CM220 College Composition II- Persuasive Writing

Persuasive Writing

CM220 College Composition II

Persuasive writing can be called “creative writing”. This type of writing includes the writer’s ideas and the facts to support their argument. The purpose of this type of writing is to convince the reader or audience that author’s perspective is correct. It can include counter arguments showing that both sides of the argument have been researched and that the only conclusion the reader should come to is that of the writer (definitions.net). Persuasive writing can be used in various contexts such as personal, professional and in an educational context.

I had an opportunity to use persuasive writing in a personal text when my father became suddenly hospitalized. Once released he needed help paying his hospital bills. I created a GoFundMe campaign to request donations from family and friends who might be able to make a donation- big or small or they could even donate their time by assisting him in getting to and from his doctor appointments. In my campaign I was able to set a fundraising goal and tell his story to family and friends that otherwise might not know about it. It was easy to share in an email, text or on social media. Managing the campaign was very easy. I could accept donations and personally thank each person for their donation, support and any assistance that was offered.

As a Paralegal, I will be using persuasive writing in a professional context. Persuading a judge or a jury will take a lot of convincing whether it is written or orally. I will need to be able to tell the story behind the case and convince my audience that my argument makes more sense than that of the opposing counsel. As for now, my audience is my client in the salon where I work. The persuasion comes in consulting with my client. Convincing the client that a particular hairstyle may be better than the one they are proposing. That highlights would brighten their existing color and a full color is not at all recommended. I am a very successful stylist.

Persuasive writing in an educational context should demonstrate what a student has learned. According to this week’s reading, (CM220- Unit 2: What Does the Professor Want? Understanding the Assignment) the assignment must be put in context, review the instructions, rubrics and sample assignment and effectively ask for clarification. Critical thinking is imperative when writing in an educational context. Students should be able to present their ideas with evidence that is supported and cited. You should know your audience and give a clear purpose for the writing. Posting on the discussion board gives me the best opportunity to present an argument or my perspective and receive feedback from classmates who are my audience. That feedback can be used to gain my classmates perspective hence contributing to the discussion. Posting to the discussion board has helped me many times when I got stuck and didn’t know what I wanted to write about or how to start my assignment. I could post my ideas and get the feedback that could help me figure out the direction that was best to follow.

References

https://www.definitions.net/definition/persuasive%20writing

CM220- Unit 2 Reading-Part 2: What Does the Professor Want? Understanding the Assignment retrieved from https://kapextmediassl-a.akamaihd.net/genEd/CM220/1803B/CM220_Unit2_Reading.pdf