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While argumentative and persuasive writing are related, they are not quite the same thing.

How are the two similar?

Here are some things argumentative and persuasive writing have in common:

  • Both are prescriptive in nature.
  • Both contain a call to action.
  • Both provide counter-arguments and answer objections.
  • Both are written in essay format and have a typical structure.

How are the two different?

Here is a practical guide to help students and writers understand the subtle yet significant differences between persuasive and argumentative writing.

1. Goals
  • The persuasive writer aims to get the reader to agree with their perspective.
  • The argumentative writer aims to get the reader to accept their perspective as the truth.
2. General Technique
  • The persuasive writer blends opinions with facts to convince the reader of the “rightfulness” of their perspective.
3. Audience
  • The persuasive writer addresses a hypothetical audience whose thoughts and beliefs must be “attacked” in order to bring them over to the other side.
  • The argumentative writer simply puts their arguments out there, even in the absence of a hypothetical audience.
4. Point of View
  • The persuasive writer communicates directly with a person, group, or organization and hence generally uses the first person (I, we, etc.) and second person (you) points of view.
  • The argumentative writer addresses multiple sides of an issue using the more objective and formal third person (they) point of view.
5. Attitude
  • The persuasive writer uses the emotional strategy (inspiration, motivation, manipulation, etc.) they think will work best on their audiences. Persuasive writing is highly personal and emotional.
  • The argumentative writer is more detached, preferring to use a reasonable, respectful, and formal tone to present all sides of an argument.
6. Perspective
  • The persuasive writer believes and wants the reader to believe that their way of thinking is the best. Consequently, the only viewpoint presented is the writer’s.
  • The argumentative writer wants to be seen as a fair-minded person – they acknowledge opposing viewpoints and counter them with reason, logic, and evidence.
7. Starting Point
  • The persuasive writer identifies a topic of interest, picks one side of the argument, and starts writing.
  • The argumentative writer conducts preliminary research on a topic, identifies the stronger side, and gathers supporting data before they start writing.
8. Support
  • The persuasive writer relies almost exclusively on feelings and opinions and uses strong emotional appeal to get the audience to agree with them.
  • The argumentative writer uses logical reasons supported by substantiated facts, data, and evidence to get the audience to agree with them.
9. Tone
  • The persuasive writer uses an emotionally charged and aggressive tone.
  • The argumentative writer is calm and rational, and tries to get the audience to acknowledge their side as worthy of consideration.

Persuasive Writing Example

Should Cell Phones be Allowed in Schools?

There has been a lot of discussion lately about whether children should be allowed to use cell phones in school. The conversation has been doing the rounds although there are phones in each classroom and in the office, which can be used for emergencies or to contact parents when needed.

Cell phones are a major distraction for kids and can be used by some kids to bully others. In case of bad weather or power failure, or if the phone lines go out, all teachers have cell phones which can be used. There is really no reason for kids to have their own phones – up until 10 years ago, cell phones weren’t as ubiquitous as they are now and kids did just fine during the school day.

Cell phones can be really disruptive in the classroom. This is because students end up playing games, texting their friends, and spending time on social media when they should be paying attention in class. There are already many things that distract them in class without adding cell phones to the mix.

Cell phones are a major weapon for bullies. There are already too many ways in which kids can be mean to each other – phones would become yet another tool for mean kids to harass others.

Some people feel that kids need cell phones for safety reasons. However, with all the phones that already exist in schools, I cannot think of a single good reason why they would need their personal cell phones as well. Cell phones for students would just be a distraction, a means of bullying, and overall, just a bad idea for school.

Argumentative Writing Example

Should Libraries be Replaced by E-readers?

As the internet becomes an ever-present part of our daily lives with an increasing number of books being converted to digital form, there have been suggestions that public libraries be shut down for good and replaced by iPads and e-reader subscriptions.

Proponents of the idea believe that it will enable cities and towns to save money because libraries are expensive to maintain. They also believe that it will encourage people to read more because they will have access to reading resources wherever they are. Also, more reading materials will become accessible to more people because libraries will never run out of digital copies.

It would, however, be a serious mistake to replace libraries with tablets. First, research shows that digital reading materials are problematic and often associated with poorer learning outcomes than print materials. It has also been found that people using screens tend to read slower, retain less information, and have lower comprehension than those who read the same information in print.

Moreover, excessive screen time has been associated with health problems like dry eyes, blurred vision, eye strain, headaches, and dizziness. Other serious health issues include shoulder and back pain, muscle strain, fibromyalgia, and carpal tunnel syndrome.

Second, it should not be assumed that lending books is the only service offered by libraries. Libraries offer a variety of benefits to a community, some of which are only available if they have a physical location. These benefits include providing jobs, a quiet space to read and study, classes on a multitude of subjects, and maintaining a sense of connection within the community. Several neighborhoods have discovered that, after their local library hosted community events like job fairs, meetings for community members, and play times for toddlers, a large number of residents reported feeling more connected to their community.

A Pew survey conducted in 2015 discovered that nearly two-thirds of Americans feel that their community would be greatly impacted if their local library were to shut down. It is obvious that libraries are seen as a way to stay connected with others, a benefit that tablets or e-readers couldn’t possibly offer. While replacing libraries with screens might look like a simple, cost-effective solution, it is surrounded by myriad issues that make it unviable and undesirable. It would also put a stop to many of the benefits that a physical library offers, particularly in areas where libraries are an important part of the community network. It is unthinkable that a vast network of libraries could be replaced by mere screens.

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Difference between argumentative and persuasive writing
Argumentative and persuasive writing differ in some subtle yet crucial ways.