The Tricks of Writing an “Against Death Penalty” Essay

How do you feel about the death penalty? Chances are, you feel pretty strongly about whichever side you’re on – against or for. Hot topics like this are a favorite amongst teachers, since writing on such topics teaches you how to approach sensitive subjects and provide respectful, persuasive arguments. Unfortunately, writing an against death penalty essay may be a difficult task – even for great writers. It’s not just a matter of a delicate topic (although that plays a huge part), it’s also a matter of mastering the art of persuasive writing. To craft an A+ earning against death penalty essay, make sure to follow the guidelines listed below.

Avoid Offense

There are few topics more sensitive and provoking than the death penalty – likely due to its immediate relation to the taking of human life. All people are likely to have strong opinions on the topic well before reading your essay. If you want to craft a genuine, true and high quality persuasive essay, then you need to be wary of this. Make sure your word choice and meaning is absolutely clear. Respect all opinions and communicate, fully, that you respect all opinions. Above all, avoid name-calling, accusations and other detrimental behavior that could discredit your writing and offend your audience. Your job is to stick to your opinion and present facts to support it – not to slander or offend your readers.

Have Substantial Reasons

One of the biggest challenges to writing an against the death penalty essay is that you have to find substantial, factual evidence to support your argument. This can be difficult, especially with so many morally related issues surrounding the death penalty. Remember, you may be able to cite these reasons, but you should still have evidence to support them. For example, one reason you may argue against the death penalty is its inability to rehabilitate prisoners. Perhaps there have been stories of death-row inmates that were rehabilitated, saved and reintroduced to society successfully. No matter what your major points are, make sure you have substantial research and evidence to support each one.

Edit, Proof, and Get Peer Reviews

Want to know the real trick to creating great essays – and especially great persuasive ones? Review, review, review. The best way to ensure that the above two standards are correctly executed is to get peer reviews. Have your classmates, friends, family members or teachers read your work and provide feedback on improvements. Review yourself as well – especially for meaning, organization, grammar, spelling and other details that will improve the overall impact of your argument.