How to Write an Allusion in a Persuasive Essay

A persuasive essay is a piece of written work that solely exists to persuade the reader to a certain point of view. The writer does this by thoroughly researching the topic and providing factual and logical arguments both for her point of view and against any possible counterarguments. Allusion is an effective literary devices one can use to help persuade the reader.

An allusion is a tool that references a person, place, event, or some other generally well-known object that is either directly or indirectly related to the topic at hand. Such a reference helps drive the argument by offering a well-known real life example, providing a thought-provoking argument, and/or giving the reader the opportunity to draw their own conclusions.

While allusion is a powerful tool, it is contingent on whether the audience understands the reference. For a persuasive essay to be successful, as well as the allusion itself, it is vital that the writer understands their audience.

A persuasive essay should contain a variety of statistics, quotes and examples, in addition to other general facts, in order to properly argue a point. An allusion can assist in this feat since, by giving an example that the reader may be familiar with, it will help provide a visual that will help them both remember the argument and relate to it. Human connection is an important part of a persuasive argument.