Preparing for the Persuasive Essay
AICE: General Paper—9/Pavich

Review the list of “Section 3” prompts as a group. Consider the following:
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What prompts would you never write about?
Why?
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Do any prompts actually scare you? Why?
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Are there any prompts you could you write to because of your own knowledge and interests, those unrelated to school learning?

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CONTENT FIRST:
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Exposure to lots of subjects will ease your fears on the test.
In this unit, we will get a crash course in a topic we haven’t studied much this year…
 From SECTION 3 of the essay… !
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THEN STRUCTURE:
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We will use the content we learned to see how it can be effectively organized into an ESSAY…
We will learn how to
ORGANIZE ideas in a persuasive fashion
;-)
We will silence (some of) our Section 3 fears!

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Before the facts, what are your thoughts on the following??
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Define “MEDIA”…what does this entail?
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How do you feel about the media? What do you like about it? Dislike about it?
How does it benefit our society?
How does it hurt our society?
Aside from your experiences with media in your own country, what are media sources like in other countries?

Information-Gathering

Any essay begins with good ideas. In order to get those ideas, you have to do your homework, watch the news, make connections in what you’re learning in all of your classes…CONSTANT INFORMATION
GATHERING ensures that you will have something to
SAY in your essay!!
SO LET’S LEARN ABOUT THE MEDIA
(AS A SUBJECT IN GENERAL) FIRST…

NOW YOU SEE TROTSKY
NEXT TO LENIN…
NOW YOU DON’T!!
During the Russian Revolution, Trotsky became an “enemy of the state” (recall how
Snowball was exiled from Animal Farm)…the intent was to change the past so the leader never looks “bad” or “wrong” in the eyes of his people!
“Can You Believe Your Eyes” article

NIKOLAI YEZHOV, CHIEF OF SOVIET
SECRET POLICE…WALKING WITH
STALIN AS HIS FRIEND AND
TRUSTED COMPANION…
POOF! THIS GUY WAS NEVER MY
FRIEND…?!
I HAVE THE PHOTOS TO PROVE IT!

The Newsweek cover is the original mug-shot, whereas the Time cover is digitally manipulated. O.J. Simpson's face is darker, blurrier and unshaven. It is clear that on the cover of Time, O.J. Simpson looks more sinister than he does on the cover of Newsweek. The manipulation therefore distorts the truth.

American Revolution : to whip up revolutionary sentiment against the British in 1775, American colonists used the printing press, where they emblazoned pamphlets with a ready-to-strike coiled rattlesnake and the catchy “don’t tread on me” slogan.

MODERN
MANIPULATION:
Using Media to
Communicate
Terrorism Concerns
This parody of an
Uncle Sam Poster uses the image of Osama
Bin Laden to comment on America’s dependence on oil from the Middle East and how our purchase of oil to supply our needs inadvertently funds terrorism.

NUCLEAR EMERGENCY
( inspired after Japan’s march disaster )
EDVARD MUNCH: THE
SCREAM

Using Media to
Communicate
Health Concerns
The makers of this parody of Camel cigarettes packaging were criticizing tobacco and advertising companies that collaborate to sell such lethal products. By making the cigarette ads appealing, they are literally selling a death sentence to the consumer. “Cancer sticks: a unique blend of high powered advertising and the people who fall for it.”

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Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
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Its sole purpose is to protect the consumer!
Responsible for overseeing companies to ensure that the follow truth-in-advertising laws
Better Business Bureau
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Also oversees companies and settles disputes over advertising between companies (Campell’s and Progress soup campaigns) and company vs. customer
Legal Action
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Companies can sue other companies for unfair or fraudulent advertising claims (AT&T sued Verizon, UPS sued FedEx!)
Libel Laws…lying in print will result in lawsuit, fines, and jail!
“Truth in Advertising” article

