Are you one of those people who has been told (likely more than once) that you have an opinion on everything?
If you are, then you’re in luck. The opinion essay is the perfect way to express your opinions to the world (or at least to your professor).
Telling someone your opinion and writing an organized essay about your opinion can be two very different animals, though.
While it’s probably okay for you to ramble to get to your point when you’re hanging out with your friends, it’s certainly not a smart idea to ramble in an essay.
When writing an opinion essay, your word choices should be precise, your focus (and thesis statement) should be clear, and your arguments must be supported with strong evidence.
Want to see what that looks like in practice? Check out these two opinion essay examples.
2 Opinion Essay Examples That Get to the Point
For each of the opinion essay examples below, I’ve included commentary to help you see what works well. I’ve also included revision suggestions for areas that could use a little help.
For both opinion essay examples, my commentary is below each paragraph. The specific text I’m discussing is notated with a bracket and a corresponding number [#]. When you see an asterisk in front of that at the end of a paragraph *[#], my comments apply to the preceding paragraph as a whole.
Opinion essay example #1: A Perception of My Generation’s Opinion on Voting
A Perception of My Generation’s Opinion on Voting
Introduction
[1] “Why should I vote if my vote doesn’t matter? No one pays attention to young adults anyway; they only talk to the elderly.” This was said when I asked a friend if they were going to vote. This made me think about my generation’s voice when it comes to voting. She had a point, even in school we are overlooked when it comes to a certain issue/problem. People will believe an adult in their 30’s way before an 18 year old, and that is not right in my opinion. [2] Young adults avoid voting because the political party is not engaging them, taking them seriously, and as a whole we are just not informed enough on the issues to vote. If each political party had speeches that were geared equally toward young people as it is geared toward the elderly then I believe that young people would vote and become more involved. *[3]
Susan says:
[1] In the introduction, the writer uses a quote from a friend as an effective strategy to grab the reader’s attention.
Need help with hook sentences? Read What Is a Hook Sentence? (Infographic).
Susan says:
[2] The last two lines of this paragraph provide a strong thesis statement that explains the focus of the essay: the opinion that political parties need to connect with younger people in order to get those under 30 involved in politics.
*[3] The writer also uses first person in this essay. Check with your prof (and the assignment guidelines) to see if you’re allowed to use first person in your opinion essay.
Body paragraphs
[4] My generation is overlooked, ignored, and mocked for our opinions. In the story Different Experiences of Young Adults and Other Adults in Mediated Campaigns a girl by the name of Alexandra Trustman had an intellectual question to ask at the Democratic Presidential debate but the producer didn’t like it. He dumbed down her question and had her ask if the democrats running preferred Mac’s or PC’s. Many adults judged her superficial question; her voice was manipulated by the producer of CNN, and her character was mocked. This is one of many instances where a young person, who was interested in politics, was overlooked because of their age; this would have never happened if she was 50 or 60 years old. Many times in a candidate’s speech they address the problems with issues that affect middle aged people and up. *[5]
[4] This sentence is short but powerful. Using a variety of longer and shorter sentences is an excellent strategy to keep people reading and create a cohesive essay.
Want to learn more about sentence variety? Read How to Improve Sentence Variety in Your Essays (and Why You Should Care).
*[5] Here, the writer effectively uses an example from a source to support the opinion that older adults simply don’t take younger people seriously.
Take note: This paragraph mentions a source but forgets a proper in-text citation.
Read more about proper citation styles in The Stress-Free Guide to APA Essay Format and The Stress-Free Guide to MLA Essay Format (8th Edition).
Another big reason young people don’t vote is simply because they aren’t informed, they don’t feel they should vote if they don’t completely understand the issues. I recall we did an activity with the three readings we were given in groups and my group specifically was wondering what would get the youth attention the most. One thing we noticed is that no one wanted to participate in neither polls that told who they were voting for nor online discussions about politics. When talking about this in class I learned that people don’t want to get judged or attacked for what they think or who they are voting for. A student said, “I would never start a political conversation with someone online, people sometimes like to force their viewpoint on you and make you feel stupid. They would rather make you feel bad instead of educating you on the issues.” Politics is one of few topics that can spark heated discussions and cause more problems than solutions. People don’t feel as if they should vote if they don’t fully understand the issues, it could end up causing more harm to the world than good. If young adults are going to vote they should thoroughly look into what they are voting for or who they are voting for, this will end up getting the world closer to the better world we strive to have. *[6]
*[6] In this paragraph, the writer successfully uses a personal example to help support the paper’s thesis.
