Persuading others through writing is an important skill, and one that we use all the time, whether consciously or

not. Writing a professional persuasive letter is one task where this skill is particularly useful. As students, you

do a version of this more often than you might realize, like when you write a cover letter for a job application or

an email to a professor. These are both instances where you are asking your audience to do or believe

something, so it helps to know how to persuade.

Your Task:

Part 1: The Letter

For your second project, you are going to write a persuasive letter. This assignment builds off the work you

completed in Homework #4 where you discussed your community. The topic of your letter and to whom it is

addressed is totally up to you, but this letter should be written on behalf of the community you identified in your

homework. Pick an argument you’re passionate about and then decide to whom you will address the letter.

Locate an actual name and address for the recipient and include it in your draft, unless you intend to send the

letter, you may put a fake address for yourself. Your letter must make an argument and try to persuade your

reader of something.

Part 2: The Reflection (Include with Final Draft Only)

Once you have written your letter, I’d like you to reflect on it a bit, thinking especially about why you chose

this topic and what strategic choices you made as the writer to target your specific audience. Here are some

questions to answer in your reflection:

To whom did you address this letter, and what influenced your decision in choosing this as the most

appropriate audience?

Why did you choose to write about this topic? What is its significance as it relates to you and your

community?

What is the argument that your letter puts forth?

What claims did you make, and which types of evidence did you provide to support them?

Upon which appeals did you draw to connect with your audience?

What rhetorical strategies did you employ when writing this letter?

How do you see these choices you made when writing this letter working to persuade your audience?

Additional Information:

o Your letter should be formatted as outlined in the documents provided on Canvas

o Your letter is expected to be 1-2 full pages, single-spaced in length

o If you utilize cited evidence include specific quotations when doing so, be sure to give credit

where credit is due and include a Works Cited page. Ex. Writer X asserts, “….” (Author(s) Pg.

#/Timestamp, etc.).

o Your reflection is expected to be at least 2-3 pages, double spaced in length in an easy-to-read

font (like Times New Roman, Calibri, Arial, Lato), use 12 pt. font, set the margins at 1 inch on

all sides of the document, and meet other current MLA format guidelines

Why Write a Persuasive Letter as it Relates to Civic Engagement?

o To encourage a specific action or outcome on an issue (eg. building a community center).

o To discourage a specific action or outcome (eg.closing of a community center).