Persuasive Writing
Creating and Analyzing an Argument
Argument
Thesis Statement
 Position
 Opinion
 Series of statements designed to convince
you of something.
 Credible argument - sound, reliable,
believable, proven
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Claim
Opinion
 Generalization (broad statement that covers
many situations)
 Counterclaim - opposing viewpoint (should
be acknowledged and argued against)
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Types of Support
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Logical Appeal - reasons, statements that explain
why the author holds an opinion (logos)
Evidence - information or data that authors use to
support their reasons (facts, statistics, examples,
quotations from or opinions of experts)
Analogy - type of comparison, in which writers
explain something complex or unfamiliar in terms
of something familiar
Emotional Appeal
Appeal to emotion
 To win readers over to their opinions,
authors sometimes appeal to readers’
emotions rather than their reason
 Pathos
 loaded words (words with strong emotional
connotations
 anecdotes (brief stories)
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Ethical Appeal
Appeal to ethics
 Ethos
 Writer uses principles, beliefs, morals,
traditions, religious views to sway the
audience
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Persuasive Essay Must Include
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Background information (e.g. What is cloning or
stem cell research?)
Strong thesis (argument)
Counterclaim (opposing argument)
Appeal to logos
Appeal to pathos
Appeal to ethos
Strong conclusion
Works Cited/Internal citations
Possible Topics – All derivatives of Main Topic
Cloning – (focus on one to narrow down)
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DNA Cloning or Recombinant DNA technology –
“Gene cloning”
Reproductive Cloning (cloning of animals, cloning
of humans)
Therapeutic Cloning (cloning of embryos for stem
cell research and therapy) – “embryo cloning”
Cloning of organs for organ transplants
Case of “Dolly the Sheep”
Case of cloned cat “Copycat”
Lots of other specific cases involving cloning
Questions to Consider
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Is cloning ethical for human reproduction? (e.g.
cases of infertility)
for organ creation/transplant?
for generation of stem cells?
for gene regeneration?
for intelligence?
for scientific discovery?
for replacement of pets?
for food? for repopulation?
for immortality?
for any reason???
Deciding on a topic
Do some preliminary research.
 Find out: “What is cloning?”
 What are the different types of cloning?
 What are some specific cases involving
cloning?
 What are the big ethical questions?
 Narrow down to a specific topic in the area
of cloning.
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Thesis Statement
Your opinion – Yes. I want your opinion!
 Reproductive cloning is unethical because
the risks to the new life created exceed the
potential benefits of cloning.
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Outline
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4 Major Points
Counterclaim –First, reproductive cloning could
replace depleted resources.
Claim – However - as in the case of Dolly, the
sheep - the risks to the life created are grave.
Claim – In addition, reproductive cloning could
upset the balance of nature.
Claim – Finally, this power to clone could easily
be abused.
Introduction
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According to physicist Paul Davies: "The laws of
physics ... seem to be the product of exceedingly ingenious
design... The universe must have a purpose“ (Davies qtd.
in Smith 29). By implying that nature is governed by
higher order principles, Davies implies that altering these
conditions may disrupt an already ingenious design.
However, in February 1997, Ian Wilmut and his colleagues
at the Roslin Institute in Scotland announced the news that
they had cloned a lamb from the cells of a mature sheep
(Kroll 89). Although Dolly may have been cloned with the
good intentions, reproducing this sheep was unethical
because the animal suffered needlessly for the sole purpose
of scientific research.