Persuasion means to convince someone that your opinion on a subject is the right one. There are many forms of persuasion, you might not even know you are being persuaded. For example advertisements are persuading you to buy a certain product. Or family is always trying to convince you to do something or that they are always right.
It is important to consider the audience as your write persuasively. Directing your paragraph toward a particular audience can be helpful. Consider what kind of evidence this audience would respond to. When you take your audience into consideration, you will make your persuasive paragraph more convincing.
Methods of Persuasion
Here are some examples of a persuasion paragraph:
Reasons Why Marijuana Should Be Legal
People of the United States should push for the legalization of marijuana. The first reason being the amount of money that our government spends every year on the “war on drugs”. The government’s money could be spent in so many other ways. The second reason it should be legalized is to limit the amount of people that get put in jails for marijuana, when there are far worse people out there that need to be put in jail. Marijuana arrests in the United States doubled between 1991 and 1995. In 1995, more than one-half-million people were arrested for marijuana offenses. Eighty-six percent of them were arrested for marijuana possession. Tens of thousands of people are now in prison or marijuana offenses. An even greater number are punished with probation, fines, and civil sanctions, including having their property seized, their driver's license revoked, and their employment terminated. Despite these civil and criminal sanctions, marijuana continues to be readily available and widely used. (Fact Sheet) A third reason is that marijuana is not as harmful as alcohol, which causes 50% of all traffic accidents a year. In 1972, after reviewing the scientific evidence, the National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse concluded that while marijuana was not entirely safe, its dangers had been grossly overstated. Since then, researchers have conducted thousands of studies of humans, animals, and cell cultures. None reveal any findings dramatically different from those described by the National Commission in 1972. In 1995, based on thirty years of scientific research editors of the British medical journal Lancet concluded that "the smoking of cannabis, even long term, is not harmful to health." (Fact Sheet) And yet another reason why marijuana should be legal is because is helps all sorts of people with medical problems. Marijuana has been shown to be effective in reducing the nausea induced by cancer chemotherapy, stimulating appetite in AIDS patients, and reducing intraocular pressure in people with glaucoma. There is also appreciable evidence that marijuana reduces muscle spasticity in patients with neurological disorders. A synthetic capsule is available by prescription, but it is not as effective as smoked marijuana for many patients. Pure THC may also produce more unpleasant psychoactive side effects than smoked marijuana. Many people use marijuana as a medicine today, despite its illegality. In doing so, they risk arrest and imprisonment. (Fact Sheet) With all of these great things that can be done with marijuana, why keep it away from those who could use it?
~© Jessi Johnson 2005~
~All facts were taken from a Fact Sheet on The Drug Alliance.com~
Laughter the Medicine
Laughter is one of the greatest healing devices known to man. Laughter is powerful and can help people in many different ways. It has the power to cure something as little as a bad day or to heal the wounds of a terminally ill person. Laughing has helped create the smile which is the universal sign of well being. Generally, individuals who do not laugh live miserably and have unhappy lives. Dr. Robert Holden found out that smiling and laughing releases endorphins in the brain which gives people a overall happy well being. Using comedy, many doctors have stimulated the healing process in manic depressants and fatally ill patients giving them hope and ambition. In many clinics laughter is being used in replacing anti depressants and reduces the need for pain killers.(Dr. Gael Crystal). Take comedians for example, they usually live long and happy lives. Putting a smile on faces and laughs in souls is what makes life complete. Laughter helps heal people and brightens spirits for a better and healthier life . Laughing is a sign of joy and hope and keeps people normal and the world happy. Using the techniques of laughter and happiness is the best medicine known to man. Laughter is the universal sign of well being and happiness within health. Laughing brightens the spirit and heals the mind and body of people who allow it to overcome them. So try a smile and laugh on for size and live a longer happier life with loved ones.
~© Jace Oeleis 2005~
Turn in Poachers
Hunters, hikers, and park recreationalists should turn in poachers. Poachers are people who kill animals illegally by hunting without a proper permit, or trespassing on someone’s property. Not only is it cruel to leave an animal carcass lying out to rout, but it can also spread disease among the other animals. It also brings up the price of hunting licenses for other hunters. That is why it is important we turn poachers in. The first thing that can be done is calling 1-800-TIP-MONT. When a call is placed, the operator will ask some questions. They ask where and when the event happened, a physical appearance of the person or a vehicle description, and was their any physical evidence left behind. So when you see this happening, either write it down on paper, or just try to remember it. The second thing a person can do is try to get on the Internet. There you can find out more information about what you need to do. If anyone sees one of these illegal acts being done, now you know what to do to turn them in, and make Montana a better place for everyone and everything.
~© Justin Campos 2005~
Real Life Issues On Talk Shows
Most TV talk shows depict important life issues with real personal stories. TV shows such as Montel and Maury have produced hundreds of shows relating to teen violence, suicide, unsolved murders of family members, AIDS and hate crimes. People affected by these issues and more write to Montel and other talk shows about their situations so they can share with others their experiences with hope of helping someone else. I recently vieweda show on Montel about an unsolved murder. One of the guests spoke about the worst day of her life, the day her financee' was shot and killed while at work by a random gunman and how it affected her life. Many people in the U.S. are affected by these types of issues and suffer in silence due to their belief that nobody cares. Those affected by these social issuses will continue to be victims without TV talk shows such as these. For the most part, TV shows provide an important view on today's issues and houw they affect everyday people.
~© 2005 Nichole Feller~
Federally recognizing the Chippewa Cree Native Americans
The Chippewa Cree Native Americans of the Turtle Shell Agency should be federally recognized. The first reason is that they are the only tribe in the United States that are not federally recognized. In 1885 the U.S. government began selling land that they had set aside for the Chippewa Cree with out their consent, this in turn started a rebellion. Because of the rebellion they were never granted a reservation again. Another reason for federal recognition is the free tuition that Native Americans acquire if they have enough blood decadency. It is estimated that fewer then ten percent of Native Americans attend secondary schooling with the inclusion of Chippewa Cree that number could raise. Finally federally recognizing Chippewa Cree would put an end to the neglect and give the people a place where they could be together and support their custom s. Many Chippewa Cree are not educated on their background so they are clueless to why they are neglected. Adding the Chippewa Cree to the federally recognized Native Americans would end many years of lost opportunity, neglect, and lack of culture. Some say that creating another reservation will cause another breeding ground for social ills. However if the government could apply what they have learned from other reservations then they could make proper changes so that the reservation could become a place where people thrive and become unified.
~(c)Ashley Neill 2005
How to use the internet should be required
In this age of technology all students in the Montana University System should be required to learn Internet use, and there should be a course to teach it as a core requirement. The first reason is going to school in the twenty-first century almost all classes require some computer use. Every time you go to the library at M.S.U.C.O.T, you need to know how to go online as there are very few books anymore, and almost everything is on the Web. Following that when you go to find a job, more and more companies are using computers. It's getting almost impossible to find a job that dosen't require computer skills of some sort. One of the big things is communications within the company. Most companies use electronic communications of some sort, such as e-mail or memos on line. Even the jobs people used to think of as unskilled labor such as a mechanic are using computers. All cars built today have a computer built into them. The mechanic uses it to figure out what's wrong with your car, then a lot of time they go online to find out the beat way to fix it faster, saving time and money. Some people might say that the courses that need to have computer skills have them built into them, but I say we should get a jump on the future and have all students learn the internet. If people don't learn it, they will fall behind in the job market and in life.