware ness of the audien ce, and deliver s a strong thesis/ claim statem ent.

Well- develo ped introdu ctory paragr aph that accom plishe s all but one of the followi ng: effecti vely hooks the reader , clearly define s a proble matic behavi or or belief, offers neces sary backgr ound and contex tual inform ation, shows excell ent aware ness of the audien ce, and deliver s a strong thesis/ claim statem ent.

 

Exem plary introdu ctory paragr aph that accom plishe s each of the followi ng: effecti vely hooks the reader , clearly define s a proble matic behavi or or belief, offers neces sary backgr ound and contex tual inform ation, shows excell ent aware ness of the audien ce, and deliver s a strong thesis/ claim statem ent.

 

Main Body & Point s of Supp ort 20%

Body Parag raphs

Coher ence/ Organ izatio n

Less than three main points, with poor or no develo pment of ideas. Transit ional phrase s are not used or used ineffec tively. Organi zation greatly hinder s the argum ent.

Less than three main points, with poor develo pment of ideas. Main points may be similar and or repetiti ous. Transit ional phrase s are not used or used ineffec tively. The organi zation of the ideas deters from the writer’ s point.

Three or more main points are discer nible, but all three lack develo pment. Main points are similar and/or repetiti ous. Transit ional phrase s are used, but requir e further attenti on. The essay is lackin g a though tful organi zation of the main points.

Three or more main points are presen t but may lack detail and develo pment in one or two. Transit ional phrase s are used some what effecti vely.  A though tful organi zation of the main points is eviden t.

Three or more main points are well- develo ped with suppor ting details . Transit ional phrase s are used effecti vely.  The organi zation of the main points enhan ces the essay.

Concl usion / Closi ng 20%

Sum mary of main points of argu ment/ essay

Resta temen t of thesis / claim.

Concl usion is either severe ly limited or missin g. The point of the essay is not clearly noted in the conclu sion. The conclu sion drama tically under mines the argum ent.

Concl usion is appar ent but does not adequ ately summ arize the main points. The argum ent  is weake ned throug h the inadeq uacy of the conclu sion.

An ineffec tive conclu sion that summ arizes main topics, but is repetiti ve– lackin g depth and possib ly deterri ng from the overall argum ent. 

An effecti ve conclu sion that revisit s the main topics.   Some conclu ding ideas may lack strengt h or develo pment. Concl usion may not enhan ce the argum ent.

An exemp lary conclu sion that revisit s the thesis/ claim and major suppor ting points withou t repeati ng previo us senten ces.

The conclu sion clearly enhan ces the writer’ s persua sive efforts by provok ing the reader to think or feel after they have finishe d readin g. 

Lang uage & Style 13.4 %

Sente nce Struct ure (Gram mar)

Word Choic e/ Voca bulary (redu ndanc y, repetit ion, awkw ardne ss)

The writer has given very little or no appar ent consid eration to langua ge and style. Word choice is sloppy and/or incorre ct.

The writer’ s use of langua ge and style dimini shes the nature and strengt h of the essay. Writer’ s langua ge/ style choice s make the essay less cohesi ve and/or difficul t to unders tand.

The writer’ s use of langua ge and style, at times, deters from the overall argum ent. The writer’ s word choice and style someti mes detract s from the overall messa ge.

The writer’ s use of langua ge and style helps conve y the author’ s point(s ). The writer almost always uses langua ge and style as a tool to enhan ce the argum ent.

The writer’ s use of langua ge and style accent uates the nature of the essay. Writer wields langua ge and style as a tool to enhan ce the argum ent.

Punct uatio n & Capit alizati on 13.3 %

Com ma errors , comm a splice s, apostr ophe errors , capita lizatio n errors , semic olon errors , colon errors , typos/ missp elling s

Contai ns more than 6 differe nt punctu ation/ capital ization errors.

The identic al or similar errors may be repeat ed throug hout. 

The errors help to signific antly deter from the writer’ s overall argum ent.

Contai ns many (more than 4)  differe nt punctu ation/ capital ization errors. The identic al or similar errors are repeat ed throug hout.

The errors deter from the writer’ s overall argum ent.

Contai ns more than 3 differe nt punctu ation/ capital ization errors. The identic al or similar errors may be repeat ed throug hout. At times, the errors deter from the writer’ s overall argum ent.

Contai ns 1-2 types of punctu ation/ capital ization errors, which may be repeat ed throug hout the essay. The errors do not deter from the writer’ s overall argum ent, but they serve as a distrac tion.

Contai ns either no punctu ation/ capital ization errors, or no more than 2 differe nt errors with no repetiti on, and/or the errors do not deter from the writer’ s argum ent.

Atten tion to Direc tions/ Form at of Essa y using MLA

13.3 %

Headi ng

Origin al Title

1” Margi ns

Doubl e- Spac ed

Thesi s/ claim or main point is underl ined.

Mini mum word count : 750 word s

Doesn ’t meet format ting and/or word count requir ement s, and as a result, the writing   is difficul t to read or unrea dable.

Meets very few format ting requir ement s, and those missin g deter from the reada bility of the writing .

Meets some format ting requir ement s: the lack of appro priate format ting may lead to a lack of reada bility or to a distrac tion while readin g.

Meets most format ting requir ement s; the format ting does not discou rage reada bility.

Meets all of the sugge sted essay format ting requir ement s; format ting enhan ces the reada bility of the writing .

• Step 4: Review some tips on writing the Persuasive Letter.

• Writing Tips: The Persuasive Letter Page

Writing Tips: The Persuasive Letter

• Imagine your reader vividly. In most genres, the audience is indistinct, which accounts for many of the difficulties writers experience during the composition process–not so here. Your knowledge of your reader is a gift. Use it to help you navigate the choices you encounter, including what points to make and what language to use as you compose and refine this letter.   

• Persuasive writing does not require the extensive research of academic argument; however, in order to best establish and develop their ideas, persuasive writers must know their topic (and the point-of-view they support) well. Research is one of many variables in the persuasive form that is influenced by a writer’s chosen audience and topic. A letter to a reader with subject-matter expertise of the chosen

subject requires its writer to undertake a different research process than the letter to a reader with general knowledge. Thus, be prepared to do such research as is needed to appear informed and credible on the page. If a source is formally used, you must cite from where and from whom it came. 

• Be sure your introduction anticipates any resistances or acknowledges any difficulties, that your reader might experience upon encountering your thesis before you deliver it. Few of us delight in learning that someone believes that we are mistaken, or misguided, or flat-out wrong. How will your reader respond to this news? Maturely? Angrily? Defensively? What emotional or logical appeals can your introduction deliver to make your reader receptive to reading criticism? Similarly, keep these considerations in mind as you compose the rest of your piece. Remember, persuading your reader is your aim; you’re not out to make them feel bad. 

• Write a thesis/claim that forecasts your persuasive position’s major supporting points. 

• Ensure that your body paragraphs have a single governing idea–ideally, a point that supports the thesis. As a general matter of practice, deliver that point in the body paragraph’s first sentence: a topic sentence. Do write body paragraphs that develop their main point thoroughly. Avoid writing paragraphs that deliver multiple, varied points. Writing more about less is better than writing less about more–a rule to write by. 

• Use the first-person pronoun, “I,” but be wary of its overuse. Likewise, for reasons of economy and redundancy, avoid “in my opinion” and “I believe.” Your name is visible to the reader on the first page; assume they need no reminding of the source of all these words. Set your default mode to third-person, but use “I” when it

makes an obvious case for itself. 

• In your conclusion, do revisit your letter’s main points, but don’t write a conclusion that merely summarizes your position.  A good strategy for your conclusion is to include (a) a statement of what unifies you and your reader and (b) a direct call to action. While your letter may address a point that divides you, the germ of this writing is a shared concern–the issue or the community that the issue impacts. You and your reader have a shared stake; find what it is and articulate it. Finally, name the specific action that you want from your reader. What steps can they take to make the change you want? Be as specific as possible.

• Step 5: Review Persuasive Letter Examples  

• • Color-Coded Persuasive Letter Page

• Color-Coded Persuasive Letter

• Last Name 1

• First Name Last Name

• English Composition 1

• Persuasive Letter

• 24 March 2021

• It’s Time to Be More Modern

• Dear Mom,

• With my birthday approaching, I thought now would be a good time to talk about something that has been nagging at me since last Christmas. I know you enjoy the time you spend going shopping in stores. You can personally examine each and every thing that you come across and you have an excuse to get out of the house. That is great that you can find joy in a mundane task like exploring the local strip mall. However, I think now is the perfect time to step into the future and start shopping online.(2) I understand that you worry about the safety of online shopping and about figuring out your computer,(3) but I think if you knew what awaited you on the internet retailers, you would change your mind.(2) Walking around for hours shopping may be a treat for you, but I think that the benefits from saving gas money, having endless options at your fingertips, and being able to track deals instantly would certainly peak your interest and, hopefully,(5) push you into the modern world.(4)

• Gas prices rising coupled with the fact that you live 45 minutes from the nearest clothing store is one of the reasons online shopping would be such a great option for you.(6) Let’s look at the numbers for this. Your SUV gets 15 miles to the gallon. On average, the price per gallon in our area is about $3.00. So it costs you $3.00 to go 15 miles in your car. Now when you factor in that your favorite store is a little over 30 miles away, you’re spending $6.00 just

to get to your favorite store! That’s if you only go to that store. I won’t even get started on the fact that you go to multiple stores on the same trip. Then it is another $6.00 to drive all the way back home. That is a whole $12.00 that you are spending at least driving to and from your favorite retailers. Think about how many blouses you could buy with the gas money you would be saving in a week!(9) As a person who is always trying to save money, I think letting you know how much you are actually spending while going to the store(7) would help you be more open to the wonders of online shopping.(10)

