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Chapter 6: Reading Persuasive Essays

Thurgood Marshall (center), the day of his argument before the United States Supreme Court that segregation (the law of the southern states) was against the Constitution

(More on Thurgood Marshall)http://www.myblackhistory.net/ThurgoodMarshall1.jpg

A Persuasive Essay is writing that takes a position and defends that position with evidence. The evidence can take the form of quotes from an expert, statistics, or examples. The goal of a persuasive essay is to convince the reader to believe in the writer’s point of view.

The Persuasive Essay follows the same organization as all other kinds of writing we’re learning in this class. The Thesis Statement has the Topic (who or what the essay is about) and the Main Idea (what the writer wants the reader to believe about the Topic). The writer uses Support (quotes, statistics, and examples) as evidence for the validity of her position.

Here’s how the concept of Support (quotes, statistics, and examples) fits into the organization of the Persuasive Essay.

1. Introductory Paragraph:a. Gets the readers’ interest

b. Sets the context for the paragraph/essay (provides background)

c. Thesis Statement = topic + main idea (What the writer hopes

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to prove about the topic)

2. Support Paragraph One: Topic Sentence (the first category of support for the writer’s thesis)

a. General support 1 (connects the Topic Sentences to the supporting details)

b. Specific support 1 (The details – quotes, statistics, and examples – that support the main idea)

3. Support Paragraph Two: Topic Sentence (the second category of support for the writer’s thesis)

a. General support 2 (connects the Topic Sentences to the supporting details)

b. Specific support 2 (The details – quotes, statistics, and examples – that support the main idea)

4. Support Paragraph Three: Topic Sentence (the third category of support for the writer’s Thesis)

a. General support 3 (connects the Topic Sentences to the supporting details)

b. Specific support 3 (The details – quotes, statistics, and examples – that support the main idea)

5. Conclusion: a. Restates the Main Idea (what the writer proved in the essay in

different words) b. Takes the reader a step further

Here’s a Persuasive Essay written by a student that models the organization outlined above. We’ll use this essay as an example throughout the chapter. As you read the essay, see if you can identify its organization.

As you read, notice your thoughts, especially the three kinds of thoughts covered in Chapter1:

1. Random Thoughts that just pop into your mind. “I wish I had some coffee like the girl has at the table across the aisle. It sure looks good!” “I wonder if it’s going to rain because I need to walk to the bus after class.”

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“I’ve got to remember to call my mother this afternoon to see if I can borrow the car,” and on and on.

2. Judgments about people, events in your life, or the essay. “This essay [or just one idea in the essay] is good or bad, interesting or boring, worthwhile, or worthless,” and so on.

3. Negative self-thoughts. “I’m not understanding any of this stuff because I’ve never been any good at reading and never will be! It’s better to give up now and cut my losses.”

Choose one instance as you read the passage when you had one of above types of thoughts and record it here:

Practice letting go of the thought and bringing your attention back to the reading.

Use the following scale to rate how difficult it was for you to let go of the thought and return your attention to the reading.

_____ Easy       _____ Somewhat Easy

_____ Somewhat Hard      _____ Hard

Abolish Capital Punishment

Capital Punishment has been a staple of the American justice system since the country’s inception over two centuries ago. Though the death penalty has persisted for such a long time, the issue has also been at the center of heated debate. Today, only fifteen states in the U.S. have abolished the death penalty, in addition to Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. Despite the large number of states still

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enforcing a death penalty, the number of executions in 2007 was only 42, nearly half the number of executions in 1999. Furthermore, in December of 2008, 138 countries had eliminated the practice of capital punishment (Amnesty International). This is proof that support for and belief in the death penalty is waning both here and abroad. The reasons vary from the economic to the moral to the political. However, the three most compelling reasons why capital punishment should be abolished are because the death penalty fails to deter crime, the death penalty is used unjustly against certain groups and sometime even against the innocent, and because the death penalty opposes the very values and ideals that America espouses to be most important.

Most proponents of the death penalty insist that it deters people from committing heinous and violent crimes, but research has shown again and again that this is not the case. A study published in USA Today reported that “the average 1993 murder rate in the states with the death penalty was 56% higher than in states without” (BNET). Additionally, “the South accounts for 80% of U.S. executions, and has the highest regional murder rate” (Amnesty International). Obviously, criminals will persist even in the face of capital punishment. Thus, we as a society must find other ways to combat the problem rather than using violence to eradicate violence.

Capital punishment is the most severe and irreversible form of punishment in existence, yet it is handed down arbitrarily at best and with malice and prejudice at worst. There is little rhyme or reason to who is sentenced to death and who is not; every year 22,000 murders are committed and only 150 of those perpetrators are given the death penalty (National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty).

