Persuasive essay

Thinking on Your Own About Persuasive Essays

By Charles F. Stone

In the persuasive essay assignment for Critical Thinking, you demonstrate the L-5 competence statement that “Student can analyze issues and reconcile problems using critical and appreciative thinking.” The essay is about your thinking, and should not be confused with a request to find out what other people think. That may be an important part of research, but should not be the end. In addition to using the 6 Hats method, here are ways to make sure that you provide original thinking in the essay. 1. Details About Sources and Evidence. Briefly show that your sources are credible and the evidence itself is trustworthy. Choose details about the source to show that they can be trusted, and details about how the evidence was gathered to show that it is reliable. You are writing for critical thinkers, and should show whenever possible that your sources and evidence are solid, and that there is a reason that you trust them. If you do this skillfully, it will help to establish your ethos as a trustworthy advocate. Also, provide enough information about the evidence to allow readers to understand and evaluate it. That may even involve going beyond the evidence itself, to find information to provide a frame of reference, comparison, or context that will help readers to put the evidence in perspective. 2. Comments About Evidence. After presenting evidence, provide your thoughts about it. One type of thought is also a category of evidence – inferences – which are conclusions that you’ve drawn from the evidence. For example, “by extension from this evidence, we can infer (or we can safely conclude) that ...” Alternately, you might limit the evidence by discussing why it wouldn’t be safe to draw a particular inference from the evidence. Or, you might evaluate the importance of the evidence, or state whether, and why, you agree or disagree with any portion of it, or comment upon any vagueness or ambiguity in what the evidence means. Or, you might relate the evidence to something else; show its relationship to other pieces of evidence (for example, does it corroborate or conflict with that other evidence?), or show its relationship to an opposing argument (for example, does it form the basis for the argument?), or its relationship to your recommended action.

3. Perspective. Put arguments and evidence in perspective by comparing and contrasting. Argue why something is essential and irreplaceable, or bigger, more important, more urgent, more effective, more dangerous, or more common than something else. You are arguing about the relationship between the parts of the whole. 4. Alternatives. Produce different recommendations for accomplishing your goal, or more than one way of proceeding on your recommendation, and argue the relative merits of each alternative. Show why one alternative is best. 5. Practicality of Recommended Action Show readers that your recommendation is practical – that it can be accomplished without undue risk or difficulty, and that it relies upon existing or reasonably obtainable resources. This means that your recommendation must be specific enough so that readers can see what steps implementation would involve. Spell out how your idea would be put into action. 6. Emphasis. Rank your evidence and arguments, and give prominence where due. Develop your most compelling evidence by providing more information about it, while trimming or omitting evidence that isn’t important. Save something for the ending. Of your entire argument, readers are most likely to remember the last point made. Don’t waste your opportunity by trying to summarize everything; it can’t be done. Choose a powerful piece of evidence, or a final argument, that readers can take with them. It might be a final yellow-hat benefit of doing things your way, a black-hat risk of ignoring your advice, a final, green-hat alternative, or a compelling argument or quote. End with a bang.