Rhetoric is a science that studies the art of public speaking. In particular, the skill of public speaking in front of a certain audience. Rhetoric is designed to teach how to effectively influence the audience and defend your point of view.
In the twentieth century, rhetoric received a new impetus for its development in the form of the science of communicative influence on the listener. That is, as a science of effective communication with the target audience. The modern development of rhetorical art is based on the psychological laws of influence on the listener. The logic of constructing a statement is not the main one. Psychological and emotional methods of persuasion come to the fore.
Persuasion as the Subject of Rhetoric
Persuasion is one of the central categories of human life and activity. And at the same time, it is a complex and controversial category. Rhetoric studies ways of influencing people’s beliefs. Among such methods are references to indisputable evidence, more general and reliable principles. And also references to tradition or intuition, common sense or taste, etc. The techniques by which persuasion can be formed and changed are extremely varied and diverse. They depend on a specific area of knowledge or activity, the originality of the culture or civilization within which they are formed and applied. Research on these techniques is actively continuing at present.
Rhetoric, as the study of persuasion technique, is sometimes also called the theory of argumentation. This new name is, in a sense, more apt. It avoids confusion between rhetoric as an analysis of ways of persuasion and rhetoric as a linguistic discipline.
Specificity of Writing a High-Quality Persuasive Essay
Even if you don’t study rhetoric, you can apply its basic principles to write a unique persuasive essay. As a science of persuasion, rhetoric can provide a good foundation for your work. If you find it difficult to write the paper or you simply do not have time, you can get the ‘do my homework’ service. All specialists of StudyEssay’s company are certified professionals with extensive experience. They know how to write this type of paper correctly and what structure to adhere to.
Below we will tell you what steps to take to write a stellar persuasive essay. We hope you find this information useful.
Choice of a Theme
The paper writing should begin with choosing a theme. The student usually chooses the topic of the paper independently. Often the teacher gives a list of relevant persuasive essay topics, and the student can choose the one that interests him most.
When choosing the theme of work, it is necessary to take into account the practical significance of the issue, its relevance, and the timeliness of the study. In addition, it is important to consider the expected degree of usefulness of the recommendations that will be developed based on the results of the study. You should also consider the availability and possibility of obtaining valuable information. It is not necessary to choose topics for which there are no initial statistical and other data.
Choice of a topic will help you determine your position. The main position will be supported by strong arguments in the main body of a paper.
Thorough Examination of Arguments and Counterarguments
Anyone who studies rhetoric knows that good persuasion is based on strong argumentation. It is a type of intellectual activity in the course of which the belief in the truth or falsity of an arbitrary position is formed. In addition, its evaluation and expediency for both the author and the audience are determined.
To choose good arguments for a paper, you also need to consider the counter-arguments. These are judgments that are opposing arguments. Comparing the arguments with the counter-arguments, you can justify the stated position and refute the opposite point of view.
Thesis Statement Creation
A thesis is an opinion or statement, the truth of which must be proved. The presence of a thesis is a prerequisite for a persuasive essay. The thesis can be formulated both at the beginning of a paper and in its main part.
In natural language, the thesis is distinguished by the following expressions:
- Here is my thesis;
- Here is my vision;
- This is my view;
- This is my position, and so on.
Sometimes the thesis is proclaimed without special reference to the fact that this provision is a thesis statement. Usually, the thesis is formulated in the form of a categorical judgment. For example:
- The earth has an elliptical orbit of motion;
- The sum of the interior angles of a triangle is 180°.
But there are cases when the thesis is formulated in the form of a question. For example:
- What are the factors of political stability in the country?
When writing a thesis statement for your paper, pay attention that the thesis must be true. This is its main property. An erroneous position put forward as a thesis cannot be substantiated by any proof.
Do you need a plagiarism-free essay? We'll do it in 3 hours!
Drawing Up the Work Plan
According to the best writers of our StudyEssay.org company, the work plan is a mandatory element and attribute of the essay. It allows you to logically connect some important issues of the topic and place them according to certain principles. The considered issues should be related to the general purpose of the study. All work as a whole should end with generalizing conclusions and offers. The work plan usually depends on the chosen topic and includes:
- Introduction;
- Several interconnected and logically constructed paragraphs that allow you to reveal the topic;
- Conclusions.
The work plan can be simple or complex. It depends on the theme and idea of the author, in particular, the goals and objectives that he intends to implement. The titles of the sections should be concise and consist of one sentence. The components of the essay should be interconnected. Thus, the tasks identified in the introduction provide the content of the main part of the work, and the conclusions summarize the study. In the course of work, the plan can be specified. The finalized plan is reflected in the table of contents.
Application of the Three Key Components of Rhetoric
Traditional rhetoric is based on three fundamental principles, identified as key ways of argumentation in Aristotle’s “Rhetoric”:
- Ethos – means of persuasion of an ethical nature. Among them are moral laws, principles, qualities, which society adheres to;
- Pathos – means of persuasion that appeals to the feelings of listeners (readers);
- Logos – means of persuasion that appeal to the minds of listeners (readers), the logical justification of the idea in a verbal form acceptable to the audience.
If your argumentation is founded on the above three principles, you will certainly be able to convince the reader of the truth of your position. And that, in turn, will be the basis for creating a great persuasive paper.
Conclusion
Use our tips and hints and write a persuasive paper without any problems! The material presented here will help you organize the writing process effectively.
Emma Miller
Professor Emma Miller received her Master's Degree in Education Arts from the UBC Faculty of Education. The author has successfully defended her dissertations, diploma, term papers and has written many scientific articles. The writer did not rest on her laurels. Today she conducts courses for students who want to gain more knowledge in psychology, literary criticism, art history, pedagogy, ethics, journalism, and philology. Also, Emma Miller publishes exciting articles that will help students improve their writing skills and expand academic opportunities.