• Next, I don’t think you realize exactly how endless the possibilities are when you are online shopping.(6) Even businesses in our small town have websites and they can deliver their products right to your doorstep! If one of the websites doesn’t have what you are looking for, there is another one that does. You don’t even have to leave your couch to search for a replacement for a sold out item. Then in as little as one day you can have anything you want in your hands.(9) Purchasing things like food for your dogs, special socks for Dad, or even a goldfish for your grandchildren has never been easier.(8) It is literally as easy as clicking one button. In the modern world, anything is possible, even shopping without walking out your door.(10)

• When I learned how much you love saving money, I just knew online shopping was for you. I told you earlier about how much money you could be saving just by not driving to the store, but I think you

need to be introduced to the wonderful world of online couponing.(6) When you’re online shopping, you can compare websites all at the same time. There are even apps that you can add to your browser that can look for those deals for you. One of the things I hear you complain about is the fact that there is a sale on an item that is all the way across town, but you don’t want to go to one more place so you choose to buy the more expensive item at the store you are currently at. Well Mom, gone are the days where you have to pay extra because of the location of your desired item. When you shop online, you can see sales that are happening all the way across the country and you can make sure you’re getting the best deal from any online store you come across.(9) You’ll be able to sleep well knowing that you found the best bang for your buck when you online shop.(10)

• Online shopping is the gift that keeps on giving. It doesn’t matter what you want; with the click of a button, you can have anything at your house within a matter of days. I think the biggest benefits you will see will be with your gas savings, your purchase options, and your ability to coupon like crazy.(11) These are all things that I’ve heard you complain about and now the solution is here for you. I think if you look past the chance of having your cards compromised and took a minute to learn about your computer, you may find that you enjoy this kind of shopping. For my birthday, I would love nothing more than for you to be happy and safe, but, demonstrating this new skill would be a great gift as well. The

occasional trip to the city is still a good idea when you’re spending time with friends or when you have something that you urgently need that day; however, (12) the future is calling and it wants you to stay home and shop online.(13)

• With love,

• First Name Last Name • 1. Hook • 2. Background Information • 3. Anticipation of Resistance • 4. Thesis Statement Claim • 5. Thesis Statement Subtopics • 6. Topic Sentences • 7. Ethos • 8. Pathos • 9. Logos • 10. Concluding Sentence • 11. Summarizing • 12. Synthesizing • 13. Call to Action

• • Annotated Persuasive Letter Page

Annotated Persuasive Letter

Last Name 1

First Name Last Name

English Composition 1

Persuasive Letter

16 January 2021

Quaint is Queen

Dear Bridgette,

I think in many ways, the majority of the human population is addicted to the stress and chaos that has become our normal. The perpetual struggle to keep our heads above water financially, while maintaining happiness and safety within our families, wears on us more than we realize, and so many people are simply skating through life solely attempting to keep the order. What if there were a far more simplistic way of living that could resolve half of our daily stress? It would be silly to pass up such an opportunity, wouldn’t you agree?[SS1] Although this may not be a popular idea, Northern Maine is the best place in the United States to live and raise a family because of the safety, natural environment, and relaxed laws and regulations. [SS2]

Just picture this- you are observing your children from an oversized bay window as they play gleefully outside and stomp around in the freshly fallen snow on a bright Saturday afternoon while you glide back and forth in your rocking chair beside your cozy wood stove. Their joyful giggles warm you just as much as the homey smell of the fresh wood burning right beside you. You have lost sight of them for a short minute, but you do not think twice about this, because

you know that they are safe. A moment later, they come bounding inside where you have their cups of fresh hot chocolate waiting for them in the kitchen, still giggling without a care in the world. Everything you had always dreamed of for your family has finally come true, and there is no greater feeling than this. [SS3]

Safety is the number one priority when raising a family, and living in Northern Maine is the best way to achieve it. [SS4] The crime rate is significantly lower in Maine than in most other states, [SS5] bringing comfort to families who believe that children should be encouraged to explore the outdoors without fear of lurking bullies, kidnappers, and pedophiles. Many residents live by old fashioned Christian values, and it is even exemplified through the public-school systems where they still believe in saying the Pledge of Allegiance before beginning each school day. So many spend good money to send their children to a private school to allow them to experience the form of education that comes standard in public schools in places such as Northern Maine. Also, Northern Maine is unique because it is one of the few places where if you break down on the side of the road, you can always count on somebody to pull over to ask if you need help. [SS6]

Needless to say,[SS7] Northern Maine is breathtaking. Its wildlife ranges from moose, bear, and deer- to the more common fox, coyote, and beaver. There is nothing more spectacular than looking out of your second-story window and spotting

a moose in your driveway, his height nearly reaching your height. You can also find gorgeous bodies of water in nearly every county, whether it’s the crashing ocean, a calming lake, or a rolling river. Northern Maine also has some of the most vibrant foliage during the fall that many observers drive hours just to have the opportunity to enjoy. Not only is the natural beauty of Northern Maine stunning, but it also offers plenty of activities for the whole family to enjoy. Many towns hold sledding parties at dusk that include music, campfires, and s’mores designed to please the entire family. They are also known for agricultural fairs, canoe races, ATV derbies, snowmobiling, skiing, ziplining, hunting, hiking, camping, pig roasts, and so much more. It is genuinely centered around bringing families and friends together to enjoy good old- fashioned fun. [SS8]

