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Persuasive writing is when a writer takes a stand for and against, to convince a reader to believe on what he is articulating on paper. Persuasive writing applies logic and reason to show one idea is reasonable than the other. Lawyers make good persuaders.

How to Write an Effective Persuasive Essay

Brainstorm on the subject:

Pick a topic you would wish to advocate. Once you have this think of your audience, is the reader undecided or inclined to a thought in favor for or against.

Introductory paragraph:  

Always have an attention “getter” when you start your essay. This enables the audience get hooked and would want to read through the essay.  Establish the context as you seamlessly transition to your strong thesis statement.

The thesis statement reveals the position to be argued, imposes manageable limits of the paper and suggests organisation of the paper.

Body Paragraph:

Use concrete details and each paragraph should focus on one piece of evidence. Insightful commentary is key on the stance your are arguing for.

Due to the arguable nature of persuasive essays, you may address a counter argument in a paragraph of its own.

Always use your last sentence in your last paragraph to progress to the next new paragraph.

Conclusion:

Tie things up by restating the attention getter in the introduction and thesis statement by articulating them in a subtle way. Leave your audience challenged. What better way to close by a call to action or state a universal observation and any recommendation.

List of persuasive essay topics

Technology and Social media

1. Facebook connects people has it also created isolation?
2. Technology has created new opportunities. Has the society become too dependent on it?
3. Closed Circuit Television Cameras protect the general public. Do you think they invade your privacy?
4. Are desktop computers obsolete?
5. Should internet be filtered in schools?
6. Should schools use periscope to connect with experts worldwide?
7. Should teachers use online multimedia to encourage interactivity and diversity in lessons.
8. Should schools create school tube channels?
9. Should learning through smart boards be encouraged in schools at an early age?
10. Will use of M-learning make students lazy?
11. Has social media encouraged positive or negative among people?
12. How have employers used technology to hire qualified staff?
13. Technology has played a big role in education. Is it  a positive thing how people are gaining certification through online training?
14. Argue for and against telecommuting.
15. Are you for or against Neuro enhancement?
16. Use of nanotechnology.
17. The ethical facet of synthetic biology.
18. Are you for or against wearable technology.
19. Write about one form of technology you can’t live without.
20. Technology is growing so fast is it going to self destruct?
21. Does technology erode human character?
22. Is technology opposing nature?
23. Is online dating dangerous?
24. Should darknet be regulated like internet?
25. Do tech manufacturers make products that deteriorate faster to sell more products?
26. Can Facebook influence the world?
27. Should computer voices be  programmed to sound like a woman or man?
28. Are bad bots destroying the internet?

Education

1. Do you think classes should be suspended due to harsh weather?
2. Should students be allowed to choose study partners?
3. Should middles class pupils be given homework?
4. Is it necessary to learn a foreign language as a subject in school?
5. Should educating women in the third world countries be a concern?
6. Should teenagers be given less homework?
7. Is there still purpose for printed books in school libraries?
8. Will student debt ever go on the decrease?
9. Is homeschooling beneficial to children?
10. Should students discuss elections in schools?
11. How can the school solve the obesity epidemic?
12. Should students be encouraged to read ahead of the lessons taught?
13. Should school uniforms be banned?
14. Should students choose the prefered subject in high school?
15. Should religious education be banned in schools?
16. Should students be taught how to drive in school once they attain driving age?
17. Are present  methods of school discipline efficient?
18. Should students be punished for bad grades?
19. Is the importance of grammar, spelling and punctuation declining with the use of cell phones?
20. Do you agree that college and university education should be free?
21. Should grades be abolished in schools?
22. Should cellphone use be banned in schools?
23. Should colleges have subjects on mental health issues?
24. Are single gender classes more productive than mixed classes.
25. Should the kids with good grades be the ones allowed to do sports?

Health

1. Should cigarette smoking be banned in public?
2. Is alternative treatment like homeopathy effective?
3. Is medical marijuana the new cash crop in  America?
4. Do you think cancer treatment should be free?
5. Is mild exercise worth the risk for someone who has suffered a heart attack?
6. Is being a vegetarian a guarantee for healthy long life?
7. Should stress be a focus when discussing heart attack risks?
8. Are you skeptical about a pain killer with no side effects?
9. Has medicine advanced much to eradicate measles?
10. Are tall people more physically active?
11. Should children be required to exercise?
12. Should congress pass a bill on Zika virus funding?
13. Is the Zika virus a worldwide concern?
14. Should teens be given HPV vaccines?
15. Do organ transplant pass allergies to the recipient?
16. Are braces cosmetic surgery?
17. Should cereals be encouraged for breakfast?
18. Should soy sauce be avoided for high sodium?
19. Are we unfairly bashing Genetic Modified Foods?
20. Should abortion due to genetic abnormalities be approved?
21. Should nutrition labels be updated considering obesity has become rife in the society?
22. Are food additives healthy?
23. Is diabetes becoming a global epidemic?
24. Should other animals be trained as service animals apart from dogs?
25. Is pregnancy classified as a  medical condition?

