Learning the fundamental principles of essay writing is becoming an ever more important skill for students. In 2005 the SAT gave its stamp to this initiative by adding an essay requirement to the popular college entrance exam. Each book in Greenhaven press's Writing the Critical Essay: An Opposing Viewpoints Guide includes everything necessary to help students research, outline, draft, edit, and ultimately write successful essays across the curriculum. Using the patented Opposing Viewpoints format, this book focuses on writing a persuasive essay. Persuasion is a frequently used essay technique for writing informational, opinionated and how-to essays. Readers will find useful information to write a successful persuasive essay, including thesis statements, introductions, and conclusions. In addition, readers will find information to compile a source cited list using MLA style. Book jacket.