Furthermore, another reason why you should live in Northern Maine is because of how lax the laws and regulations seem to be. The vast majority of residents own a handgun or hunting rifle of some sort, and this is socially acceptable. Most of the men have a rifle mounted on a stand in the back window of their pickup truck, and nobody bats an eye or finds this concerning. In Northern Maine, you only need to be 18 years old with identification and a cleared background check to purchase a gun. You might be thinking, Well that doesn’t sound safe, but in fact, gun violence is quite rare in that area. Hunting is such a significant sport that even children as young as 10 years old can participate with a parent. [SS9] One of

the most genuine things that you might come across while living in Northern Maine is the abundance of fresh produce and egg stands. [SS10] So many are content to live off the land, and they are happy to display the fruits of their labor (pun intended) in a handmade shack right in front of their farmhouse. Most have so much faith in the honesty of their neighbors that they leave a money box on its counter, where customers are free to take their own change. Another surprising reason why you should live in Northern Maine is how shockingly cheap the real estate is. [SS11] It is possible to buy a small house for the same price as the average American’s vehicle. Lastly, if by a rare chance you find yourself on the FBI’s Most Wanted list, the Canadian border is only a short ride away. You do not need a passport to drive into Canada, making a swift getaway efficient and discrete. Though not recommended, it is yet another reason why you should live in Northern Maine. [SS12]

In conclusion, Northern Maine is a hidden gem that is underestimated and underappreciated, and you may never understand the full extent of what it has to offer unless you experience it yourself. Many people like you have gotten comfortable living in a far more hazardous environment with very little privacy, but I truly hope that after today you can begin to understand why it is better to live in a much more peaceful environment. Its nature is beautiful, the people are kinder, the wildlife is pure, and it is surely the safest place to live when raising a family. I hope after today you will share the same opinion.

Sincerely,

First Name Last Name

S S 1

The introduction provides background information. Do you think that it sufficiently anticipates any of the specific letter recipient’s resistances or difficulties?

S S 2

The thesis includes a claim and subpoints. Consider these points, though: 1) Does it appear directed at the specific letter recipient after being set up for this particular person in the introduction? 2) Is the persuasive point narrow enough, or does “to live and rase a family” appear to create some ambiguity about direction?

S S 3

This body paragraph touches upon safety, which is the first subtopic in the thesis, but does it explore that point sufficiently and in an organized manner with a suitable topic and concluding sentence?

S S 4

This appears to be a suitable topic sentence for a paragraph related to safety being a reason the letter recipient should “live or raise a family” in Northern Maine.

S S 5

As the reader, do you trust this type of statistical statement without seeing a citation for a source from which it is borrowed?

S S 6

What are your thoughts on this statement? Does it prevent or promote safety concerns? Does the letter writer relate this idea back to their claim?

S S 7

Is this a suitable transition?

S S 8

Does the letter writer appeal to the letter recipient in this section?

S S 9

Even though this sentence refers to a child’s activity, do these ideas relate more towards an individual living in this area or a family? Should this section and/or the thesis be narrowed?

S S 10

Is this still related to the subtopic in this paragraph?.

S S 11

Hmm, another digression perhaps?

S S 12

Does this concluding sentence summarize and synthesize the section?

S S 1

The introduction provides background information. Do you think that it sufficiently anticipates any of the specific letter recipient’s resistances or difficulties?

S S 2

The thesis includes a claim and subpoints. Consider these points, though: 1) Does it appear directed at the specific letter recipient after being set up for this particular person in the introduction? 2) Is the persuasive point narrow enough, or does “to live and rase a family” appear to create some ambiguity about direction?

S S 3

This body paragraph touches upon safety, which is the first subtopic in the thesis, but does it explore that point sufficiently and in an organized manner with a suitable topic and concluding sentence?

S S 4

This appears to be a suitable topic sentence for a paragraph related to safety being a reason the letter recipient should “live or raise a family” in Northern Maine.

S S 5

As the reader, do you trust this type of statistical statement without seeing a citation for a source from which it is borrowed?

S S 6

What are your thoughts on this statement? Does it prevent or promote safety concerns? Does the letter writer relate this idea back to their claim?

S S 7

Is this a suitable transition?

S S 8

Does the letter writer appeal to the letter recipient in this section?

S S 9

Even though this sentence refers to a child’s activity, do these ideas relate more towards an individual living in this area or a family? Should this section and/or the thesis be narrowed?

S S 10

Is this still related to the subtopic in this paragraph?.

S S 11

Hmm, another digression perhaps?

S S 12

Does this concluding sentence summarize and synthesize the section?

• Step 6: Step-by-Step Checklist: Crafting the Persuasive Letter

• • Step-By-Step Checklist: Ready, Set, Write! Page

• Step-By-Step Checklist: Ready, Set, Write! • Step by Step Checklist: Crafting the

Persuasive Letter

•

• Choose your topic–your reader and their belief. Start by making a list of three, and live with them for a few hours, imagining the letter you’d write. The topic that produces the most developed letter–a thesis and the subjects of the body paragraphs would be ideal–is the one you want to go with.