Race plays a role in which criminals receive a death sentence. White criminals may gain more leniency than those of color. In fact, some of the most disturbing figures on capital punishment involve the discrepancies between whites and blacks. “A 2007 study…conducted by Yale University School of Law revealed that African-American defendants receive the death penalty at three

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times the rate of white defendants in cases where the victims are white” (Amnesty International). In a country that supposedly values racial equality and the life of its citizens, our use of the death penalty negates both.

Undoubtedly, capital punishment is bound to stir up intense debate for years to come with no clear resolution in sight, but I am convinced the negative consequences of such a practice do not justify it. The death penalty has yet to prove to be a reliable deterrent to crime, the sentence of death is handed out based on race and class, and the practice of capital punishment is the antithesis of everything for which America is supposed to stand. In conclusion, “If we profess to revere…justice, how can we reconcile it with our duty, as men created in the divine image, to dismiss … a fellow human being from our midst…?” (Sunrise Magazine).

“Old Sparky” the electric chair used at Sing Sing prison in the early 1900s in New York http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_chair

Next, let’s see how the organization outlined above is reflected in the organization of the Persuasive Essay on capital punishment. We’ve brought out the organization of the Introductory Paragraph with following code:

The Introduction that sets the context in the essay is in Italics.

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The Topic of the Thesis Statement is underlined and the Main Idea is in Bold Type or double underline the Main Idea.

Introductory Paragraph:

Abolish Capital Punishment

Introduction to provide background for the essay: Capital Punishment has been a staple of the American justice system since the country’s inception over two centuries ago. Though the death penalty has persisted for such a long time, the issue has also been at the center of heated debate. Today, only fifteen states in the U.S. have abolished the death penalty in addition to Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia (Amnesty International). Despite the large number of states still enforcing a death penalty, the number of executions in 2007 was only 42, nearly half the number of executions in 1999 (Amnesty International). Furthermore, in December of 2008, 138 countries had eliminated the practice of capital punishment (Amnesty International). This is proof that support for and belief in the death penalty is waning both here and abroad. The reasons vary from the economic to the moral to the political. However, I maintain that Thesis Statement for the Essay: the three most compelling reasons why capital punishment should be abolished are because the death penalty fails to deter crime, the death penalty is used unjustly against certain groups and sometime even against the innocent, and because the death penalty opposes the very values and ideals that America espouses to be most important.

Notice that the student writer gets his readers’ interest and sets the background for the essay by quoting statistics that support the idea that the death penalty is being applied less often today than in the past. His Introductory Paragraph ends with the Thesis Statement: “Capital punishment should be abolished.”

Notice also how the Thesis Statement has the word should as part of the Main Idea. This alerts the reader that the author intends to persuade him or her of that point of view. Words that serve the same purpose in Thesis Statements

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for Persuasive Essays are: should (should not), must (must not), ought (ought not).

The Support Paragraphs:

The Support paragraphs in the Persuasive Essay have three components.

Support Paragraphs 1. Each Support Paragraph has a Topic Sentence – a statement

of one of the reasons readers should believe the thesis2. General support – connects the Topic Sentences to the

supporting details3. Specific support – The details (quotes, statistics, and

examples) that support the main idea

Here are the Support Paragraphs in our example Persuasive Essay on Capital Punishment.

The Topic Sentence for the Support Paragraph is underlined. The General Support Sentences that connect the Topic Sentences to

the supporting details appear in Blue Type. The Specific Support Sentences that offer supporting details appear in

Red Type. The transition words are in (Parentheses).

Support Paragraph 1:

Topic Sentence for Support Paragraph 1: Most proponents of the death penalty insist that it deters people from committing heinous and violent crimes, but research has shown again and again that this is not the case. Specific

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Statistical Support for the Topic Sentence: A study published in USA Today reported that “the average 1993 murder rate in the states with the death penalty was 56% higher than in states without” (BNET). Additionally, “the South accounts for 80% of U.S. executions, and has the highest regional murder rate” (Amnesty International). Conclusion that Restates the Topic Sentence of the Paragraph in different words: Obviously, criminals will persist even in the face of capital punishment. Conclusion taking the reader a step further based on what the writer has proved in his paragraph]: Thus, we as a society must find other ways to combat the problem rather than using violence to eradicate violence.

The Topic Sentence of the first Support Paragraph is: The death penalty does not deter people from crime. The student writer uses statistics from USA Today and Amnesty International to support his argument.* In the next to last sentence of the paragraph, he restates his Conclusion to the paragraph (his Topic Sentence in different words) to reinforce his argument: “Obviously, criminals will persist even in the face of capital punishment,” and the first Support Paragraph ends with a Conclusion that takes the reader a step further: “we as a society must find other ways to combat the problem rather than using violence to eradicate violence.” Notice that the organization the student uses in his first Support Paragraph mirrors the organization of the full essay. Authors don’t usually have a Conclusion in each Support Paragraph, but it’s a nice touch.

