什么是Persuasive Essay？
      Persuasive Essay 就是让你的读者认同你的观点。与 Argumentative Essay 中的强调事实证据不同，在写Persuasive Essay的时候你不用必须去做调查寻找那些绝对的事实来支撑你的paper的说服力。

      你的Persuasive Essay的目的是去用任何方法说服你的读者。即使你用一些感人或者有趣的故事作为例子也是没有问题的。如果你不相信的话，你去看看那些政客们的演讲。基本上他们的演讲中没有几句实话，全都是靠”忽悠”你的“情怀”。当然，在你的Persuasive Essay 中包含事实证据作为支持绝对是好办法，但是你完全可以耍些小把戏。你可以尝试让你的读者嚎啕大哭，或者捧腹大笑，亦或是含笑的眼里带着幸福的泪花。。。只要你能让他相信你说的是真的就行。

      当我们搞清楚了我们的目的了，那么你的写作就不能没有一个明确的方向。想要让人相信你说的，你必须“润物细无声”。想要达到这个效果，你首先需要一个 outline，下面是一个 Persuasive Essay 的outline:

      Introduction
      首先重要的是你需要找一个你能够支持的Topic。比如说，你要写一个关于动物权益(animal rights)文章。我并不是说我们要写那种老掉牙的”人类不应该伤害动物”之类的文章，而是我们要把人权赋予到我最喜欢的动物身上: Dog。

      1. 写一个 Hook 句。我们在很多文章中都一再强调，一定要写一个强有力的hook。你的每个introduction 段都应该有一个Hook。 (链接文章: “如何写出一个好的文章Hook?”) 比如:
Dogs are actually smarter than human babies, and even more useful and loyal too. In addition, they will never throw a tantrum. If dogs are such good people, don’t they deserve equal rights?

      2. 锁定你的读者。这一部分就是用一两句话使你的读者迅速意识到他是你锁定的读者中的一员。以我的例子来讲，我在多伦多，那么我就会写一两句涉及本地的内容:
For all dogs who have ever been turned away from a hotel, disallowed access to transit, or rejected from a public park, it is time to stand up for your pet’s rights-and your right too!(实际上，多伦多的公交系统允许小猫小狗乘坐，公园也是这样。)

      3. 展现你的 Thesis Statement。同其他的essay 一样，在这一步，你清楚的表明你的文章的态度和具体的你所希望你的读 者认同的点。和写 argumentative essay 一样，你需要清楚的表明你的立场，而不是模糊两可。比如：
The dogs of Toronto deserve the same rights and privileges as granted to our youngest humans, such as the right to visit restaurants, ride buses, walk off-leash, and go to the cinema so long as they are accompanied by a responsible human companion.

      Body Paragraphs
       具体写多少个body 段取决于你的文章的要求(比如，你们老师要求写个5段式essay)以及你的Topic （如果Topic 比较大，你可能需要多写一些Body 段）。在这篇文章里面，我决定写三个body 段。

你在Body段所给出的原因可以是充满感情的，逻辑上无懈可击的，也可以是与道德相关的—只要你的原始是具有说服性的。另外，你的每个理由都需要有一个事实或者例子做支撑。

Body paragraph 1:

Reason #1: Portland dogs are as smart as young children and often make for more polite companions.

Fact or example 1: Dogs are capable of learning up to 250 words and can easily go with the flow of human interactions.

Fact or example 2: Dogs are quieter and less disruptive than the average two-year-old human.

Body paragraph 2:

Reason #2: Portland dogs should be able to walk leash-free if they are accompanied by their human companions; in most cases, wearign a leash is unnecessary.

Fact or example 1: Dogs can be easily trained to walk alongside their human companions without a leash or restraint.

Fact or example 2: In a recent survey, 65% of Portland dog owners said that walking a dog on a leash is more of a hassle than walking a dog leash-free.

Body paragraph 3:

Reason #3: More rights for Portland dogs means more rights for Portland's dog companions.

Fact or example 1: Dog companions will have more choices of places where they can spend time with friends and family without having to leave beloved pets behind.

Fact or example 2: Dog companions won't have to deal with the trouble of hiring a dog-walker while at work or a pet-siter for short weekend getaways.


      Conclusion
      到此，我们已经给出了我们的理由以及支撑的事实或例子，那么现在是时候做一个总结了。你的结束段应该包含以下几个要素:

      1. 简要的总结Brief summary。 你需要再次提醒你的读者，为什么你的话题对他们是重要的。比如:
"Dogs all across Toronto are being unfairly denied the basic right to accompany their human accompanions to public places. It's time for Toronto dog owners to stand up for their furry friends."

      2. 对读者的好处 Benefits to the reader。解释针对你文章提及的问题做出行动对你的读者来说有什么好处。比如:
"Not only will taking a stand for your canine benefit dogs everywhere, it will also benefit you. Next time you want to take a weekend away, ride the bus to work, or enjoy a matinee, you won't have to worry about who will take care of your dog while you are away. This issue is about your rights as a dog companion too."

      3. 呼吁行动 A call to action。你希望你的读者做什么？比如：
"Vote 'yes' on Toronto City Ballot initiative 14 this election. It's time to stand up for the rights of our most loyal friends."
      希望这些能够帮到你们写好Persuasive Essay！