When done properly, argumentative essays can be a powerful tool to convince others of your point of view. So if you are stressed about writing an argumentative essay or just want to hone your skills and learn more about them, seeing sample argumentative essays and analyzing argumentative essay examples can be of big help. Your introduction, essentially, sets the stage for your argumentative essay. It is your reader's first glimpse into the argument you're about to unfold. An effective introduction grabs your reader's attention, piques their interest, and provides a clear road map for what's to come in the essay. Before we proceed with the list of the things to avoid when writing an argumentative paper, let’s make sure you know what exactly an argumentative paper is. So let’s start at the beginning.