Persuasive Writing: Developing a Map for your Essay

1. Building argument. Claim+ Reasons=Argument.

a. What point am I trying to argue? (Your claim: your thesis)

b. Why do I believe this point to be true? (Reasons for your claim)

c. What facts or examples could I state to support these reasons and validate my argument? (Evidence)

d. What other positions can people reasonably take on this topic? (Necessity) [Note: Take a position on about something worth arguing about. If you think people wouldn’t possibly disagree, why take the time to convince them?]

2. Building evidence.
a. What sort of primary or secondary sources would help me to bolster my argument?
b. What are some key words that I can use while researching?

2. Using rhetorical strategies for persuasion.

Logos—appeals to logic
How can I make the argument consistent and logical?
How can I support them with the best reasoning and best evidence?
What studies or research, or facts and examples, can I bring in?
What other convincing evidence* can I bring in? (Note: *Evidence can be personal experience, observations, interviews, research, testimony, statistics, examples, etc.)
Is my evidence sufficient, accurate, typical, and relevant to my argument?

Ethos—appeals to authority
How can I gain my readers’ trust and enhance my credibility and trustworthiness?
How can I be (or become) knowledgeable and fair about this issue?
How can I present myself effectively? (Don’t try to be someone I am not!)
How do I want to come across as an author, a person in general?
What experts can I bring in? (use names, credentials, citations)

Pathos—appeals to emotions and values (your connection to your audience)
Who is my audience? How much does my audience know or care about issue? What are their attitudes, objections, and assumptions? (audience analysis)
How can I build a bridge to my audience, identifying with this audience?
How can I appeal to my audience’s values?
How can I engage my reader emotionally and imaginatively?
Which emotions do I want to elicit in your audience?
What scene or anecdote can you bring in to connect with your audience? (Using concrete language, narratives, specific examples and illustrations, can build emotional connections.)
What words can you use to evoke these emotions? (For example, notice how this sentence is emotionally charged: “Ignoring these ecological needs will leave us with a barren wasteland rather than a blooming, productive, thriving garden.”)

Kairos—appeals to timeliness or urgency
Why is it important to make this claim now?
Why is this issue important?
How can I express the significance of this issue at this moment in time and convey the urgency of considering my position?