• •  

•

• Make a good faith effort to see matters from your reader’s eyes. Try to do so without judgment. What feelings, concepts, and rationalizations underlie your reader’s belief or behavior? Note them. Developing a clear, accurate understanding of your reader’s belief or behavior in your efforts to move them from it, and this exercise will help you to avoid a potentially fatal pitfall: Little is more lethal to the efforts of a persuasive writer than a mistaken assumption about what their reader thinks.

• •  

•

• Assess the rhetorical situation, and if necessary, research your subject. Our aim is to write a letter that balances its appeals. Because you know your reader, the emotional appeals you’ll make will likely come more easily to you. Be sure to consider your letter’s logical aspects, and assess to what extent your letter might profit from research. We research for two reasons. We research to strengthen our support. Also, we research simply to achieve the sort of command of our subject matter that is needed to write credibly about it. If you need to brush up on your subject, now is the time.   

• •

•

• Develop your thesis/main claim. The thesis is the central point of your letter, the point that unifies all the material within it. Succinctly and clearly, it needs to transact two tasks. 1. It needs to communicate what you want your reader to change. 2. It needs to communicate the major reasons why they should change it. (A smart strategy for structuring your argument is to make each “why” the subject of a body paragraph.) 

• •  

•

• Outline your letter, This is a document for you. It can be as complex or as simple as you wish. Minimally, nail down the thesis/main claim and subjects for the body paragraphs. During outlining, listen to what your outline tells you about your project. The places in the outline that fill you with uneasiness are the places in your letter that are asking for your attention. Resolve as many issues as you can before starting the draft. The time needed to fix a problem during prewriting is usually far less than the time needed to fix the same problem during revision. 

• •  

•

• Write your draft. Try to hear your words as you type. Imagine that you’re in a conversation but can freeze it in order to choose the words you like best. Your language should be mindful of the rhetorical situation and your ethos, or your credibility. Consider your relationship to the reader and to the subject matter, and pitch your language to be taken seriously.  

• •  

•

• Put your draft away before you revise. Step 7 is: do nothing for a while–literally. Step 7 wins “Best Step.” To revise is to re-see, and after drafting, when we’ve spent so much time looking at a project, we experience a kind of eye fatigue that stops us from seeing it clearly. Avoid skipping this step. Put one sleep between the end of drafting and the start of revision.  And whatever you do, do not submit your draft now. A certain perspective afflicts developing writers that sees the final period on the rough draft as the end of the process–few attitudes are more harmful to the grades that papers earn. 

• •

•

• Revise your draft. Revision focuses on the conceptual characteristics of your draft, the ideas your language proposes, the emotions it evokes, the depth, coherence, and order of the world your words conjure–not punctuation and grammar. If possible, engage a trusted reader, a friend, or family member whose judgment you trust, to offer feedback. Two sets of eyes are always better than one.

• •

•

• Edit your draft. Correct usage, spelling, mechanical, and grammatical errors. For the many for whom this is something less than straightforward (How am I supposed to correct the mistakes, if I’m the one who made them in the first place?) you are encouraged to make cautious use of spell and grammar check software, such as Grammarly, to engage a second reader whose editorial skills you trust, and to direct your attention to this courses appendices or any resource you like and trust. 

• •

• Ensure your letter complies with MLA formatting and if applicable, citation guidelines

• Step by Step Checklist: Crafting the Persuasive Letter

•

• Choose your topic–your reader and their belief. Start by making a list of three, and live with them for a few hours, imagining the letter you’d write. The topic that produces the most developed letter–a thesis and the subjects of the body paragraphs would be ideal–is the one you want to go with.

• •  

•

• Make a good faith effort to see matters from your reader’s eyes. Try to do so without judgment. What feelings, concepts, and rationalizations underlie your reader’s belief or behavior? Note them. Developing a clear, accurate understanding of your reader’s belief or behavior in your efforts to move them from it, and this exercise will help you to avoid a potentially fatal pitfall: Little is more lethal to the efforts of a persuasive writer than a mistaken assumption about what their reader thinks.

• •  

•

• Assess the rhetorical situation, and if necessary, research your subject. Our aim is to write a letter that balances its appeals. Because you know your reader, the emotional appeals you’ll make will likely come more easily to you. Be sure to consider your letter’s logical aspects, and assess to what extent your letter might profit from research. We research for two reasons. We research to strengthen our support. Also, we research simply to achieve the sort of command of our subject matter that is needed to write credibly about it. If you need to brush up on your subject, now is the time.   

• •

•

• Develop your thesis/main claim. The thesis is the central point of your letter, the point that unifies all the material within it. Succinctly and clearly, it needs to transact two tasks. 1. It needs to communicate what you want your reader to change. 2. It needs to communicate the major reasons why they should change it. (A smart strategy for structuring your argument is to make each “why” the subject of a body paragraph.) 