* The term “argument” is used differently in formal writing than we commonly understand. In writing, “argument” is not like the heated disagreement you have with your friend over what to do Saturday night, or with your relatives over who is the best candidate for President. Formal argument is how writers persuade the reader to accept his point of view (Thesis Statement).

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Support Paragraph 2:

Topic Sentence for Support Paragraph 2: Capital punishment…is handed down arbitrarily at best and with malice and prejudice at worst. General Support for the Topic Sentence of the Paragraph: There is little rhyme or reason to who is sentenced to death and who is not; Statistical Specific Support for the Topic Sentence of the Paragraph: every year 22,000 murders are committed and only 150 of those perpetrators are given the death penalty (National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty).

Support Paragraph 2 has the simplest organization of any of the Support Paragraphs in the essay. The Topic Sentence Capital punishment is handed down arbitrarily at best and with malice and prejudice at worst is followed by General Support There is little rhyme or reason to who is sentenced to death and who is not that connects to the Specific Support that follows: every year 22,000 murders are committed and only 150 of those perpetrators are given the death penalty.

Support Paragraph 3:

Topic Sentence for Support Paragraph 3: “Race play a role in which criminals receive a death sentence.” General Support that connect the Topic Sentence to the Specific Support: White criminals may gain more leniency than those of color. In fact, some of the most disturbing figures on capital punishment involve the discrepancies between whites and blacks. Specific Support using statistics: “A 2007 study…conducted by Yale University School of Law revealed that African-American defendants receive the death penalty at three times the rate of white defendants in cases where the victims are white” (Amnesty International). Conclusion that restates the Topic Sentence of the paragraph in different words: In a country that

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supposedly values racial equality and the life of its citizens, our use of the death penalty negates both.

The Topic Sentence of the third Support Paragraph Economics and race play a role in which criminals receive a death sentence is followed by two support points, one based on an economic argument: White criminals may gain more leniency than those of color. In fact, some of the most disturbing figures on capital punishment involve the discrepancies between whites and blacks. The Specific Support Sentences for race-biased decisions is based on statistics: “A 2007 study…conducted by Yale University School of Law revealed that African-American defendants receive the death penalty at three times the rate of white defendants in cases where the victims are white.” Continuing the parallel structure the writer established in earlier support paragraphs, he restates the Topic Sentence of the paragraph in different words: In a country that supposedly values racial equality and the life of its citizens, our use of the death penalty negates both.

In a longer essay, the four General Support Points would each receive their own paragraph with specific support for each.

The Conclusion:

The ending in the Persuasive Essay is the Conclusion. The Conclusion has two goals:

Conclusiona. Restates the Main Idea (what the author proved in the essay in

different words)b. Takes the reader a step further.

Here is the Conclusion in the Persuasive Essay on Capital Punishment.

The Conclusion that restates the Thesis is in underlined Green Type.

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The Conclusion that takes the reader a step further is in Green Type.

Conclusion:

Transition from the Support Paragraphs to the Conclusion: Undoubtedly, capital punishment is bound to spur intense debate for years to come with no clear resolution in sight… Restates the Thesis in different words: I am convinced the negative consequences of such a practice do not justify it. The death penalty has yet to prove to be a reliable deterrent to crime, the sentence of death is handed out based on race and class, and the practice of capital punishment is the antithesis of everything for which America is supposed to stand. Use of Quote as a way to take the reader a step further: “If we profess to revere…justice, how can we reconcile it with our duty, as men created in the divine image, to dismiss … a fellow human being from our midst…?” (Sunrise Magazine).

Here are steps you can use to identify the organization of the essays, articles, and textbooks you read in college:

Engage

Question

Focus

Investigate

Understand

1. Engage: Read the paragraph once through carefully. Listen to what the paragraph has to say.

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2. Question: Underline the unknowns (people, places, events, vocabulary) that you have questions about. Use the book, dictionary, computer, or ask for help to find the answers.

3. Focus: Identify the topic. What is the reading about?

4. Investigate: Identify the support sentences (the details – quotes, statistics, and examples in the essay)

5. Understand: Answer the following questions:

In your own words what is the writer’s opinion about the topic? Support your position with words, sentences, and ideas from in the essay.

How does the support reveal the writer’s opinion about the topic?

What sentence in the essay reflects the topic and the writer’s opinion about the topic.

By asking and answering questions, you interact with the reading, making it possible to understand, remember, and apply what you’ve read.

Use each of the above steps in the following practice exercise.

