Argumentative Writing (Persuasive Writing)
Persuasive writing is based on principles developed by the early Greek Rhetoricians—Socrates and Aristotle, for instance. At that time, all speech was oral, not written. They put forth this startling philosophy: speech could be used to accomplish ends or purposes. The purposes were persuasive in nature and always had one of two purposes: (1) to change the mind of someone, or (2) to get someone to do something.
Examples: (1) Political speeches to gain followers. In modern times we see more of these than we particularly care to listen to on television. The speaker wishes to change minds about issues such as where the country’s money should be spent or whether gay people should be permitted to serve in the military. (2) Political speeches whose purpose is to get people to vote a certain way. In many instances in history, even in the past few years, rabble-rousing speech has been used to create riots and mayhem.