President Roosevelt Persuasive Letter
Prompt—You are a citizen in the year 1933. Write to President Roosevelt stating your position
(for or against) on the New Deal and the current course of action he is taking in office. Attempt
to persuade the reader (President Roosevelt) on whether or not his proposed New Deal would be
effective measures to successfully lead us out of the Great Depression.
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Focus is on the reader.
Purpose: to convince the reader
Often uses subjective language
Style: formal, informal, colloquial, vulgar
First-person, second-person, or third-person pronouns
Main Characteristics:
o persuasive claim
o support points
o general warrant
o use of appeals: emotional, personal, logical, stylistic
Minor Characteristics:
o language appropriate to the audience
o direct address of reader
About the Appeals
The names of the appeals generally identify their function.
personal appeal uses the writer's personality or charisma to sway the reader. (Think of
the celebrity endorsement or the expert testimony.) The personal appeal does not have anything
to do with how a certain act or opinion might affect a person. The personal appeal uses the
writer's good intentions, trustworthiness, knowledgeability, and candidness to convince the
reader. The personal appeal typically includes a first-person pronoun such as I.
emotional appeal manipulates the reader's emotions--fears, loves, dislikes, desires,
loyalties, dreams. A TV commercial might make you think some part of you is mutant and that
company's product will cure it. Are your clothes clean and bright? Does your breath stink? Do
you drive the right kind of car? Don't you love your country? Would you vote for people who
support terrorists?
logical or rational appeal usually only appears rational; often it is not. This appeal uses
statistics, surveys, scientific evidence, deduction and induction, or other so-called proof to
convince the reader. For example, 9 out of 10 doctors recommend a particular product.
Sometimes the use of this appeal can be especially effective if facts are used truthfully.
stylistic appeal makes use of the style of writing or the language employed to convince
the reader. This appeal may use anecdotes, stories, symbolism, or poetic or powerful language to
sway the reader. Good writing alone is not necessarily the use of the stylistic appeal. The writer
deliberately uses a more figurative or literary language to manipulate the reader. The stylistic
appeal often includes repetition, alliteration, humor, or unusual typefaces to sway the reader.
When You Use the Persuasive Purpose to Write
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Keep the focus of the writing on the audience.
Make sure that your persuasive claim is clear and direct. Do not deviate from your claim
or suggest that the reader can make up his or her own mind.
Have at least three support points. Order the support points in your persuasion from
weakest to strongest.
Use first-person pronouns (I, me, my, we) to enhance the personal appeal.
Use second-person pronouns (you, your) to address the reader directly.
Your purpose is to manipulate the thinking of the reader. Do whatever you must to
accomplish that goal.