Persuasive writing, or a written argument, is a piece of writing in which the author attempts to convince the reader that their opinion on a subject is correct. The topic can be regarding anything where there may be diversification in opinion. The persuasive piece does not only have to convince the reader of an opinion; the author can be attempting to persuade the reader to perform an action as well. Essentially, it can be based on anything that would require persuasion of an opinion.
Persuasive writing often displays the rhetorical device categories in order to make the author appear credible in the eyes of the reader. The rhetorical device categories are ethos, logos and pathos. In addition to appealing to the readers' ethos, logos and pathos, the author will include a series of facts to prove their point. This evidence will be credible and factual. Occasionally, the author will include the counterpoint and discredit it to make their point appear stronger. Hypothetical situations are often used as well to make the reader see the author's opinion from a different perspective.
The structure of a persuasive writing is not concrete, but there is a traditional structure. The writing begins with an introduction that describes the background of the topic. Next, the author will present their opinion/view. The body of the next paragraph explains the author's choice of opinion. An explanation of the counterpoint is next but the author is trying to refute this point, so it is often biased. The author will then conclude their argument by restating the points one last time to leave the reader with the ideas.
Persuasive writing is commonly seen in marketing and politics. In marketing, the company will try and persuade its audience to believe that the product they are advertising is the best. By discounting other products, the marketing strategy will make it appear as though the advertised product is better than its competition products.
In politics, politicians present their ideas to the public in order to gain votes. To gain the votes, the politician must have a very strong argument as to why they should vote for them. The politician must persuade the public to vote for him/her based on their opinions of important matters (trade policy, fiscal policy, unemployment, etc.).
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