It can be hard enough to convince yourself to write your homework, so convincing someone in an essay may seem like an impossible task. If you already wrote a persuasive essay, you probably want to make sure that you did everything according to the demands of your professor. You can look through it again and check if you did not commit one of these common mistakes in this type of essay.
Contradicting Yourself
Sometimes we just want to be right at all costs. If we are writing a persuasive essay, we want to make sure that we do not contradict ourselves when making our arguments. Use reliable statistics and imagine that there is a strict critic that is reading your work with you, trying to find you out in a lie. Make your arguments flawless, and you will feel much more safe about handing in your work.
Too Much Enthusiasm
If the argument we want to make is too close to our hearts, we may commit the mistake of simply being too involved with our topic. A pro-animals activist can get too teary-eyed at the mentioning of shelters, and provide a whole list of persuasive arguments as to why shelters need to be closed, as they are inhumane and cruel to animals.
On the other hand, not everyone can afford to keep a pet at home, and some of the animals would probably starve in the streets if it was not for these temporary shelters. So make sure to have the entire picture in mind and do not get carried away only with enthusiasm.
Chaotic Order
An important thing in persuasive essays is the structure and the order of the points you want to make. Make it cohesive and eloquent. If you are bashing the contra arguments in the same paragraph, make sure that they do not take too much space. Your paragraphs should also be roughly the same size to make the essay more readable. Start with your strongest point and leave the weakest for the end, when the person is already mostly convinced that you are right.
Weak Arguments
No one will believe you if you only back up your arguments with a quote from your Auntie Margaret. Your sources should be reliable, the statistics impeccable. Use them to your advantage. Credible arguments consist of links to famous or important people, links to your studying materials. Imagine that you are someone who believes the opposite point of view. Will this argument be strong enough to convert you to the opposite side?
Topic Lost
In the heat of a discussion, we sometimes can lose track of what was all the fuss about in the first place. Do not let this happen to your essay. Keep in mind your goal and how to reach it. Make conclusions out of every paragraph, so it will be easier for you to summarize your point and prove your righteousness.