• •  

•

• Outline your letter, This is a document for you. It can be as complex or as simple as you wish. Minimally, nail down the thesis/main claim and subjects for the body paragraphs. During outlining, listen to what your outline tells you about your project. The places in the outline that fill you with uneasiness are the places in your letter that are asking for your attention. Resolve as many issues as you can before starting the draft. The time needed to fix a problem during prewriting is usually far less than the time needed to fix the same problem during revision. 

• •  

•

• Write your draft. Try to hear your words as you type. Imagine that you’re in a conversation but can freeze it in order to choose the words you like best. Your language should be mindful of the rhetorical situation and your ethos, or your credibility. Consider your relationship to the reader and to the subject matter, and pitch your language to be taken seriously.  

• •  

•

• Put your draft away before you revise. Step 7 is: do nothing for a while–literally. Step 7 wins “Best Step.” To revise is to re-see, and after drafting, when we’ve spent so much time looking at a project, we experience a kind of eye fatigue that stops us from seeing it clearly. Avoid skipping this step. Put one sleep between the end of drafting and the start of revision.  And whatever you do, do not submit your draft now. A certain perspective afflicts developing writers that sees the final period on the rough draft as the end of the process–few attitudes are more harmful to the grades that papers earn. 

• •

•

• Revise your draft. Revision focuses on the conceptual characteristics of your draft, the ideas your language proposes, the emotions it evokes, the depth, coherence, and order of the world your words conjure–not punctuation and grammar. If possible, engage a trusted reader, a friend, or family member whose judgment you trust, to offer feedback. Two sets of eyes are always better than one.

• •

•

• Edit your draft. Correct usage, spelling, mechanical, and grammatical errors. For the many for whom this is something less than straightforward (How am I supposed to correct the mistakes, if I’m the one who made them in the first place?) you are encouraged to make cautious use of spell and grammar check software, such as Grammarly, to engage a second reader whose editorial skills you trust, and to direct your attention to this courses appendices or any resource you like and trust. 

• •

• Ensure your letter complies with MLA formatting and if applicable, citation guidelines

• Step by Step Checklist: Crafting the Persuasive Letter

•

• Choose your topic–your reader and their belief. Start by making a list of three, and live with them for a few hours, imagining the letter you’d write. The topic that produces the most developed letter–a thesis and the subjects of the body paragraphs would be ideal–is the one you want to go with.

• •  

•

• Make a good faith effort to see matters from your reader’s eyes. Try to do so without judgment. What feelings, concepts, and rationalizations underlie your reader’s belief or behavior? Note them. Developing a clear, accurate understanding of your reader’s belief or behavior in your efforts to move them from it, and this exercise will help you to avoid a potentially fatal pitfall: Little is more lethal to the efforts of a persuasive writer than a mistaken assumption about what their reader thinks.

• •  

•

• Assess the rhetorical situation, and if necessary, research your subject. Our aim is to write a letter that balances its appeals. Because you know your reader, the emotional appeals you’ll make will likely come more easily to you. Be sure to consider your letter’s logical aspects, and assess to what extent your letter might profit from research. We research for two reasons. We research to strengthen our support. Also, we research simply to achieve the sort of command of our subject matter that is needed to write credibly about it. If you need to brush up on your subject, now is the time.   

• •

•

• Develop your thesis/main claim. The thesis is the central point of your letter, the point that unifies all the material within it. Succinctly and clearly, it needs to transact two tasks. 1. It needs to communicate what you want your reader to change. 2. It needs to communicate the major reasons why they should change it. (A smart strategy for structuring your argument is to make each “why” the subject of a body paragraph.) 

• •  

•

• Outline your letter, This is a document for you. It can be as complex or as simple as you wish. Minimally, nail down the thesis/main claim and subjects for the body paragraphs. During outlining, listen to what your outline tells you about your project. The places in the outline that fill you with uneasiness are the places in your letter that are asking for your attention. Resolve as many issues as you can before starting the draft. The time needed to fix a problem during prewriting is usually far less than the time needed to fix the same problem during revision. 

• •  

•

• Write your draft. Try to hear your words as you type. Imagine that you’re in a conversation but can freeze it in order to choose the words you like best. Your language should be mindful of the rhetorical situation and your ethos, or your credibility. Consider your relationship to the reader and to the subject matter, and pitch your language to be taken seriously.  

• •  

•

• Put your draft away before you revise. Step 7 is: do nothing for a while–literally. Step 7 wins “Best Step.” To revise is to re-see, and after drafting, when we’ve spent so much time looking at a project, we experience a kind of eye fatigue that stops us from seeing it clearly. Avoid skipping this step. Put one sleep between the end of drafting and the start of revision.  And whatever you do, do not submit your draft now. A certain perspective afflicts developing writers that sees the final period on the rough draft as the end of the process–few attitudes are more harmful to the grades that papers earn. 

• •

•

• Revise your draft. Revision focuses on the conceptual characteristics of your draft, the ideas your language proposes, the emotions it evokes, the depth, coherence, and order of the world your words conjure–not punctuation and grammar. If possible, engage a trusted reader, a friend, or family member whose judgment you trust, to offer feedback. Two sets of eyes are always better than one.

