Persuasive Speech Assignment
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Watch the persuasive speeches listed below. Take notes as you watch on:
Premise (central idea)
Supporting Details
Use of rhetorical devices
Use of appeals
2. Choose one speech to analyze and write a 2 page essay about its effectiveness.
Prompt: Essays should identify and explain the premise of the speech and how is that
premise supported. Identify the rhetorical strategies that the author deliberately
chose while crafting the text and analyze why those strategies were so effective.
What makes the speech so remarkable? How did the author's rhetoric evoke a
response from the audience?
The thesis must be arguable and take language into account; it may not merely tout the
general importance of the speech or the valiance of the speaker.
Structure of Essay:
Introduction
Body Paragraph 1 – Premise and Supporting Details
Body Paragraph 2 – Use of rhetorical devices
Body Paragraph 3 - Use of appeals
Conclusion
Paper must be typed and double spaced. There should be an introduction, body paragraphs, and a
conclusion. Quote from the speech and cite those quotes. The paper should be MLA style with a
heading and a citation at the end. If you cite more than the speech, you need a Works Cited page.
Speeches:
Kid President – How to Change the World
Movie Scene - To Kill a Mockingbird
Steve Jobs – Commencement Speech