Music

1. Does listening to music affect productivity while working?
2. Is classical music more effective for study purposes?
3. Does music help get over a tragedy fast?
4. Does rap music have an effect on criminal behaviour?
5. Should music education be included in schools?
6. Is music best medicine for the mind?
7. Should offices have soft music playing on the background to enhance productivity?
8. Can music be an addiction?
9. Can musical training make one a successful musician?
10. Should earphone use in the public be banned for safety reasons?
11. Is listening to calming music make an unborn child calm?
12. Does popular modern rap contain meaningful message?
13. Has modern songwriting lost its meaning?
14. Should piracy regulations  tightened?
15. Censorship in music.
16. Should musicians and singers get more benefits from the government?
17. Should doctors play soft music at the background while working in the theatre?
18. Should every country have a list of patriotic songs?
19. Should music be used to hypnotise a person?
20. Have people suffering from mental health issues benefit from music therapy?
21. Are new technologies like iTunes ruining music?
22. Should rap music be considered as an art?
23. Does music stir physiological reactions?
24. Should parental advisory labels be on all rap music?
25. Should music influence dance moves?

Philosophy

1. Will we ever have world peace?
2. Does knowledge come from learning or experience?
3. Can we live in a world without laws?
4. Should a person’s dying wish always be granted?
5. Are some humans considered superior to others?
6. Is the society obsessed with immortality?
7. Do apologies mean anything?
8. Is wisdom key to human behaviour change?
9. Can you attain happiness by helping others?
10. Do genetics determine human behaviour?
11. Should we live to affinity, will our lives be meaningless?
12. Is suicide immoral?
13. Should career women postpone to have babies?
14. Does culture affect national outlook?
15. Do humans have free will?
16. Are there many ways to perceive the truth?
17. Is pleasure intrinsically good?
18. Intuition is more powerful than logical reason?
19. Is there a thing like justified killing?
20. Is truth always subjective?
21. Should free will be encouraged?
22. If something is natural is it good?
23. Mind over matter?
24. Does happiness come from within?
25. Can money buy love

Sports

1. Should physical education be mandatory for all students in schools?
2. Are sports personalities role models?
3. Do former athletes make good coaches?
4. Should sports involving animals like polo be stopped?
5. Should women go into power lifting?
6. Should women athletes be treated same as their male counterparts?
7. Do energy drinks beneficial to sports men?
8. Is there a thing like inborn sports talent?
9. Should the NFL change the helmet design ?
10. Should martial arts be compulsory in schools?
11. Does sports betting make you a bigger fan?
12. Should sports nutrition be given an important part as practical lessons?
13. Should we have more sports related movies to create awareness?
14. Should salaries of sports people be based on performance?
15. Should athletic scholarship be mandatory in all universities?
16. Should college football be banned until correct measures to prevent concussion in the players is found?
17. Is wrestling a sport?
18. Should competition be encouraged?
19. Should colleges hire national level coaches?
20. Is sports used as a means of power and development?
21. Should sports play a role in the social institution?
22. Can sports break cultural barriers?
23. Can sports make a student perform better in academics?
24. Is sports necessary for a country?
25. Should sports influence politics of a country?

Politics

1. Should church be separated from politics?
2. Should the government at times restrict freedom of speech?
3. Has the electoral college system failed?
4. Should everyone have the right to vote in the US?
5. Should voting age be reduced to 16?
6. Should immigration to the US be restricted?
7. Should risk of bioterrorism bring world leaders together?
8. Should trade policies between countries be liberal?
9. Do political movements change the way we think?
10. Is support of same sex marriage political?

Business

1. Should interns be paid minimum wage?
2. Should people who work more than 60 hours get a tax cut?
3. Is retirement in the middle class income families an impossibility?
4. Do countries have an obligation to bail out firms?
5. Does free trade in a country benefit only a few people?
6. Should the ICC court charge executives of companies for habitat destruction?
7. Is competition and capitalism good for any industry?
8. Should solar energy be given tax deductions?
9. Does free trade help grow economies?
10. Should the government set prices for drugs?
11. Could there be a better alternative to money?
12. Should companies give away free merchandise?
13. Is the oil industry affianced to price fixing?
14. Does Brexit spell disaster for world economy?
15. There is an influx of luxury homes. Will the bubble burst soon?
16. Should business be allowed to raise prices just to appear selling high quality goods?
17. Due to the falling oil prices is Saudi Arabia economy in trouble?
18. Are wall street policies to liberal?
19. Should online business be subjected to international tax?
20. Should we have to pay indirect taxes?

