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Persuasion
See It My Way
What Is Persuasion?
Persuasion is a type of writing designed to change
the way a reader or listener thinks or acts.
Persuasive writing can be found in
•speeches
•newspaper editorials
•essays
•articles
•advertisements
Building an Argument
•A sound persuasive argument consists of
•a clearly stated opinion
•relevant reasons for that opinion
•evidence that supports each reason
• Evidence may take the form of facts, statistics, examples,
anecdotes, or expert testimony.
•Most persuasive writing also includes a call to action.
Types of Persuasive Appeals
•Logical appeals focus on facts in order to persuade
the audience’s brain that the writer’s opinion is correct.
•Spaying Fluffy will prevent her from getting certain types of
cancer.
•Emotional appeals attempt to persuade the
audience’s heart of the writer’s opinion.
•If Fluffy is spayed, she will be a healthier, happier companion.
•Ethical appeals target the audience’s sense of duty or
of right and wrong.
•Preventing unwanted litters of kittens is everyone’s
responsibility.
Persuasive Techniques
Persuasive techniques often appeal to the audience’s
emotions or ethics. Extreme forms of persuasion are
called propaganda.
Some persuasive or propaganda techniques include:
•loaded words
•glittering generalities
•bandwagon appeals
•testimonials
Persuasive Techniques
•Loaded words carry strong emotional associations.
•Our awesome volleyball team won the tournament, pulverizing
the Jarvis High’s horrible team in the final.
•Glittering generalities are a kind of loaded words.
These overwhelmingly positive statements ignore any
evidence to the contrary.
•Laugh-a-Minute is unquestionably the funniest television series
ever to air.
Persuasive Techniques
•Bandwagon appeals imply that “everyone” agrees
with the writer’s opinion and warns readers or listeners
not to be left out by disagreeing or failing to act.
•Clearly, no one opposes recycling.
•Don’t be considered a dinosaur by failing to recycle.
•Testimonials are endorsements by celebrities or other
well-known personalities who have no connection to or
expert knowledge of the product.
•“After I won the Super Bowl, what I wanted most was a big bowl
of Malloy’s Chicken Chowder.” (said by a player in the game)
•“Moms like me know that nothing keeps kids going like Malloy’s
Chicken Chowder.” (said by an ordinary Mom)
Faulty Arguments
Common kinds of faulty reasoning, or logical fallacies,
to watch for include:
•circular reasoning
•hasty generalization
•name-calling
•either-or reasoning
•false cause and effect
Faulty Arguments
•Circular reasoning occurs when the reason for an
opinion is simply the opinion stated in different words.
•Taylor Swift is the best singer in the world because she’s so
talented and good at what she does.
•A hasty generalization is a statement based on
insufficient evidence.
•A student driver hit another car last week; if we allow students to
leave school for lunch, accidents will increase tenfold.
Faulty Arguments
•Name-calling, also known as an ad hominem attack,
occurs when a writer attacks a person who holds an
opposing view rather than attacking the view itself.
•People who think students should remain on campus for lunch
are cowards who hate freedom.
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•My opponent is a bleeding-heart liberal who is soft on crime.
Faulty Arguments
•Either-or reasoning occurs when a writer describes a
situation as though there were only two choices when
in fact there may be several options.
•If you love cats, you obviously hate dogs.
•False cause and effect occurs when a writer asserts
that because one event follows another, the first event
must have caused the second.
•Wearing the new uniforms, our track team lost; therefore, we
must return to wearing the old uniforms immediately.
What Have You Learned?
1. Which kind of appeal does this statement make?
In a democracy, it is every citizen’s duty to vote.
a. logical
b. emotional
c. ethical
2. A sports star who endorses a soft drink is offering
a. loaded words
b. bandwagon appeal
c. testimonial
3. Stating that people who disagree with the writer’s opinion
are selfish is an example of
a. name-calling
b. either-or reasoning
c. false cause and effect
The End