The persuasive essay has a writing style that requires careful crafting and precise structure. The art of persuasion has its own ethics and politics. Read to find out

1. Techniques of Persuasive Essay Writing
The art of persuasive essay writing is as old as civilization itself. Politics and
organized religion sustains civilization and for both these social categories to
persuade people, literate or illiterate, this type of discourse was a vital tool.

2. The persuasive mode of writing finds its early realizations in the Histories of the
Greek historian Herodotus. The essays of Herodotus are controversial in nature
as they use polemic or a conflicting style to support his arguments. In fact, in
many ways, the structure, style, rhetoric and format of a persuasive piece of
prose is very similar to that of an argumentative one. The major difference,
between the two, is in the claims to objective truth that is the hallmark of the
argumentative piece. The argumentative essay is based on historically and
scientifically verifiable objective truth. On the other hand, it is not that the
persuasive essay bases its claims on absolute untruths or lies; rather, it
persuades its audience, large or small, to take-up the viewpoint of the
persuasive writer or orator.
One can easily exploit a situational context and playing dirty make his/her case
to conform to the populist viewpoints making rounds in a particular community
or society. By playing the situation to conform to his/her vested interests, a
political demagogue or charismatic leader might easily exploit the emotions of
the masses. When such persuasion is of a political, racial or religious nature,
that demonizes, for example, a particular noted individual, community, race or
religion, the resulting bigoted and prejudiced discourse is known as hate-speech
or propaganda.
It is not that this demonization or scapegoating was absent previous to the
delivery or distribution of a particular persuasive speech or discourse. The
particular vibe was already present in a given society as a social imaginary (what

3. societies imagine as a collective) through rumors, hearsay, mass hysteria or the
crimes of a handful among the demonized minority. The persuasive speech or
discourse uses this social vibe as a “hook” to “bait” his/her audience.
Pre-writing techniques for a persuasive essay
Research
A good persuasive speaker does extensive research on the intensity of a
particular social imaginary or viewpoint before exploiting it or persuading
people to take to his/her case. Not only in political or religious scenarios, but
also for any particular cause, a piece of persuasive prose or essay uses a
strategic point, both to grab the attention of its audience and also to state its
opening thesis.
Here are 7 ways for improving research presentation.
Taking a stance
Before launching with his/her opening statement, the essayist or speaker has to
take a stance. This particular stance will form his/her thesis and that person has
to defend the same. But before making that opening statement and going on to
defend it, the essayist must research both sides of the argument thoroughly and
not just bank upon a social vibe that is based on rumors and mass hysteria.
Serious persuasive speakers or essayists with noble goals and causes in mind

4. must absolutely research from ethnographic fieldwork and interviews to library
and other archival research.
Bait and hook
Once the research is in place, the essayist or speaker must divide it between the
thesis and anti-theses. Then, he/she should choose his/her stance and with the
above-mentioned metaphor of the ‘hook’, offer the audience a ‘bait’ and then
state his/her thesis. Then he/she should embark on the perilous journey to
prove and defend his/her thesis.
Structural parts of persuasive essay
Narration
After the exordium or introduction is over, the traditional persuasive essay
writing delves into the narration part. In this part the background ‘facts’ are
stated. The essayist backs-up his/her argument by logic and facts. There is also
the reference to tangible material evidence.
All these form the background of the persuasive essay as it is also based on the
extensive research that the essayist has carried out. This research might be
ethnographic fieldwork such as interviews and could also be research in libraries
and other archives.

5. Partition
After the narration comes the partition. This part discusses the forecast of
topics to be dealt with in the body of the essay. This section also links the
previous facts-related background with the major body of the essay. The
partition gives a brief overview of how the facts gathered as evidence for the
central thesis and applies to the same. The forecast should not be an exposition
of the body of the essay; rather, it should be like a preface of how the facts are
to be interpreted, the logic and methodology to be used for that interpretation
and how the situatedness of the facts will later contribute to the persuasive
essay. Nevertheless, the partition also gives an overview of the other sections of
the persuasive essay apart from the body of the same.
The arguments and their complex workings are not unravelled here. It is just a
working forecast of what issues will be raised in the proving of the central thesis
as well as alternatives to the same. Besides, it will also hint at the rhetorical
questions to be later raised in order to set the audience thinking about the
stakes of the central thesis. An extended hint at such rhetorical questions also
sets the stage for the future discussion of the affective, linguistic, stylistic and
syntactical issues within the entirety of the persuasive essay.
Conformation
The next part of the persuasive essay is the conformation. It forms the body of
the text where the thesis question is explicated against the background of facts

6. and logical reasoning. This section also expounds the methodology being used
to interpret the facts. Confirming the thesis in a persuasive essay is linguistically
and syntactically complex. There should be no error or ambiguity that would
imply contradiction and ‘double speak’. Syntax, rhetoric and language should be
well crafted and all errors that point towards affirming both sides of the
argument should be eliminated. The thesis question of the persuasive essay is
explicated in detail and the background of tangible and material facts is
interpreted using theoretical methodology. The thesis follows a line of inquiry
and raises relevant questions about its central cause. Both sides of the
argument should be explored in depth supported by sound logic and reasoning,
often based on tangible and material evidence.
However, very often, the evidence might be from authentic archival, library-
related or digital sources. It might also be from ethnographic fieldwork that is
carried out by interviewing members of particular communities or any
individual. A variety of dissertation methodologies are used to (according to the
discipline(s) that the central thesis question pertains to) interpret this evidence
and apply it as logic and reasoning to the central thesis question. The given
methodology also interprets the evidence to place logic and reasoning behind
the stakes that the central research theme raises. The line of inquiry raised by
the central thesis question also explores these stakes and argues, by way of
evidence, both for and against them. Once, both sides of the stakes have been
explored and evidence provided for each separate issue that supports the

