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Write a persuasive letter to a person
of your choice in which you use
these devices – questions, Pathos
(appeal to emotions), and an
anaphora (repeated line or phrase).
Outline of Persuasive Speech
► Intro—
 6 types or combination of those 6 (personal reference,
joke, story, quote, rhetorical question, startling
statement)
 Thesis (state your claim and three reasons)
► Body—
 I. Reason—each reason needs 3 pieces of evidence
 II. Reason
 III.Reason
► Conclusion—
 summary, recommendation, emotional appeal/stirring
ending (good place for Pathos)
What will I look for in the library?
► Evidence
 Personal examples (not in library)
 Reference materials
► Facts
► Testimonials
- statements attesting to the worth of someone or
something
► Expert opinions – a statement of belief by a knowledgeable
person or someone recognized as an authority on the subject
► Statistics
► Quotations
► Definitions
Claim Statement
► Teenage
Pregnancy and Abortion
► Steroids should not be used in sports
► Bigfoot is real
► Global Warming
► Student school drug testing should be
allowed
► The Death Penalty should be abolished
► Animal testing is immoral
Evidence
► Testimonials
- statements or stories
attesting to the worth of someone or
something
► Testimonials
and vivid anecdotes are one of the
most popular and convincing forms of evidence
presented for beliefs in the supernatural,
paranormal and pseudoscientific.
► Like court, someone comes forward and says, I
saw Jim shot Sam.
Evidence
► Facts
-A powerful means of convincing,
facts can come from your reading,
observation, or personal experience.
► Note: Do not confuse facts with truths. A
"truth" is an idea believed by many people,
but it cannot be proven.
Evidence
► Statistics
► Over
61% of Americans are overweight.
► Unemployment in Illinois is at 5%.
Evidence
► Expert
► Dr.
Opinions
Kenneth P. Moritsugu, U.S. Surgeon General,
described long term problems associated with
underage drinking: “Research shows that young
people who start drinking before the age of 15 are
five times more likely to have alcohol-related
problems later in life.”
► Samantha King, a noted forensic specialist, stated
that DNA evidence is usually indisputable.
Evidence
► Quotes
► Quotes
are not that different than expert opinions.
They are just opinions of people that we care
about whether they are an expert in the field we
are writing. These are somewhat less convincing.
► Example: Michael Jordon says, “The biggest crime
against humanity is the death of unborn children.”
Evidence
► Definitions
► Love
is a profoundly tender, passionate affection
for another person.
Evidence
Is it? and what kind?
► Claim:
The Bermuda Triangle is Real
► The U.S. Board of Geographic Names does
not recognize or keep an official file on the
Bermuda Triangle area
► Flight 19 was supposed to do a navigation
exercise where they fly in a triangle and go
back to base when they disappeared in the
triangle area. Flight 19 is a reason the
triangle is called the triangle.
Evidence
Is it? and what kind?
► Bigfoot
has been found in the Georgia
worlds and is being held in a cooler at an
undisclosed location.
► Who say they stumbled on the body while
hiking in a north Georgal forest in June
were questioning.
► Recycling is the act of processing used
materials into new products.
Evidence
Is it? and what kind?
► Students
at many schools feel harassed and
pressured to participate in an activity they
do not believe in (illegal drug use).
► You’ll see a 300% increase in testosterone
levels, which isn’t good.
► A cause mentioned by many animal
protectors was researcher’s narrowmindedness.
Evidence
Is it? and what kind?
► Research
on how people experience the
causes of behavior related to attitudes has
typically been based on attribution.
► Health professionals know that using
steroids illegally can lead to a variety of side
effects and can sometimes increase
aggressive behavior.
Evidence
Is it? and what kind?
► The
death penalty does not prevent crime:
some people welcome the death penalty,
not fear it.
► Greenhouse gases are accumulating in the
Earth’s atmosphere as a result of human
activities causing surface air temperatures
and subsurface ocean temperatures to rise.
Evidence
Is it? and what kind?
► In
2007, there were 1,405 teenage births
(in the under 20’s), a rate of 22.5% per
1,000 15-19 year olds in the United
Kingdom.