• •

•

• Edit your draft. Correct usage, spelling, mechanical, and grammatical errors. For the many for whom this is something less than straightforward (How am I supposed to correct the mistakes, if I’m the one who made them in the first place?) you are encouraged to make cautious use of spell and grammar check software, such as Grammarly, to engage a second reader whose editorial skills you trust, and to direct your attention to this courses appendices or any resource you like and trust. 

• •

• Ensure your letter complies with MLA formatting and if applicable, citation guidelines

• Step by Step Checklist: Crafting the Persuasive Letter

•

• Choose your topic–your reader and their belief. Start by making a list of three, and live with them for a few hours, imagining the letter you’d write. The topic that produces the most developed letter–a thesis and the subjects of the body paragraphs would be ideal–is the one you want to go with.

• •  

•

• Make a good faith effort to see matters from your reader’s eyes. Try to do so without judgment. What feelings, concepts, and rationalizations underlie your reader’s belief or behavior? Note them. Developing a clear, accurate understanding of your reader’s belief or behavior in your efforts to move them from it, and this exercise will help you to avoid a potentially fatal pitfall: Little is more lethal to the efforts of a persuasive writer than a mistaken assumption about what their reader thinks.

• •  

•

• Assess the rhetorical situation, and if necessary, research your subject. Our aim is to write a letter that balances its appeals. Because you know your reader, the emotional appeals you’ll make will likely come more easily to you. Be sure to consider your letter’s logical aspects, and assess to what extent your letter might profit from research. We research for two reasons. We research to strengthen our support. Also, we research simply to achieve the sort of command of our subject matter that is needed to write credibly about it. If you need to brush up on your subject, now is the time.   

• •

•

• Develop your thesis/main claim. The thesis is the central point of your letter, the point that unifies all the material within it. Succinctly and clearly, it needs to transact two tasks. 1. It needs to communicate what you want your reader to change. 2. It needs to communicate the major reasons why they should change it. (A smart strategy for structuring your argument is to make each “why” the subject of a body paragraph.) 

• •  

•

• Outline your letter, This is a document for you. It can be as complex or as simple as you wish. Minimally, nail down the thesis/main claim and subjects for the body paragraphs. During outlining, listen to what your outline tells you about your project. The places in the outline that fill you with uneasiness are the places in your letter that are asking for your attention. Resolve as many issues as you can before starting the draft. The time needed to fix a problem during prewriting is usually far less than the time needed to fix the same problem during revision. 

• •  

•

• Write your draft. Try to hear your words as you type. Imagine that you’re in a conversation but can freeze it in order to choose the words you like best. Your language should be mindful of the rhetorical situation and your ethos, or your credibility. Consider your relationship to the reader and to the subject matter, and pitch your language to be taken seriously.  

• •  

•

• Put your draft away before you revise. Step 7 is: do nothing for a while–literally. Step 7 wins “Best Step.” To revise is to re-see, and after drafting, when we’ve spent so much time looking at a project, we experience a kind of eye fatigue that stops us from seeing it clearly. Avoid skipping this step. Put one sleep between the end of drafting and the start of revision.  And whatever you do, do not submit your draft now. A certain perspective afflicts developing writers that sees the final period on the rough draft as the end of the process–few attitudes are more harmful to the grades that papers earn. 

• •

•

• Revise your draft. Revision focuses on the conceptual characteristics of your draft, the ideas your language proposes, the emotions it evokes, the depth, coherence, and order of the world your words conjure–not punctuation and grammar. If possible, engage a trusted reader, a friend, or family member whose judgment you trust, to offer feedback. Two sets of eyes are always better than one.

• •

•

• Edit your draft. Correct usage, spelling, mechanical, and grammatical errors. For the many for whom this is something less than straightforward (How am I supposed to correct the mistakes, if I’m the one who made them in the first place?) you are encouraged to make cautious use of spell and grammar check software, such as Grammarly, to engage a second reader whose editorial skills you trust, and to direct your attention to this courses appendices or any resource you like and trust. 

• •

• Ensure your letter complies with MLA formatting and if applicable, citation guidelines

• Graphic Organizers: Organizing your Writing Folder

Persuasion Map Instructions:

• Save this document to your Drive account. • Write the goal/hypothesis/thesis in the first box • Write three reasons why it is true (or why you want to persuade) in the second

layer. • Write three facts or examples for each of the reasons in the final layer.

Access: Double click on the text box. It will open in “Google Draw”. Type your answer, click “Save and Close” when you are finished. Note: If you make any mistakes, click “Ctrl + Z” and it will undo the typing.

Thesis, Goal or Hypothesis True or Fact #2 True or Fact #1 True or Fact #3 Fact/Example #1 Fact/Example #2 Fact/Example #3

Fact/Example #1 Fact/Example #2 Fact/Example #3 Fact/Example #1 Fact/Example #2 Fact/Example #3

• Rhetorical Mode

• The goal of persuasive writing is to get a reader (your audience) to agree with your point of view. Persuasive writing blends facts and emotion to convince the reader that the writer is right. This genre relies on opinion and emotion to a greater extent than argumentative writing, but in moving a reader, the successful persuasive letter also deploys logically sound argumentation and quite often researched support and fact. 