7. central thesis question, the anti-theses i.e. each argument against the major line
of inquiry is nullified and made void.
Refutation
After the conformation comes the refutation. The refutation explores
alternatives to the central thesis question. Possible anti-theses that do not ‘fit
into’ the major line of inquiry are explored as ‘point of departures’ that can
consist of radical alternative arguments to the thesis. This section of the
persuasive essay is usually intellectually speculative and is omitted or presented
as fearful alternatives in political or religious oratory.
However, in persuasive essay writing, the requirement is there to present
alternatives that do not fit into the central thesis argument. Even after very
careful inspection and crafting of language and style to omit any ‘double-speak’
or ambiguity, there always does remain certain ideas that cannot be argued
away. Not only does this point towards the diversity of concepts that can be
framed with language, but also clarifies the quantum (or infinitely chance-
based) nature of the linguistic lifeworld (arena).

8. Rhetorical Questions
Next there are the rhetorical questions to make the readers of the persuasive
essay think. Each question that arose previously on the nature of the central
thesis argument is taken conceptually and thought about in a rhetorical way.
As each concept is unique so is the related rhetoric. The audience or reader is
made to think on the nature of persuasion and its political and ethical nature.
The cause or thought-argument related to the central thesis is elaborately
philosophized upon.
Peroration
Finally, there is the peroration or conclusion which sums up the persuasive
argument and also ties it to the introduction so that the persuasive essay might
have a holistic structure and form.
The Three Pillars of Persuasive Essay
It is important to note the three conceptual pillars that mold the structure of
the persuasive essay. These three concepts are those of ethos, logos and
pathos.
Ethos
As stated earlier, the essayist or persuasive orator opens his/her stance with a
cause-related and argumentative thesis. Here, he/she appeals to the ethos of

9. the audience by establishing credibility through his language and rhetoric. Some
of the relevant features of ethos, as related to the structuring of the persuasive
essay, are as follows:
The language, rhetoric and syntax of the persuasive argument must be free
from internal contradictions
The essayist must craft his language very diligently getting rid of all errors,
‘double-speaks’ and ambiguities
The language and rhetoric must speak strongly for the cause and even the
slightest errors that speak ambiguously must be negated.
Logos
The next pillar of the persuasive essay is the logos. The persuasive essayist or
orator has to back-up his claims by solid evidence and sound reasoning.
Through an appeal to facts, the essayist can build his argument on reason. Some
of the features of logos are as follows:
In the classical sense, a recourse to logic backed by tangible material evidence is
usually at the center of a logos-oriented persuasive essay. It should not be just
words, theories or numbers; a logical argument must be backed by solid
material evidence.

10. In the classical sense, the essayist or speaker appeals to the rationality of
his/her audience. Logic backed by tangible material evidence that appeals to the
senses and echoes as truth can hardly be denied under standard conditions.
However, there always have been situations where the appeal to logic and
material evidence have been manufactured, planted and conspired upon for the
sole purpose to raise and create sensation and mass hysteria. Very often,
diplomatic and unscrupulous politicians and religious leaders have been guilty
of using twisted logic and planted evidence to get to their vested interests by
creating persuasive statements and moving billions of people through mass
media. Nevertheless, in its scrupulous and noble sense, the art of persuasion
and its writing depends on genuine logic backed by authentic tangible and
material sources.
Pathos
The final pillar that molds the persuasive essay is an appeal to pathos. The
essayist appeals to the emotions of the audience and raises dramatic flair in
his/her argument. His/her cause must also soundly bank upon some particular
aspect that ‘touches’ an emotional nerve of the audience. Some of the aspects
of pathos are:
The speaker or persuasive essayist appeals to the emotions of the masses or
his/her specific audience. This affective and dramatic aspect must also mold his
rhetoric with an appeal to his/her cause.

11. The persuasive essayist must convince his/her audience about the emotional
requirement of his/her cause. It must raise similar emotions in his/her audience
as it does in him/her.
In the classical sense, the appeal to positive emotions is perfectly fine. However,
here too there is a flipside. Very often, emotions are barbaric, crude and
irrational. While an unscrupulous political or religious leader can easily exploit
the negative emotions of the masses and make the worst of existing rumors and
mass hysteria, an authentic persuasive orator or essayist uses the classical
model to advance any noble cause.
Commercial and non-commercial use of persuasive essay
The persuasive essay is written both commercially and non-commercially. To
promote brands and market their products, companies, use persuasive writing
and visual language. Although the persuasive essay might also be written non-
commercially for furthering stakes or any noble cause, it might also be used in
an extensively commercial way by companies to describe their products.
The persuasive essay is, thus, written in a traditionally complex structure and
has its ethics and politics. It is written specifically to persuade an audience or
reader to agree with the essayist’s point of view. The persuasive style of writing
also rests on and is molded by the three conceptual pillars of ethos, logos and
pathos. It is used for a variety of purposes including commercial and non-
commercial ones.