Persuasive writing aims to convince the audience, while objective writing presents facts and information without hidden agendas. Both are valuable, and students should hone their skills in both. Persuasive writing includes arguments and a thesis statement, while objective writing is unbiased. Both require critical thinking from the author and reader, and readers should draw their own conclusions.
The difference between persuasive writing and objective writing is actually implicit in the names of these two writing styles. In persuasive writing, an author hopes to convince the audience of something. Objective writing, on the other hand, presents facts and information organized in an accessible way, with no specific conclusions or hidden agendas. Many wiseGEEK articles are great examples of objective writing.
Both of these types of writing have a specific place in the world and are both valuable. Many literature classes teach students to identify objective and persuasive writing, and students are often encouraged to hone their skills in both so they can be better writers and communicators. There are times when you need to be objective and times when being persuasive is key.
In a piece of persuasive writing, the author’s goal is to get the reader to agree with him or her. Typically, the writing includes a number of arguments, many of which are backed up by facts that support the author’s point of view. More classically, this style of writing includes an introduction, informing readers with the topic to be discussed, followed by a body, with the meat of the arguments, and a closing conclusion to reiterate the point. Typically, a thesis statement like “the death penalty is a cruel and unusual punishment” or “gun control laws don’t work” is a tip that you’re reading persuasive writing.
Objective writing is ideally characterized by the unbiased presentation of facts. Many journalists strive to produce objective writing, giving their readers the information they need to make their own choices. To use an example from above, an objective writing on the death penalty would include a more general discussion of the history of the death penalty, various execution techniques, and perhaps research information about how humane these techniques are, but the author would express no judgment or a persuasive statement about the death penalty.
Both objective and persuasive writing require critical thinking on the part of the author and reader. The author must be able to clearly present information in a format that is logical to readers, while readers must be prepared to think about the information presented. Either way, readers should always draw their own conclusions after thinking critically about the information, and in the case of persuasive writing, it’s a good idea to read a written piece from the other side before making a decision.
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