In Political Peril: Why Millennials don’t Vote it says “Millennials are stuck in a cyclical blame game: They don’t vote because candidates don’t engage them, but candidates don’t engage them because they don’t vote.” I don’t agree with candidates not engaging us because we don’t vote; however, I do agree that there will never be as many young adults to vote as older adults but the number of young adults voting can increase drastically. A prime example of this is the McCain vs Obama 2008 debate. Obama’s main strategy was to make everyone know that their vote mattered and that their voices would be heard. He utilized social media such as Twitter and Facebook to get in contact It was recorded in the Political Peril that the demographic reached a 30 year high during this election with 44.3% of the young people voting compared to the on average 20-23% of young adults who vote any other time. After this election the numbers went back down which shows that the young people felt no longer engaged or needed. So how exactly do you get the vote back up to the 44.3% it was in 2008 or higher? *[7]
*[7] The writer uses another example and source in this paragraph to support the thesis.
This time, however, the writer focuses more on how politicians have successfully engaged younger voters, attempting to illustrate that it is possible to attract and engage young people.
We first start off with what Obama did and utilize social media such as: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. We should ask young adults what issues concern them and what changes they would like to see in the future. We should ask them what they look for when deciding to pick a president (such as the characteristics they want someone who is running the country to have). We could use hashtags such as #futurepresident or #_____forpresident to make sure the candidate sees them and have someone take pictures/snapchats of him or her reading them to show that he or she is really concerned about the young people’s voice.
Conclusion
In a study called Digitally Savvy Citizenship it was shown that young adults looked for, read, and watched content online about politics. So possibly have political articles pop up in people’s newsfeed during the beginning of people deciding to run for president up until the president is chosen. Online articles, a section of the college newspaper that focus on politics, or even classes where you watch the debate and have discussions about it I feel will be very effective in catching people’s attention. One of the democratic debates was on TV and you could go to this one room in Alter Hall, I believe, and watched it, a lot of people came out to it and learned a lot. Not only do you learn who all is running you also learn where everyone stance is on issues or at least how they address certain questions. I attended and actually learned a lot about the intentions of our candidates, seeing their campaign commercials is one thing but actually hearing them talk is completely different. Your whole entire thought process of who you were going to vote for could change just based off of how the handle questions whether they directly answer them to the best of their ability or they avoid the question all together just talking around it. Overall I believe if these slight changes are made, slowly but surely we could make a huge difference in the world. *[8]
*[8] The final paragraph of the essay includes additional suggestions as to how politicians can engage young voters.
While the suggestions do work well to help support the writer’s opinion, this paper is missing an effective conclusion as this writer includes only one final line at the end of the paragraph to close the essay.
The writer should keep this paragraph as a body paragraph and develop a separate paragraph to wrap up the essay.
Opinion essay example #2: Opinion on Tattoos
Opinion on Tattoos
Introduction
Snakes, grim reapers, skull-and-bones, and hearts; these are just a few examples of the many icons those with ink bounded to their skin forever. Tattoos, lasting ink images sealed forever on a person’s body, are used to symbolize the characteristics of the wearer or its allegiance to a group/society/idea. Those with skin united with the illustrations of instilled ink can indeed convey their thoughts, beliefs, and whatnot through tattoos they hold sacred. However, it is this expression that can attract both positive and negative responses. Wearing apparel or accessories that promote or express one’s beliefs or ideas is commonly acceptable, but to deviate as far as getting a tattoo may not always be the best option. Not only that, but once obtained, one can sometimes feel regretful of the choice they have made, but the scars of tattoos never fade. [1] Tattoos should not be used to adorn one’s skin because they can provoke negative attention to oneself, promote future regret, and enhance the need to fit in a particular group. *[2]
[1] The final sentence in the introduction provides the classic three-part thesis statement.
It states the focus of the paper and provides three examples as support (which will be the three main body paragraphs of the paper).
*[2] In the opening paragraph overall, the writer uses examples of tattoos and provides readers with reasons that people get tattoos. This opening strategy serves the purpose but isn’t very engaging.
The writer could write a more compelling opening by creating a more vivid image of a shocking tattoo, such as a giant spider crawling up a person’s neck.
The writer might also share a person’s story of why the person decided to get a tattoo.
For instance, someone might get a tattoo to honor a loved one or may have gotten a tattoo on a whim during a late-night party.
