PERSUASION ESSAY
MINIMUM 900 WORDS
In the Persuasion Essay, you take a stand or position on a current issue and define your argument—in other words, take a side. You are attempting to persuade your audience to accept your point of view or to take a particular course of action. Your audience should be a person who holds opinions opposite to yours, or a group that could be expected to do so. In this essay, you are trying to define your position without offending the opponent. In order to avoid offending the opposition, the entire essay should be written in third person.
The required topic for this essay is: racial profiling should be legal / illegal (choose a side).
All Essays MUST include sources to back up and authenticate your claims. A MINIMUM of three sources is required. These sources will be provided for you in class. WEBSITES, PERSONAL INTERVIEWS AND INTERNET SOURCES ARE NOT ALLOWED. All sources must, of course, be cited in your essay and listed in your Works Cited page in MLA style.
You may use the following sources, all of which are available online from the GSU library:
Alison Marie Behnke. Racial Profiling: Everyday Inequality. Twenty-First Century Books, 2017.
Merino, Noel. Racial Profiling. Greenhaven Publishing, 2014. “Fact Sheet: Racial Profiling.” SIRS June 17, 2003.
Tomaskovic-devey, Donald, and Patricia Warren. “Explaining and Eliminating Racial Profiling.” Contexts. Spring 2009. SIRS.
Your Essay should include:
Paragraphs:
1. a. A statement of the problem or issue you are talking about. Tell the reader about the problem for which you are proposing a solution or the issue and position which you hope to persuade him or her to accept. Give any background or characteristics of the issue that will be necessary for your reader to have a full understanding of the situation and of your argument.
b. A statement of the solution you are advising. Describe the solution you propose. As fully and clearly as possible, show how your solution will solve the problem or your position is the most rational and best for all concerned.
2‑4. Three advantages of your position or arguments in its favor. Discuss at least three advantages of the position or solution you have proposed. That is, show the reader three ways in which your position would improve or clarify the issue or the situation you have described. Give the evidence for your position here; it should be hard facts that your audience cannot dispute. For this reason, religious beliefs or statements are not acceptable as arguments or advantages, since however clear they may seem to you, your audience may disagree with them.
5-7. Answer three of the audience's objections. Find out the reasons why people disagree with you—these are their objections. Answer the objections that your audience is most likely to make, not just the ones that are easiest to answer. These should be their strongest possible objections in order to show that you are dealing with the issue honestly. Be sure that you answer the objections—don’t just list them! Explain why their objections do not change the fact that your solution is best for all concerned.
8. The conclusion. The conclusion should summarize your thesis and its development to assure the reader is left with a clear understanding of your position and its logical basis.
Because all your arguments should be based in indisputable facts, essays on abortion (because they rely on a definition of when life begins that is itself in dispute) and essays on religious beliefs will not be accepted. Especially be sure that you have not insulted your audience. Finally, check your Essay against the General Checklist to catch any weaknesses or errors.
In order to be sure that you have a clear idea of what you are doing before you submit your Essay, I ask you to follow the organization given below:
1. Thesis statement (not question), clearly stated, in third person, containing the words “should” or “should not.” This is what you are trying to prove.
2. 3 supporting arguments (see nos. 3-5 above).
3. 3 audience objections and your answers to them (see no. 6-8 above)
Here is an example of a Persuasion outline:
Thesis Statement
Illegal immigrants who have lived and worked in the United States for five years or more should be granted permanent residency status.
Supporting Arguments
1. Immigrants come to the United States in search of a better life.
2. Working immigrants have jobs that increase national productivity.
3. Illegal immigrants are subject to exploitation such as low wages.
Audience Objections and Answers
1. The right of citizenship should not be granted to illegal immigrants because they will use more social services such as health care.
ANSWER: By generating more tax revenue, more legal citizens will help cover the cost of social services.
2. More legal immigrants will increase the need for schools and housing.
ANSWER: Most immigrants come fleeing unbearable economic or political conditions in their home countries. When removed, they return because they are desperate. Millions of dollars are wasted removing them. By removing the need for immigration services to track and remove these immigrants, funds previously used for this can be used to improve schools and housing for everyone.
3. People who have come to the country illegally should not be given citizenship. ANSWER: These immigrants have already suffered a great deal, and they will be required to pass citizenship classes just as legal immigrants do; they will not be “given” citizenship, but will earn it just like legal immigrants.