Society

1. Should companies censor contradicting opinions.
2. Are atheist licence plates a distraction in the society?
3. Should an employer fire an employee through a text message?
4. Should police be allowed to use water canister on rioters?
5. Should every homestead have a licenced gun for protection?
6. Are baggage fees unfair?
7. Should celebrities speak out publicly on stalkers?
8. Should diplomatic immunity prevail no matter the crime?
9. Is facebook too influential in the society?
10. Is it right to protest?

Science

1. Temperature in the Arctic are record high does this prove global warming is real?
2. Do you think the Dead Sea can be rejuvenated.
3. Will turning CO2 to ethanol help the environment?
4. Are there still undiscovered scientific wonders?
5. Can consciousness be defined in physical terms?
6. Does science go to far at times? Will genetically engineered mosquitoes help?
7. Should doctors prescribe placebos?
8. Is climate change a public health plight?
9. Is the hangover free alcohol to good to be true?
10. Do you think people could live in the moon one day?

Miscellaneous

1. Should you eat food you do not like because it is associated to a holiday?
2. Is it bad to be in the LGBT community?
3. Is suing the government same as suing the taxpayer?
4. Does marriage tame a man?
5. Should presidents have personal planes?
6. Does Habeas Corpus still apply today?
7. Should you know the origin of a drinks name?
8. Should oil drilling be banned?
9. Is the US spending too much on war?
10. Should transgender sports be allowed?
11. Do you think beauty pageants are sexist?
12. Should ancient treasure remain with the finder?
13. Should muslim arranged marriages be banned?
14. Should the government attract more male nurses?
15. Should live streaming of court be allowed in all cases?
16. Does all the welfare contribution in the US go to the poor?
17. Is dressing up your pet amount to pet abuse?
18. Should false accusers face higher sentences?
19. Is it okay for a parent to spank their child?
20. Are police shooting becoming too common in the US?
21. Are drug lords ruthless and dangerous?
22. Are handcuffs practical tools to contain inmates?
23. Should peaceful protestors be dispersed?
24. Are newspapers a thing of the past now?
25. Are teen actors over sexualised?

Parenting

1. Should you give your children too much money?
2. Should teens take parenting classes?
3. Should parents pay kids for good grades?
4. When is old enough for a sibling to baby sit?
5. Should parents of bullies pay fines in schools?
6. Should child support defaulters go to jail?
7. Should teens choose their bedtime?
8. Should pregnant couple go to a parenting class?
9. Should students have an adult with them for the entire first year of driving?
10. Should kids under 16 years have social media accounts?
11. Should parents talk to kids about drug abuse at a tender age or teenage?
12. Should students in high school be allowed to work part time?
13. Should there be curfews for teenagers?
14. Should parents peruse a kids room without their knowledge?
15. Should parents track their children without their kids consent?

Immigration

1. Should the immigration rates be lowered in the US?
2. Should visiting foreigners be allowed to give birth in the US?
3. Should European countries be forced to take in immigrants?
4. Is the Kennedy Mccain Comprehensive Act 2006 a good legislation?
5. Is immigrating to Canada easy?
6. Does immigration impact an economy positively?
7. Should immigrants who pay taxes be allowed to vote?
8. Does immigration law discourage legal immigrants?
9. Are immigrants a burden to a country?
10. Do loans empower immigrant entrepreneurs?
11. Should congress act on immigration reforms?
12. Do economies gain from influx of immigrants?
13. Should undocumented workers get health benefits?
14. Should undocumented immigrants be granted driving licences?
15. Is amnesty for illegal immigrants a good move for a country?

Criminal Justice

1. Does criminal justice exist?
2. Should war criminals be hanged?
3. Has the UK criminal justice become too lenient?
4. Should prisons focus on rehabilitation or correction?
5. Should people with criminal records be banned from running a public office?
6. Should insanity defence have a place in the justice system?
7. Should abuse of drugs termed as criminal?
8. Is there justice without retribution?
9. Should the ICC prosecute Nazi War criminals?
10. Is justice important than mercy?
11. Should police use phone taps to trace criminals?
12. Are there negative sides to juvenile criminal justice?
13. Do you think the Fifth Amendment’s favors criminals?
14. Should vigilantes kill criminals?
15. Is justice delayed justice denied?

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