Body paragraphs
[3] Imagine wearing a T-shirt with a suggestive logo. Agreeing with the message on the shirt or not, other people will assume you believe whatever topic is on your T-shirt; and may not approve if the message is disagreeable. They may try to avoid you, or even send you an unpleasant vibe. Likewise, a tattoo often holds an idea, free to express itself to the public. However, you can take off a T-shirt, but a tattoo is extremely difficult—if impossible—to remove it. If you are left with a tattoo that is offensive to some people, although you do not think so, you could be isolating yourself from others who do not appreciate your tattoo, which may include your own family or intimate partner. For example, an interviewee recalls an experience with her boyfriend, “…he didn’t want his parents to know that I had a tattoo…He let me know he didn’t like it..he would prefer that I didn’t have it…” (Marks of Mischief 98). Having a tattoo may be awkward for an intimate partner or family member to accept, especially with the stereotype that tattoos belong to hardcore bikers. And although you may find your tattoo acceptable, knowing that your own family and friends do not can hurt. *[4]
[3] Here, the writer provides the first example to support his/her opinion by comparing negative attention from tattoos to negative attention from clothing.
While this is a good strategy, the writer should continue the discussion by providing additional examples to help readers see how appearances may draw unwanted negative attention in other situations.
*[4] This paragraph provides another piece of evidence to support the writer’s opinion: the fact that people may regret getting a tattoo.
Again, the writer uses an effective example, but this paragraph could be strengthened through the use of additional examples.
The writer might consider other ways in which friends, family members, or significant others may not approve of tattoos.
Although the idea of tattoos tied to bikers is a stereotype by all means, that does not disprove it. Bikers often wear tattoos to show allegiance to a clan or a gang. An interviewee reminisces why she got a tattoo, “I got a tattoo…so it gets me accepted more into that community [of bikers]…The typical biker would tell you that you almost have to have tattoos to be part of the group” (96). The interviewee does imply that tattoos are essential to being a part of a biker group. However, why should one sacrifice their skin to be a part of a group. Getting a tattoo for that purpose can seem like hazing. Having tattoos should not “mark” you as a part of some group. On the flipside, what if you get a tattoo that represents a group that you do not consent with. You will be posed as a member of that group by the outside, even if that was not your intention. Tattoos can lead to misassumptions to loyalty of groups or to “marking” to join a group. *[5]
*[5] The example in this paragraph of getting a tattoo to help illustrate membership to a biker group works well, but again, the paragraph would be strengthened by adding additional examples.
The writer might discuss other groups (besides bikers) who encourage members to get tattoos.
The greatest thing of tattoos is regret. Unfavorable designs, location, quality, effect, and the initial step of getting a tattoo could be the roots of one’s regret. And although there are procedures to “undo” a tattoo, they can be risky and/or ineffective. Wearing a undesired tattoo can often cause grief in which it may cause the two reasons above. Regret is the most formidable thing standing between someone and their “ideal’ tattoo. The risk involved in getting a tattoo may not be necessarily placed it on you, but the permanence that will stay with you forever. *[6]
*[6] This paragraph discusses a person’s regret in getting a tattoo. While the writer lists a few reasons a person may regret a tattoo, the discussion is quite brief.
The writer might include an example of a person who got a tattoo and regretted it for one of the reasons listed in the paragraph.
If this writer is allowed to use research sources, he/she might also find a statistic to illustrate what percentage of people actually regret getting a tattoo.
Conclusion
Overall, tattoos are not the way to go to expressing uniqueness and individuality. Yearning to be “different” from other people can be easily solved by wearing different attire other than tattoos. Why risk the permanence of a tattoo to express a belief when you can do the same with a T-shirt or other apparel. At least you can take it off, while tattoos may last a lifetime. The application of a tattoo comes with its pros and cons, but to hold on to possible regret and feelings of alienation by disapproving family/friends may outweigh the joy of showing off your “uniqueness.” *[7]
*[7] This paragraph gets the job done, summarizes the key points of the paper, and stresses, again, the writer’s opinion of why people should not get tattoos.
For more examples of good conclusions, read 12 Essay Conclusion Examples to Help You Finish Strong.
Ready to Share Your Opinion?
Even if you’re one of those people with an opinion on everything, that doesn’t necessarily mean you feel prepared to write an opinion essay, even after reading the two opinion essay examples above.
Ultimately, you can’t hide from the fact that you need to write that paper, so face your fears and start writing.
If you need a little help getting organized, check out these blog posts:
Want an expert opinion on your opinion essay? Kibin editors are always ready to help.
