B. To convince the audience of a certain viewpoint.
Just look and think about persuasive cut it in half to it's original word. Think about the word “persuade,” which means “to convince somebody.” A persuasive essay is has all of the convincing techniques a writers can try to employ. It presents a situations, and can take a stands – either in its favor, or against it – to prove to readers whether it is beneficial or harmful for them.