PROBLEM:
Modern technology is hurting
American businesses.
 DVR hurts commercial biz
 Internet hurts music biz
SOLUTION:
Unrestricted media is free to explore creative new ways to turn a profit, and thus stimulate the economy.
“Advertainment” has doubled revenue
(20 mil last year)!
•
SUPPORT EXAMPLE:
LADY GAGA’s video “Telephone” is one example of a media program filled with advertisements for products including Diet Coke (seen left), Verizon Wireless, and even
Miracle Whip.
“ ADVERTAINMENT ”: product placement; naturally weaving advertising into media sources

Americans FREELY Google
“Tiananmen Square”
Chinese Google “Tiananmen
Square” under RESTRICTIONS…
“The Rise of China” article

“North Korea” article

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Cultural Isolation from the rest of the world…
“In recent years, conditions within North Korea have continued to deteriorate. The state-run economy is in shambles…
It is probably the most isolated country on earth. There is no Internet for ordinary citizens. TVs and radios are altered so they receive only government channels.
Punishment for watching foreign films or TV shows is stiff—six months in a labor camp for watching a Jackie
Chan action movie from Hong Kong.”
--UPFRONT MAGAZINE

Amendment I…
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the
Government for a redress of grievances.

Connecting Learned Knowledge to the GP
From Info-Gathering to Brainstorm to Essay

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Guess what? You just learned enough information to enhance the content of several essay prompts!
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MEDIA PROMPTS:
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Can the media ever be relied upon to convey the truth?
Should the press be completely free?
“Advertising is a modern art form.” Do you agree?
In what ways can advertising be useful and entertaining?
“Advertisements always promise more than they deliver.”
Discuss.
Assess the claim that an uncensored press is dangerous.
How far should the media of any society reflect the views of its leaders?
Assess the qualities to be found in a good advertisement.
“The media can be largely blamed for a worldwide increase in violence.” To what extent do you agree?

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Think Smart: The prompts in the list below are
NOT “media” prompts in the direct sense; but how can you use your new “media” knowledge to weigh in on the matters below?
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Is television anything more than an escape from reality?
Account for the ever-increasing popularity of digital photography?
“All art is useless.” Discuss.
“In the modern world, image is everything.”
Are films or movies only for entertainment and nothing else?

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RESTRICT MEDIA:
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Otherwise, it unfairly manipulates its viewers
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Otherwise, it can be misleading/ deceiving
Doing so helps shield the public from inappropriate content/filters it
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DO NOT RESTRICT:
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It’s part of our rights as citizens
It helps us openly communicate on a
political level
It stimulates the economy
We already have restrictions in place that work

Before you begin writing, draft a quick
THESIS statement…this is the main idea of your essay and will guide discussion of ideas in an organized fashion.

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Let’s take a look at a
 SAMPLE ESSAY 

Attention-
Getter
Transition to Topic
Thesis
A frail, bald, toothless woman explains to the audience in a raspy smoker’s voice how she gets ready for her day. She puts in false teeth, adjusts her wig and places her hands-free voice box on her throat before she ties a scarf around her neck to cover the hole there, the result of a previous surgery to remove throat cancer. The 30-second television commercial is part of the national 2012 Smoking Campaign that uses graphic, true-to-life images, which are intended to shock people into giving up their smoking habit.
Knowledge like this is shared with society through various forms of media , including television, newspapers, magazines, radio, and of course, the Internet. Since it is such an invaluable resource to its audience, modern media should not be limited in a democratic society because it fuels the economy, it enhances the political landscape, and it socially empowers its citizens.

TOPIC SENTENCE:
Television is on of the most powerful forms of communication, and the freedom to air without restriction can greatly benefit American businesses and the U.S. ECONOMY .
“Now That’s Advertainment” article +
“Truth in Advertising” articles

TOPIC SENTENCE:
Not only does a non-restricted media help economically, it also enhances society’s POLITICAL landscape.
American Revolution knowledge +
“The Art of Dissent” article

TOPIC SENTENCE:
However, if we restrict the media, it could negatively affect our social rights.
“The Rise of China” article
North Korea knowledge

Realize that your audience won’t necessarily agree with everything you have to say…
When you brainstorm, anticipate the points that might be raised against your argument, and use concrete examples to either destroy or minimize these opposing viewpoints.