Practice 1. In the Persuasive Essay “Why I Deserve a Raise,” identify the organizational structure using the following guide:

Put the Introduction designed to give background to the essay in Italics.Underline and put in bold print the Thesis Statement for the essay,Put the Topic Sentence for each Support Paragraph in Blue Type.Put the Supporting Detail in red type for each Topic Sentence of that paragraph.

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Put the Conclusion that restates the Thesis in different words and takes the reader a step further in Green Type.

Why I Deserve a Raise

Dear Personnel Office:

Persuading you to give me a raise can be a very difficult and nerve-racking

task. There is always the fear that you will say no because you do not believe I

am doing as good of a job as I thought. I, however, believe that I do deserve to

get a raise, and I believe this letter will change your mind. The three reasons

are: I work hard and know what I’m doing; I am the best salesperson in the

store; and I feel that I am an asset to the company.

First, I am a very work-oriented person. Most of my job is physical labor, and

I love doing that. I am very meticulous about the quality and speed of my

work. I like to make sure that I do a good job, and that it’s done in a timely

fashion. Last month, we had two major projects due the same week. I worked

overtime and skipped lunch, so I could get both projects completed on time.

Second, I am a fantastic salesperson. I have no problem talking to anyone

about what plants they are looking for. I also help identify the mystery plants

in people’s yards, as well as find the plants that are best suited for their

needs. I helped a woman from Lakewood to completely re-landscape her

yard. She was so happy with the result that she has told all her friends about

our business.

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Finally, I feel that I am an asset to the company. I have no problem working

long hours, or fixing any mistakes I may have made. I am the only employee

that returned from last season. Considering that everyone else was let go or

left the job, I feel that my staying shows my commitment to my work. This

season, I have helped to train all of the new employees.

Not everyone that works for a company for over a year deserves a raise. For

many people, however, a raise is the benchmark of actually doing a good job,

however. After discussing the many reasons I feel I deserve a raise, I know

you will agree. I will always give my best to your business. I even hope to

move up to a management position some day.

Here’s why I deserve a raise.http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/green/sfl-0922ask-for-raise.pg,0,4265926.photogallery

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Thurgood Marshall was a prominent civil-rights lawyer and the first African-American justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Grandson of a slave, Marshall led a civil rights revolution in the 20th century that forever changed the landscape of American society.

Segregated water fountain in the deep South – 1950s.

http://www.newsweek.com/photo/2008/01/16/photos-segregation-in-america.html

Whites shout hatred at a black student attempting to integrate Little Rock Central High School 1959

http://library.thinkquest.org/C004391F/

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Thurgood Marshall (right) and Roy Wilkins prepare the case that enabled Autherine Lucy (center) to attend the University of Alabama and broke

segregation in the South.http://www.myblackhistory.net/ThurgoodMarshall12.jpg

In 1952, a young black woman named Autherine Lucy was accepted to the University of Alabama. Once the university realized she was African-American, they told her state law did not allow her to attend. Marshall and other lawyers worked with Lucy to sue the university. After years of courtroom battles, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1955 that Lucy could go to the University of Alabama.

It was Thurgood Marshall's victory before the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka that established his reputation as a formidable and creative legal opponent and an advocate of social change. Students of law still examine the oral arguments of the case and the ultimate decision of the court from both a legal and a political perspective. Legally, Marshall argued that segregation in public education produced unequal schools for African Americans and whites which was a key element in the strategy to have the court overrule the “separate but equal” doctrine established in Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896. But it was Thurgood Marshall's reliance on psychological, sociological, and historical data that presumably sensitized the court to the deleterious effects of institutionalized segregation on the self-image, social worth, and social progress of African-American children.

Thurgood Marshall was appointed to the Supreme Court in June, 1967 by President Johnson, the first African-American to ever sit on the Supreme Court. In the high court, Marshall continued his fight for human rights until he retired on June 27, 1991, serving as a justice on the Supreme Court for 24 years.

http://www.myblackhistory.net/Thurgood_Marshall.htm

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Chapter Review Questions

1. Put in your own words (paraphrase) the definition of a Persuasive essay given in the chapter. (fill-in-the-blank)(Click Here to review the definition of a Persuasive_Essay)

2. What are the three kinds of evidence or support found in Persuasive essays? (fill-in-the-blank)Click Here to review the types of support in a Persuasive Essay

3. What are the three parts of a support paragraph in a Persuasive essay? (fill-in-the-blank)(Click Here for Review of Support Paragraphs in Persuasive Essays)

1)

2)

3)

4. Who was Thurgood Marshall? (multiple choice)(Chick Here for review of Thurgood Marshall)

a. A prominent attorney in the Civil Rights movement and first African American Supreme Court Justice.

b. A candidate for president in the 1950s and first African American Secretary of State.

c. A Civil Rights protester like Martin Luther King who organized the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955.

d. A senator from Massachusetts in the 1950s and leader in the Civil Rights movement.