Persuasive Writing Mrs Skaff What is Persuasion Presenting

Persuasive Writing Mrs. Skaff

What is Persuasion? Presenting the "Argument" o o o The goal of argument is to win acceptance of one's ideas. Modern argumentation theory has roots in Greek and Roman thinking. We judge evidence, investigate carefully, state ideas accurately, and listen critically

All good Persuasion includes the following elements: o o o Position Statement, Argumentative Proposition, or Thesis Statement Three Argumentative Appeals (Aristotle's methods of convincing) n Reason (logos) n Ethics (ethos) n Emotion (pathos) Form of Organization

Position Statement, Argumentative Proposition, or Thesis Statement o o o State your opinion clearly, in a sentence or two, within the first paragraph. Define the scope of your argument. (The scope is the situation specific to your argument. ) Then make an assertion that's open to debate. Example: The school lunch period should be lengthened to allow ample time for clubs to meet. The assertion includes an element of uncertainty, to be proven to the reader/listener.

Three Argumentative Appeals Reason o o Reason which begins with specifics and moves toward a generalization is inductive. Example: Several clubs have reported difficulty completing their business during lunch period. This proves that lunch periods should be longer. Reason which starts with a general observation and moves to specifics is deductive. Example: When people hurry, inefficiency and poor communication are the results. Under current conditions clubs must hurry at lunch time meetings. Therefore, lunch period should be lengthened to allow for better club meetings.

Three Argumentative Appeals Reason o o o Use two or three different strong reasons to support your argument. Support your reasons with evidence. Facts - can be proven. Expert opinions or quotations Definitions - statement of meaning of word or phrase Statistics - offer scientific support

Three Argumentative Appeals Reason o o o Examples - powerful illustrations Anecdote - incident, often based on writer's personal experiences Emotional appeals - to provide support for reasons, carefully chosen loaded words, carrying positive or negative connotations, sway readers' emotions Present opposition - and give reasons and evidence to prove the opposition wrong Conclude with call to action - urge the reader to do something

Three Argumentative Appeals Ethics o o convince your readers that you are fair, honest, and well informed. They will then trust your values and intentions. Avoid over-use of negatively charged loaded words.

Three Argumentative Appeals Emotion o o o Use description or narrate an example, often from your own experience. Your point of view is demonstrated in an emotional appeal, and is important to the reader. Careful word choice presents your position accurately.

Form of Organization o o Introduction (Exordium) - establish your argument, and clarify the importance of the issue. Statement of the Case (Narratio) - tell story behind the argument, offering background information Proposition Statement (Propositio) - carefully state central proposition, as a thesis statement would be given Refutation (Refutatio) - refute opposition arguments, exposing faulty reasoning

Form of Organization o o Confirmation (Confirmatio) - develop your case, using examples, facts, statistics (logos) Digression (Digressio) - appealing anecdote or description, offering ethos or pathos Conclusion (Peroration) - finish with strong conviction; review main points, or suggest call to action The traditional order - introduction, statement of case, refutation, confirmation, conclusion, may be altered to suit your needs

Loose Arguments o o o Where someone claims that some items which have only a few minor similarities are practically the same in almost everything else. Clyde: “I think it is all right for governments in developing countries to execute citizens who don’t agree with the government. If you want to make an omelet, then you have to break a few eggs. ” A cloud is 75% water. A watermelon is 75% water. Since a plane can fly through a cloud, therefore a plane can fly through a watermelon.

Circular Reasoning o o o This error occurs when a person restates a generalization as a reason for accepting the same proposition. "Exercise is healthy because your body needs exercise. “ "The play was popular because the audience liked it"

Slippery Slope o o o Assumes taking the first step will lead to additional steps, which cannot be prevented Mom: Those look like bags under your eyes. Are you getting enough sleep? Jeff: I had a test and stayed up late studying. Mom: You didn't take any drugs, did you? Jeff: Just caffeine in my coffee, like I always do. Mom: Jeff! You know what happens when people take drugs! Pretty soon the caffeine won't be strong enough. Then you will take something stronger, maybe someone's diet pill. Then, something even stronger. Eventually, you will be doing cocaine. Then you will be a crack addict! So, don't drink that coffee.

Either/Or o o o Don't reduce a complex issue to only two possibilities. Things are seldom black or white. "The department must either raise its grading standards or bury forever the ideal of academic excellence. " This is misleading because it ignores the existence of other less extreme possibilities.

Ad Hominem o o Attacks the person, rather than dealing with the real issue in dispute What she says about Johannes Kepler's astronomy of the 1600's must be just so much garbage. Do you realize she's only fourteen years old?

Stacking the Deck o o o Intentionally failing to use information suspected of being relevant and significant Buying the Cray Mac 11 computer for our company was the right thing to do. It meets our company's needs; it runs the programs we want it to run; it will be delivered quickly; and it costs much less than what we had budgeted. the company's Cray Mac 11 was purchased from his brother-in-law at a 30 percent higher price than it could have been purchased elsewhere

Ignoring the Question o Sometimes in arguing people raise irrelevant points that distract from the real issue. n n A) Red Herring eg. A government defends itself on a charge of corruption by saying that the budget is balanced. B) Attack The Man/Woman eg. "I'm a liar. . . so are you. " "I'm a crook, well you're a racist" "Your mother wears army boots. "

Flashy Generalizations o o Absolute situations are rare. Reality is in degrees. Avoid: "Everyone has fond memories of high school. " "Men are better at sports than women. " "All advertising is lies. " Be careful with terms like "all", "always", "everybody", "nobody", "none".

Single Cause-Effect o A speaker assumes that because one event follows another, the first event is the cause of the second

Non Sequitur o o o a conclusion is supported only by extremely weak reasons or by irrelevant reasons Eg. If a famous actress uses Crest toothpaste that has no relation to the quality of the toothpaste. "A man does not beat his wife; therefore, he is a good husband. "

False Authority o o Beware or incomplete quotations. eg. The critic said, "Most of the movie was unbelievably bad, but there were a few moments of high comedy. " The ad the next day read, "High Comedy". . . The Toronto Dispatch. Watch also for misuse of statistics, skewed samples, and anecdotal information.

Bandwagon Thinking o o Because something is popular, it is therefore good or desirable [Advertisement] More and more people are buying sports utility vehicles. Isn't it time you bought one, too? [You commit the fallacy if you buy the vehicle solely because of this advertisement. ]

Appeal to Emotion o o someone's appeal to you to accept their claim is accepted merely because the appeal arouses your feelings of anger, fear, grief, love, outrage, pity, pride, sexuality, sympathy, relief, and so forth. [The speaker knows he is talking to an aggrieved person whose house is worth much more than $100, 000. ] You had a great job and didn't deserve to lose it. I wish I could help somehow. I do have one idea. Now your family needs financial security even more. You need cash. I can help you. Here is a check for $100, 000. Just sign this standard sales agreement, and we can skip the realtors and all the headaches they would create at this critical time in your life.

Trivial Objections o o o Where someone claims something is true simply because nobody has yet given them any evidence to the contrary. “There must be mountain lions living in Illinois, because I haven’t seen any proof that none exist. ” No evidence has been found that life does not exist on other planets. Therefore, we are not alone in the universe.

Writing Assignment o You are a student at Willow Canyon High School who feels one of the policies/rules (district or school) should change. Write a letter to the school board persuading them to change this policy/rule.