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The media should be restricted because too much freedom in the media can lead to deceit and manipulation of ideas.
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Recall the ideas below that you originally considered that your audience could also be thinking about…
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STALIN/RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
TIME MAGAZINE/O.J. SIMPSON

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STRIKE BACK by starting with any of the following approaches:
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Although some media companies have been guilty of unfair
manipulation in the past such as Time Magazine’s sinister depiction of O.J. Simpson prior to his conviction, most news organizations have strict rules prohibiting this behavior.
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Federal Trade Commission: truth-in-advertising laws
Better Business Bureau: complaints and intervention
Legal Action:
“Truth in
Advertising” &
“Can You Believe
Your Eyes?” articles companies suing companies (AT&T sued Verizon; FedEx sued
UPS) as a form of “self-policing”

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And while it may be true that information has been manipulated in the past by Communist dictators like Russia’s Stalin, Cuba’s Castro, and China’s
Mao, this type of behavior is not typical in a modern, democratic society. These authoritarian leaders are an exception to the rule. More often than not, there are rules and consequences for political figures who take the dangerous risk of manipulating the media to lie to the public…

 Insert them anywhere into the body paragraph discussion to strengthen a point further.
 Be careful how you word them…don’t contradict yourself or you’ll weaken your own argument!
 Spend minimal time raising the opposition’s view
(point), and spend maximum time presenting the evidence you have to refute this view (counter). This will make it clear where your allegiance lies!

Briefly summarize essay content
Present a final image that resonates with the audience
Encourage audience a final time to adopt your side of the argument
In conclusion, limiting media in a democratic society will only bring about negative consequences that impact citizens’ financial, political, and social well-being. While some exceptions to the rule might exist, more often than not a free and unlimited press helps a society thrive because it provides a trustworthy medium for communicating, and it educates the people so they can make informed decisions.
Since 1989, the American television station, NBC, has aired their public-service campaign called, “The More You Know.”
The goal of these commercials is to provide its audience of over 60 million viewers with information they can use to prevent issues such as child abuse, drinking and driving accidents, while promoting issues like Internet safety. As a members of society, the more we know, leads to the more united we are as a people, and a free press is the best way to guarantee us access to this empowering gift of knowledge.

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Relate to your audience on a human level
Appeal to their minds, their hearts, and their values (logos,
pathos, ethos!)
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Face it…you need concrete evidence to win your audience over…once you establish a basic, logical point, get specific…and remember, try to what HAS happened, as opposed to what “could” happen (local/national/international
examples)!
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against your argument like you would do in a Debate “Cross Examination” round, and be prepared to override them with stronger evidence on your side (point-counterpoint!!)

PRACTICING THE PERSUASIVE:
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Cooperative Group Brainstorm
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Independent Intro-Writing + Peer Evaluation
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Independent Body-Paragraphing + Peer Evaluation
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Point-Counterpoint Practice
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REVISION for Homework
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Conclusion Peer Eval.

PRACTICING THE PERSUASIVE:
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Individual Essay
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Peer Swap/Read/Critique
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Group Debrief/Sharing/Teacher Feedback

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PowerPoint (Credits: Pavich)
Upfront Articles:
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“Can You Believe Your Eyes?” by Bill Marsha (Nov. 23,
2009)
“Truth in Advertising?” by Stephanie Clifford (Mar. 1,
2010)
“That’s Advertainment” by Veronica Majerol (Jan. 10,
2011)
“The Art of Dissent” by Veronica Majerol (May 9, 2011)
“The Rise of China” by Michael Wines (Sept. 5, 2011)
“The 30-Second Campaign” by Veronica Majerol (Sept.
17, 2012)
Persuasive vs. Discursive: Intros and Conclusion handouts (Credits: Pavich)
Types of Propoganda & Propoganda in Literature handout (Credits: Gross/Esposito)