Propaganda & Persuasive
Techniques
CPEnglish 10
A famous example of propaganda…What
do you know about this poster?
Uncle Sam…
•Originally
published as July 6, 1916
magazine cover with the title "What Are
You Doing for Preparedness?”
•Went on to become--according to its creator,
James Montgomery Flagg--"the most
famous poster in the world."
•Over four million copies printed between
1917 and 1918, as the US entered
WWI and began sending troops and
materials into war zones.
•The image was later adapted for use in
World War II.
What is propaganda and what is its
purpose?
Definition - Information that is
spread to support a cause
Purpose – To create an
emotional connection between
the message and the reader
Where do we find propaganda
every day??
• Television
• Magazines
• Public Speeches
• Political Campaigns
• Can you think of more?
Types of Propaganda
Bandwagon
“Everybody else is
doing it.”
Verizon Wireless
Testimonial
“It worked for me and it will work
for you.”
Bieber is Proactiv!
Plain Folks
The candidate or
cause is identified
with common people
from everyday walks
of life.
Examples: Dress,
Speech, Actions
Political Ad
*Don't get worked up about the politics. I am in no way imposing any
views, nor am I revealing my stance on the election. I am simply being
relevant.
Transfer
Symbols, quotes or
images of other people or
ideas that convey a
message not necessarily
associated with them.
Ideas of religion, science,
etc. can be used in
transfer propaganda as
well.
Darth Vader Kid
Self-Review : What is bandwagon
propaganda?
1.
2.
3.
4.
“Follow the crowd”
“It worked for me; it’ll work for you!”
“I’m just like you!”
Image that stands for a message
Self-Review : What is plain folks
propaganda?
1.
2.
3.
4.
“Follow the crowd”
“It worked for me; it’ll work for you!”
“I’m just like you!”
Image that stands for a message
Self-Review : What is testimonial
propaganda?
1.
2.
3.
4.
“Follow the crowd”
“It worked for me; it’ll work for you!”
“I’m just like you!”
Image that stands for a message
Self-Review: What is transfer
propaganda?
1.
2.
3.
4.
“Follow the crowd”
“It worked for me; it’ll work for you!”
“I’m just like you!”
Image that stands for a message
Logical Fallacies
•
•
A logical fallacy is, roughly speaking, an error of reasoning. When
someone adopts a position, or tries to persuade someone else to adopt a
position, based on a bad piece of reasoning, they commit a fallacy.
EXAMPLE:
•
Premise 1: Greg supports gun control.
•
Premise 2: Communist regimes have always supported gun control.
•
Conclusion: Greg is a communist.
Banned Political Ad
Glittering Generalities
• A generally accepted virtue is usually
employed to stir up favorable emotions.
U.S. Marines
Name-Calling
It is the use of derogatory language or words
that carry a negative connotation when
describing an enemy. Attempts to arouse
prejudice among the public by labeling the
target something that the public dislikes.
Often, name calling is employed using
sarcasm and ridicule, and shows up often in
political cartoons or writings.
Orbit Gum
Card Stacking
“One-sidedness”
or leaving out the opposite
side of the argument or only
showing the good sides of the
propagandist’s argument.
Blockbuster: No More Late Fees
Self-Review :What is a logical
fallicy?
1.
2.
3.
4.
An error of reasoning
One-sidedness
Derogatory language that carry a negative
connotation
A virtue accepted to stir emotions
Self-Review :What is a glittering
generality?
1.
2.
3.
4.
An error of reasoning
One-sidedness
Derogatory language that carry a negative
connotation
A virtue accepted to stir emotions
Self-Review :What is namecalling?
1.
2.
3.
4.
An error of reasoning
One-sidedness
Derogatory language that carry a negative
connotation
A virtue accepted to stir emotions
Self-Review :What is cardstacking?
1.
2.
3.
4.
An error of reasoning
One-sidedness
Derogatory language that carry a negative
connotation
A virtue accepted to stir emotions
Why do we care?
• Understanding propaganda helps us
make educated decisions.
• Understanding propaganda helps us
create it ourselves.
• We use propaganda to PERSUADE.
Persuasive Techniques
(As seen on the OGT)
1.
State the facts.
2.
State the benefits.
3.
State the author’s expertise.
4.
Connect emotionally with the reader.
The Greeks and Persuasion
The Greek philosopher Aristotle
divided the means of persuasion, appeals,
into three categories--Ethos, Pathos,
Logos.
Ethos (ethical appeal)
•Ethos
(Credibility) means convincing by
the character of the author
•We tend to believe people whom we
respect
•Project an impression to
the reader that you
are someone worth
listening to
Pathos (emotional appeal)
•Pathos
(Emotional) means persuading by
appealing to the reader's emotions.
•Language choice affects the audience's
emotional response
•Emotional appeal can effectively be used to
enhance an argument.
Logos (logical appeal)
•Logos
means persuading by the use of
reasoning.
•Aristotle's favorite.
•Deductive and inductive reasoning
•Avoid common logical fallacies
Persuasive Language Techniques
•Rhetorical
Questions- Sometimes a
writer/speaker will ask a question to which no
answer is required. The writer implies that the
answer is obvious; the reader has no choice
but to agree with the writer's point.
•Example:
teacher?
Am I not your favorite English
Geico
Word Choice/Diction
•Writers/speakers
tend to reinforce their
arguments by choosing words which will
influence their reader's perception of an item
or issue. Diction may also help to establish a
writer's "Voice" or "Tone."
•“Mask”
or “Guise”?
•“Disperse”
or “Scatter”?
Repetition/Parallelism
Overly repetitive writing can become
tiresome. However, when used sparingly
for effect, it can reinforce the
writer's/speaker's message.
Writers/speakers may repeat a word, a
phrase or an entire sentence for
emphasis. Parallelism is the repetition of
structure in sentences.
Noble vs. Different ways of saying so
Irony
•Irony
is present if the writer's/speaker's
words contain more than one meaning.
This may be in the form of sarcasm,
gentle irony, or a pun (play on words).
It can be used
to add humor or
to
emphasize an
implied
meaning
under the
surface.
Figurative Language
•Language
used to create a special effect or
feeling
•More than likely
compares or
exaggerates
Hyperbole
This is one of the more enjoyable
persuasive techniques. It involves
completely overstating and exaggerating
your point for effect. (Like when I say, "I
must have told you a million times how to
setup MLA on your written assignments.”)
If for some reason the videos would not play on the “movie screen” the links are provided below:
Verizon Wireless
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14CKzskjn4s&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active
Bieber’s Proactiv
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fb5K7FOjI&feature=relmfu&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active
Political Ad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QSIIzbYRdo
Darth Vader Kid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R55e-uHQna0&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active
Banned Political Ad http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Q8M-b7dOgk
US Marines
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwY67LYzH7Q&feature=related&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1
&safe=active
Orbit Gum
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEJJUGJZxpU&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active
Blockbuster
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92S-S9vJ0PA&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active
Geico http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxRoXuPjAKc