Persuasion
The Basics
Logos (Logical)
• Using facts and statistics (logic) to support
your position.
•
http://www.rpi.edu/dept/llc/webclass/web/project1/group4/index.html
• 4 out of 5 dentists prefer Dentyne.
• Visit Acme Gizmotronics for an example
http://www.rpi.edu/dept/llc/webclass/web/project1/group4/research.html
Pathos (Emotional)
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Using emotion to support your position.
Think of the music used in commercials
to make you feel a certain way about
their product.
Doesn’t your family deserve a piece of
the rock.
Visit Acme Gizmotronics for an example
http://www.rpi.edu/dept/llc/webclass/web/project1/grou
p4/env.html
Ethos (Ethical)
• Establishing credibility to support your
position (and to make you seem credible).
Using famous people as spokespersons
for your product and using allusions to
refer to sacred or valued ideas are both
examples of ethos.
• When Oprah endorses a book, it becomes
a best seller.
• Visit Acme Gizmotronics for an example
http://www.rpi.edu/dept/llc/webclass/web/project1/group4/commercial.html
Persuasive Techniques
• Things you can use to make your
language memorable, convincing, and
strong when you’re writing a persuasive
piece.
Benefits
• List and explain the benefits of your claim
• The benefits of gay marriage are that it
encourages people to be faithful and it
allows people to share insurance.
• What benefits could you list if you were
trying to convince a principal to extend the
lunch period to 50 minutes?
Antithesis
• Acknowledge counter-arguments and
refute them.
• Some people might say that banning
smoking takes away people’s right to
smoke in public places, but in fact, it is not
people’s right to do something that could
make other people sick.
Antithesis
• What counter arguments could someone
make to your argument about extending
the lunch period to 50 minutes? How
would you refute (shoot down) them?
Repetition
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Repeat the same word to add emphasis
“I have a dream” is repeated in Martin
Luther King’s speech
Repetition
• What words would you repeat throughout
a commercial if you were trying to get
people to donate to starving children?
Parallel Structure
• Use matching grammatical structures
• To stand up for our rights and to protest
this action is our duty.
Parallel Structure
• Fix this sentence so that it has parallel
structure:
• It is our duty to fight against squirrels,
protecting people from their attacks, and
make them pay.
Analogy
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Compare the issue to something easy to
understand and to agree/disagree with
Denying students their right to dress the
way they want is like denying their right
to speak their minds.
Analogy
• When people argue that gay marriage
should be legal, what do they compare it
to?
• When people argue that teenagers should
be allowed to drink at 18, what other
issues could they compare this to?
Rhetorical Question
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Ask a question that cannot be denied
and does not need to be answered
How can we allow this to continue?
Rhetorical Questions
• What are some rhetorical questions you
could ask about extending the lunch
period?
• What are some rhetorical questions you
could ask about lowering the drinking age?
• What are some rhetorical questions you
could ask about legalizing gay marriage?
Alliteration
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Use the same consonant sound at the
beginning of words.
Today, too many teens try to avoid hard
work.
Alliteration
• Give an example of a sentence that uses
alliteration.
Antithesis
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Acknowledge counter-arguments and
refute them
Some people might say that banning
smoking takes away people’s right to
smoke in public places, but in fact, it is
not people’s right to do something
that could make other people sick.
Argument
• The position statement you are making;
what you are trying to persuade your
audience to believe.
• This will be your thesis statement.
Argument
• My curfew should be extended to 12:00.
Claim/Topics
• The topics you will use to support your
argument/thesis.
• Also known as a topic argument (the claim
will serve as your topic sentence).
Claim/Topics
• I am responsible in all aspects of my life, I
am trustworthy to make good decisions,
and I deserve the chance to demonstrate
this responsibility and trustworthiness
regarding my curfew.
Evidence
• The evidence and facts necessary to
support your claim, which in turn supports
your argument.
• Remember, everything is intended to
convince your audience to accept your
position. (this is also where you will want
to work in some persuasive techniques).
Evidence
• I have never been late for curfew, I have never
been delinquent in my chores, and I have never
been grounded for making poor choices.
• Connection to thesis:
• I have consistently proven myself to be
responsible, and I deserve proper credit. The
best and most appropriate reward for me is to
give me the freedom to stay out until midnight.
Warrant
• After you present your evidence, it is
imperative that you connect it to your
argument (thesis). Don’t assume that your
audience understands the connection you
are making. This is called the warrant.
• This is where most of the rhetoric will be
developed.
Counter-Argument
• These are the arguments that others will
make against your position.
• Acknowledge them and then refute them
(tell why they are wrong or inaccurate).
• This is uses the persuasive technique
antithesis.
Counter-Argument
• The dangers present for young adults increase
the later it gets. I understand this, and I will be
extra careful. There are many dangers in our
society, but I have been raised to make smart
and responsible choices, and I will always be
careful about where I go, and with whom. If we
let fear control our lives, we could quickly realize
that we should never leave home because there
are potential dangers everywhere. I also have
my cell phone, so if I need assistance, I can call
for help.
Structure
• Persuasive essays should have an introduction,
body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
• The introduction will contain the thesis which
states your argument.
• The body paragraphs make the claims that
support your thesis and provide the evidence to
prove your claims.
• The conclusion will offer additional insight about
the topic and leave your reader ready to take
your side. Consider a call to action, an anecdote
to
Thesis Statements/Arguments
• Be direct and concise in your thesis
statement.
• Leave no questions about your position.
• Place this at the end of your introduction.
Introductions
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Using the funnel technique, start general
and become more specific. Consider
these different strategies for an
introduction.
vivid example
dramatic anecdote
memorable quotation
or appeal to common values
Body Paragraphs
• Think of “reasons” why you are correct, and
state these in clear, solid topic sentences
(claims).
• Provide evidence (anecdotes, facts, definitions,
analogies) to support your reasons.
• Refute counter arguments, either as they arise
in body paragraphs or in a separate paragraph
in the body.
• Remember: a well-developed paragraph is at
the bare minimum three sentences long. Go for
very well-developed paragraphs.
Body Paragraphs
Traditional argumentative structure
• Claim
• Evidence to support the claim
• Warrant—explanation of how the evidence
proves the claim. The warrant is where you
spice up your rhetoric and sell your point to
us. You use your evidence to build logical
and emotional appeals, and you use
language that stirs a response in an
audience.
• Address and refute counter-arguments
Conclusions
 Invoke a call to action
 Excite emotions appropriate for the
occasion
 Leave your audience with a positive
impression of you
 Make your audience feel the importance of
the issue
Logical Fallacies
• Logical fallacies are mistakes in
reasoning.
• They may be intentional or unintentional,
but in either case they undermine (take
away from) the strength of an argument.
• Some common fallacies are defined
below.
Hasty Generalization
• A generalization based on too little
evidence, or on evidence that is biased.
• Examples:
• All men are testosterone-driven idiots.
• After being in New York for a week, I can
tell you: all New Yorkers are rude.
Either/Or Fallacy
• Only two possibilities are presented when
in fact several exist.
• Examples:
• America: love it or leave it.
• Shut down all nuclear power plants, or
watch your children and grandchildren die
from radiation poisoning.
Non Sequitur
• The conclusion does not follow logically
from the premise.
• Examples:
• My teacher is a good singer; I'll learn a lot
from her.
• George Bush was a war hero; he'll be
willing to stand tough for America.
Red Herring
• Distracting the audience by drawing
attention to an irrelevant issue.
• Examples:
• How can he be expected to manage the
company? Look at how he manages his
wife!
• Why worry about nuclear war when we're
all going to die anyway?
Circular Reasoning
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Asserting a point that has just been made.
Sometimes called "begging the question."
Examples:
She is ignorant because she was never
educated.
• We sin because we're sinners.
False Analogy
• Wrongly assuming that because two
things are alike in some ways, they must
be alike in all ways.
• Example:
• The destruction caused by Hurricane
Katrina was like the Holocaust (one was a
natural disaster; the other was a manmade atrocity).
Slippery Slope
• Falsely assuming that one event will lead
to many more catastrophic events.
• Example:
• If we allow one student to wear a hat in
class, every student in the school will
assume rules mean nothing.