How To Write Discursive Essay

As a student, you are likely to experience several types of essays, which includes discursive essays. If you're hearing the term 'discursive essay' for the first time, this is your golden opportunity to learn how to write one.
A discursive essay's primary goal is to present a fair and objective assessment of both sides of an argument. And to do so, you must include all the necessary elements that will make a strong structure.
Note that you must have a viewpoint or an angle of the topic so you do not end up blending too many opinions together.
So, how about learning the strategies to build a solid discursive essay?

Choose A Topic You Feel Confident With

The main benefit of the discursive essay is that there are so many topics to choose from when writing an essay, while the main downside is that writers become confused when selecting a topic.
You can choose between two options:

You can select a topic from the available options.
In addition, you are free to choose your own theme.

Consider the topic's main ideas

When you begin your essay, before directly writing on the main paper, take some time to chalk out the main areas that will be included in your essay for discussion. This will also help you give a direction for your essay, and you can be aware of what points you need to explain.

Obtain data or evidence

One of the important parts of a discursive essay is to present both sides of a topic with proof. Hence, provide evidence focusing on facts and specific examples to back up your argument.
You can look for research materials that include statistics on your topic to back up your arguments and examples of how your topic affects people, animals, or the environment.
You can also interview experts on your subject to develop a persuasive case.

Keep a rough sketch or a diagram

Organize your thoughts before writing an essay. Make a list of your ideas and the points you wish to make in your essay. This offers your essay a general framework.
Make sure your thoughts are organized in a way that flows and makes sense about the topic of your essay.
You can draw visuals to help the flow of your essay, just like a framework. Write down your topic and draw a few lines branching off it while making a diagram. These techniques help form connections and relationships between various topics or concepts.

Begin brainstorming ideas

There are numerous ways to begin brainstorming. Here are a few that might be useful:

Consider what you discovered during your study that piqued your attention the most.
Make a list of all your ideas, even if they aren't fully formed.
Create word clouds or maps for comparable terms or concepts to group them together based on their similarities.
Before you arrange your ideas, try freewriting to get them all out.

Introduce your argument

The first step is to engage your readers right at the start so they read through the entire essay. You can provide a thesis statement to introduce your discursive essay topic or idea. You can accomplish this by writing a hook, an introductory statement that grabs the reader's attention.
You can use:

A question
A statement
A fact
A description
An anecdote

Make use of reasoning, emotion, and ethics

Persuasion is achieved through appealing to a reader's intellect, emotions, or ethical code. Facts and figures are quite effective in appealing to rationality.
In fact, emotions can be evoked by storytelling, but so can evidence that a reader can relate to.
You can use facts and examples of how this argument affects others to persuade a reader that your position is correct.

Display both sides of the debate

The root of your argument should be in the body of your essay. Go through both the sides of the topic in greater depth, emphasizing the strongest elements of the opposing viewpoint.
After describing the "other" side, present your own point of view along with evidence to support your claim. Use some of the material you found in your investigation to discredit the other side. Choose the most compelling evidence and present it one by one.

Strengthen your grammar

You'll need a strong understanding of not only the English language but also proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation to write an eloquent essay.
Be sure about verb and subject agreement and proper pronoun usage. Also, use active voice more instead of the passive voice. The better your spelling, grammar, and punctuation are, the easier it will be for your readers to understand you and the more professional your essay will appear.

Use appropriate vocabulary

When you use a term appropriately, your readers will understand what you're trying to communicate. It's also vital to avoid using considerable words to appear intelligent. If you do this too often, it will appear that you are compensating too much for your writing.
If you don't know what a word means, look it up to learn more about it or ignore it entirely.

Critically assess the evidence

Take the time to examine your evidence before developing an argument. Be critical while being thorough.
Throughout your essay, use solid research to support your argument and thesis.
Instead of trusting random findings on the internet without cross-checking their validity, look into official websites that have proper documentation.

Provide specifics

Be as specific as possible when drafting an essay. Use details to help people grasp what you're attempting to communicate.
Also, use facts and examples pertinent to your issue to stay focused on your issue while also assisting your readers in staying on track.

Think about the "how"

While most essays focus on the "what" and "why," address the "how" when you write a discursive essay.
For example, if your topic is 'Impact of digital marketing on a business', instead of just discussing why it has an impact, go into detail about how it has had such an impact.
This gives you extra points to write about, but it also allows you to narrow down your argument or topic.

Conclusion

A powerful conclusion can help summarize your point of view and convince your reader that your viewpoint is best.
You might want to save one incredibly surprising statistic for the end, one that leaves no room for question in the minds of your readers.
Hence, utilize the final section to restate your stance as the most reasonable one.

Check your essay for errors

Take the time to read your essay several times before submitting it, and detect mistakes in spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Make sure to check for readability and clarity.
Take a break from your essay and return to it with a fresh perspective if you have time. You can also make many drafts and keep revising your essay until you find a version you like.

Final Comments

Consider these suggestions while writing your essay to help you build the most logical and compelling case for your readers. Avoid using passionate or illogical language. Understand the difference between a rational and an emotional conclusion.
Don't make up evidence or utilize untrustworthy sources as evidence, and always cite your sources.

Make Discursive Essay Writing with Allessaywriter by Your Side

Writing a discursive essay takes a lot of time and patience, as you need to include relevant facts and explanations altogether. Moreover, beginners cannot present a proper structure, as they get lost between too many ideas.
To avoid such problems, you connect to the experts at Allessaywriter, who know best about the nook and corner of discursive essays and many more.

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John Joseph

Fueling minds with words! I'm John Joseph, a passionate content creator at Allessaywriter.com. Join me on this journey of exploring stories, uncovering truths, and engaging readers with compelling narratives. Let's make every word count!