Coming Up With Persuasive Essay Topics About History
If you need to write a persuasive essay, you’ll first need to know what one is before you embark on selecting a specific subject. So- what is this kind of paper then?
As you might expect, you’re being asked to persuade your reader to a certain opinion you are presenting. As much as you get to have your own slant on things, you still need to be able to make a solid case- and that means presenting enough varied sources to back up and debate the position you’re taking.
If you don’t know where to begin with selecting your subject, then here are some great ideas:
- History is such a big subject, so coming up with topic ideas might be quite challenging. Well, the first thing to do is pick an area that you are passionate about (and therefore will already know a great deal about). The more excited you are by your subject, the more this will reflect in your writing, which will engage the reader a great deal more.
- Remember that it is your job to be persuasive, so your chosen subject should be one that can be debated. Of course you need to attempt to convince your reader of your own argument on the matter at hand, but an argument must always have two sides.
- To help narrow down the greater subject, ask yourself what areas you are interested in and make a list. Are you most well read on the past of the U.S? What entices you the most? The struggles of the Native Americans? The Declaration of Independence? The slave trade? Perhaps you are more interested in Nepalese governments, World War II, the Middle Ages, Africa, Ancient Egypt…
- Once you have narrowed down your interest, you should narrow it down even more. Once you know exactly what the subject is, you need to think about what angle you are coming at it from. Let us say you have chosen Ancient Egypt’s Cult of Osiris worshippers. Are you looking at religious ceremonies and pilgrimages from an academic theological viewpoint, or are you using it as an example of sociological and cultural differences in context with the global world of that time? What argument do you want to make?
- Picking a subject can be hard, so it’s really worth checking out what other papers are out there. Have a look in your campus library for past student examples. Look online and you will discover a plethora of subject examples too.
- It’s always worth discussing it with your teacher. The more you can pinpoint your own aims and objectives of the task, the better- and it really helps to get someone else’s take on your ideas.