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How to Write a Persuasive Political Essay

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1 Researching the facts is imperative:What, exactly, is a fact? A fact is a piece of information presented as having objective reality. An example of a fact is, "the earth is a spherical planet." The fact conveyed, without embellishment, is that the earth is a planet,and a sphere in shape.What, exactly, is a value judgment? A value judgment is a statement that contains information based upon a subjective, emotionally-based, view of reality. An example of a value judgment is, "the earth is the most beautiful planet in the solar system." This is a value judgment because, to many people, Venus or Saturn might be much more beautiful than earth. A value judgment does not convey a fact, but, rather, an assumption based upon a particular emotional judgment. Regardless of the particular issue, the facts used to support a particular position, in a political essay, are vitally important. Persuasion is achieved in an essay through clever, or novel, use of the facts to convey to the reader the writer's intended appeal. For instance, an essay begins with a thesis statement, such as, The ultimate purpose of voting in a democracy is to achieve the goals of a majority of the electorate." This particular thesis statement, in essence, is the encyclopedic definition of the democratic political process, where the majority of a polis rules in governmental affairs. Hence, there are many undisputed facts which may be used to support this statement. The numerical, and percentage, results of elections in democratic nations are hard facts which may be used to indicate the superiority of democratic elections over elections in totalitarian countries, which are frequently made to appear democratic.Therefore, the supporting facts leading to a declaration that, " the citizens of a democratic republic are much more content with their form of government than are citizens of a totalitarian regime," will justify the conclusion of the writer in the mind of the reader. The reader does not have to contend with the emotion of a writer declaring, for example, that, "the Soviet Union was a terrible place to live as a result of bad men who wanted to treat other human beings like animals." Because of the fact that, despite the totalitarian government, many Russians took great pride in their nation, the declaration that the Soviet Union was a terrible place to live is not factually true. Therefore, using facts to support a political thesis statement is the crux to the overall structural unity, and clarity, of a political essay. 2 Use evocative syntax in producing the persuasive political essay: Syntax is, basically, the word choice of a writer in an essay. Writing, according to E. B. White, in "Elements of Style," and William Zinser, in "On Writing Well," good effective writing may be learned, and is the result of countless hours of practice. Learning to use effective syntax is, therefore, a result of reading eclectically, and by using many choice words from an expanded working vocabulary to express your particular views. Good, clear, and concise writing, according to Zinser, is not easy, but it can be learned. A very good means of learning methodology in essay

writing is to read, re-read, and closely study the work of those writers who have been considered masters at crafting classic essays, such as the 16th Century's Michel de Montaigne, and the University of California at Berkeley's only philosopher without a degree, author of "The True Believer," Eric Hoffer. By also scanning the current op-ed essays, in the leading national newspapers and magazines, the diligent student may see how the most popular contemporary essay writers have honed their craft by incorporating the classic styles of the masters. 3 Choosing strong and effective verbs, adverbs, and adjectives may convert cold hard uninteresting facts, and governmental processes, in an essay, into passionately cogent expressions of opinion. Metaphorical expressions, using the words 'like' and 'as,' may elucidate esoteric concepts and ideas into practical and clearly understandable rhetoric. Take the oft-quoted expression of Edmond Burke, "Evil will surely triumph if good men do nothing," or Henry David Thoreau's classic assertion, "That government is best that governs least." Through the gradual development of ideas through word imagery, both Thoreau and Burke made ideas come alive.Let;s say that the writer wants to clearly convey the social and political importance of voting in a national election. In one-or-two sentences, she may describe the impact of an election on the impassioned voter. "Like a person, perishing for want of water, will drag herself through a desert, toward a mirage of an oasis, thanking that it is real, and, once there, finding nothing of value, will drink the sand, a voter might hurry frantically to the ballot box to cast a vote for a candidate who has no real chance of winning an election." In this particular sentence, a metaphor is the crux to understanding what the writer is attempting to say, that, frequently, voting is a extemely illusory process.A strong writing voice is simply the use of style to convey what the writer has to say in an essay in a personally unique fashion. Every writer should strive to develope her own unique voice.
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4 Using facts, and analogies, to practically convey thematic messages in a political essay is the end-goal of every writer worth her salt. An effective essay begins with a thesis statement, proceeds incrementally to sentences supporting the main idea, and, after several paragraphs of evidentiary support, is summed-up in a closing paragrah, employing a concise definitive conclusion. Objectively recognizing personal weaknesses in political essay writing will allow the student to improve her style, syntax, and grammar on a continuing basis. With the advent of the word processor, self-editing has become an easy process for the writer. It is now easy to produce great quantities of writing in a realitively short time, which is a blessing and a curse; for an essay writer can be lulled into believing that her great amount of writing has merit, when actually it doesn't.