•

• Purpose:

•

• The purpose of drafting a persuasive letter is to move your reader to agree with your point of view. Persuasion is single-minded; it is based on a conviction that a particular way of thinking or acting is the only way to go; all of the energy of the letter works toward this end. As a writer, you will present one side–your side. While an opposing point should be mentioned, it is only mentioned to be refuted or dismissed in the service of your position.  

•

• Audience:

•

• Persuasive writing is almost always written with a particular audience in mind.  For this piece of writing, you will direct your persuasive letter to one person. Thus, your audience is not imagined, but rather very real, and that person and their characteristics will inform many of the choices you make as a

writer. The persuasive letter requires constant negotiation with another person’s mind. At every phase of the writing process, as you prewrite, draft, and revise, this assignment will ask you to imagine and anticipate how your reader feels, responds, and thinks.   

•

• Form:

•

• This piece of writing will be presented using a letter format.  Thus, while you still need an MLA-style heading to format your work for submission, you will address your letter directly to your reader with a formal letter salutation. 

• Five Features of a Persuasive Letter

• Rhetorical Situation: Persuasive Writing vs. Argumentative Writing: Persuasive writing, in a way, is a form of argumentative writing; however, the goal of persuasive writing is to get a reader or group of readers to agree with you/your point of view on a particular topic, and the goal of argumentative writing is to get the reader to acknowledge that your side is valid and is worth considering. Persuasive writing blends facts with emotion in an attempt to convince the reader that the writer is “right,” while in argumentative writing, the writer cites relevant reasons, credible facts, and sufficient evidence in order to convince the reader to consider a particular perspective. The nuances are subtle but important to consider. (Later in this course you will be crafting an argument and will see the differences in these genres of writing with greater clarity. The letter makes balanced use of the three rhetorical appeals to persuade a reader to change a behavior or belief.  The three appeals, which come to us from that consequential deceased Greek, Aristotle, are: 

• 1 Ethos: a writer’s or speaker’s credibility. In your letter,

therefore, ethos is you, sort of. It’s the “you” that your writing transmits to your reader, the sum total of your tone and language choices, and also the values and intelligence that your writing communicates. Therefore, be vigilant with your work because ethos is the appeal that’s most immediately harmed by faulty word choices, punctuation mistakes, and lapses in tone. 

1 Pathos: the appeal to a reader’s emotions and values. Get your reader to feel. Play (in a non-evil way) on their emotions–their compassion, their fears, their sense of

community.   

• Logos: the appeal to a reader’s logic or reason.  Ensure your claims are logical, free of fallacies, and backed with specific support.  

• Organization: Organize using argumentative structure: an introduction with a thesis/main claim, body paragraphs that advance points in support of the thesis/main claim, and a conclusion. 

• Transitions: Uses transitional phrases to connect your ideas and move the reader forward smoothly and logically between sentences. 

• Known Audience: The letter’s appeals are personalized to the reader’s characteristics–their professional role and its obligations, as well as their values and emotions. 

• Formal or Informal Writing? The tone of the letter depends upon the recipient and your relationship and also upon subject matter. The tone should enhance the letter’s persuasive efforts, not undermine them. Always strive for a respectful approach.

• •

• Mini-Lesson on ETHOS - PATHOS - LOGOS • • Plan to use these appeals heavily throughout your Persuasive

Letter. •

• Ethos

• This is an ethical appeal. It relies on your reliability and credibility as the author. 

• Includes reliable sources

• Is written from an unbiased perspective

• Shows the writer’s expertise through the presentation of careful insight and research

• Pathos

• This is an emotional appeal. It relies on the construction of careful connection between the claims presented and the emotions of the readers. 

• Includes the writer’s values and beliefs

• Uses stories or examples that convey emotion

• Contains broader appeal and focus  

• Logos

• This is an appeal to logic and reason. It relies on facts and figures that can convince the reader of the claims. 

• Relies on fact and opinion

• Focuses on reasonable claims and organization of ideas

• Only includes relevant material with a narrow focus

• Ethos

• This is an ethical appeal. It relies on your reliability and credibility as the author. 

• Includes reliable sources

• Is written from an unbiased perspective

• Shows the writer’s expertise through the presentation of careful insight and research

• Pathos

• This is an emotional appeal. It relies on the construction of careful connection between the claims presented and the emotions of the readers. 

• Includes the writer’s values and beliefs

• Uses stories or examples that convey emotion

• Contains broader appeal and focus  

• Logos

• This is an appeal to logic and reason. It relies on facts and figures that can convince the reader of the claims. 

• Relies on fact and opinion

• Focuses on reasonable claims and organization of ideas

• Only includes relevant material with a narrow focus

• • •

Submit an OPTIONAL reflection at the end of your draft.

Suggestions on what to include in your reflection:

1.     What draft are you presently submitting?

2.     What was the writing process like for you? 

3.     Where did you stumble, and where do you need additional guidance?