Transcript Elements of Persuasion - Beavercreek City School District

What Is Persuasion?
Feature Menu
Elements of Persuasion
Writer’s Intent
Credibility and Evidence
Structure and Tone
Your Turn
Elements of Persuasion
Persuasion is everywhere.
Skillful persuaders want you
to see things their way:
• Believe this!
• Buy that!
• Trust me!
Elements of Persuasion
Persuasion is the use of language or images to
get us to believe or do something.
You can have
it all!
Elements of Persuasion
But, who is most likely to persuade you?
Writers with credible ideas and valid evidence.
Elements of Persuasion
Learning to analyze a writer’s persuasive
techniques, intent, ideas, and evidence . . .
can help you evaluate the quality of the
argument.
[End of Section]
Elements of Persuasion
Quick Check
Who said experience is the best teacher?
I’m not actually sure, but I definitely
believe it’s true.
In the past I never really paid attention
to how my words or actions affected my
younger brother. He’s just a kid, right?
My friends and I often climb up on the
roof, just to prove we can. Last week my
brother tried it by himself. He slipped on
a roof tile and broke his leg. His
experience taught me to pay more
attention to how my actions affect him.
What is the most
persuasive element
of this writer’s
argument?
• valid evidence
• personal account
Writer’s Intent
Authors tell their stories
for different reasons.
A writer’s intent—or goal—in writing a
persuasive essay is to convince you to
act or think a certain way.
Writer’s Intent
Sometimes a writer wants to
change the way you think.
Other times a writer wants
to inspire you to act.
Writer’s Intent
To figure out a writer’s intent, ask yourself
• What is the writer
saying?
• Is this a new concept
or point of view?
• How does the writer
want me to react?
• What effect does
reading this have on
me?
Writer’s Intent
Writers communicate intent either objectively or
subjectively.
An objective
approach uses
provable facts.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is one of
the most influential figures in
American history. Born in Atlanta,
Georgia, King was the son of a
Baptist preacher. . . . His leadership
during the civil rights movement
led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
This act outlawed discrimination
based on race, color, religion, or
gender and made segregation
illegal.
Writer’s Intent
A subjective
approach focuses
on the writer’s
experiences,
feelings, and
opinions.
“Back in the city, I recalled at odd
moments the pup’s huge eyes, its
goofy, touching cry—a cross
between a lamb’s bleat and a car
alarm. At the grocery store, offered
a choice between a paper bag and
a plastic one, I would try to
calculate the ultimate benefits of
each to sea lion and company.”
From "Kiss and Tell" by Judith Stone from The Nature of Nature, edited by William H.
Shore. Copyright © 1994 by Judith Stone. Published by Harcourt Brace, 1994.
Reproduced by permission of Share Our Strength, Inc.
Sometimes writers will use both objective and
subjective arguments.
Writer’s Intent
Quick Check
Extracurricular activities are an
important part of the school
experience for students.
Sports, music, art, theater, and school
clubs—all of these programs can
benefit students in many ways.
Studies show that participating in
these activities can build a student’s
self-esteem, promote team-building,
foster competition, and inspire
creativity.
Is the writer using
an objective
approach or a
subjective
approach in this
argument?
Credibility and Evidence
Would you believe someone who tried to
convince you by saying, “Because I said so”?
Probably not.
Credibility and Evidence
Whenever someone tries to persuade you, ask
yourself, “How is this person trying to convince me?”
What kind of evidence is he or she using?
Logical appeals use evidence to
speak to reason and common sense.
Emotional appeals speak to your
emotions—fear, sympathy, anger, joy.
Credibility and Evidence
Logical appeals include
• facts
• statistics
• concrete examples
• valid evidence
Credibility and Evidence
Emotional appeals often involve
• anecdotes
• loaded words
Credibility and Evidence
Loaded words can be used to arouse strong
feelings about a particular person or issue.
Only a liberal tree-hugger would
fail to see the importance of building
the new toll highway. Who needs that
mosquito-infested park, anyway?
Let’s pave it over!
This emotional appeal uses loaded
words for name-calling rather than
a reasoned argument.
Credibility and Evidence
Propaganda is a kind of persuasion designed to
keep us from thinking for ourselves.
Propaganda also
appeals to our
emotions,
rather than to logic
and reasoning.
Most propaganda consists of one-sided arguments.
Credibility and Evidence
Not all emotional appeals are negative or try to
fool you, though.
A doctor might use
emotional appeals to
discourage kids from
smoking.
An ad campaign might
try to scare you into
using your seatbelt.
Credibility and Evidence
Quick Check
Senator Kathryn Hartman is a
heartless warmonger with no
compassion or intelligence.
Do you really want to support
someone who’s in the pocket of rich
fat cats and corporate lobbyists?
Vote for a compassionate progressive.
Vote for David Stein—a guy you can
trust.
Is this a logical
appeal or an
emotional appeal?
What does it rely
on?
• facts
• evidence
• anecdotes
• loaded words
Structure and Tone
Structure is important in formulating an effective
argument.
Good writers organize a persuasive
argument carefully and logically.
Structure and Tone
A persuasive argument might be organized by
• cause and effect
• problem and solution
• chronological order
• question and answer
Structure and Tone
Readers usually remember the beginning and
ending of a piece the most.
And as we stand and sit here this evening
and as we prepare ourselves for what lies
ahead, let us go out with the grim and
bold determination that we are going to
stick together. We are going to work
together.
From “There Comes a Time When People Get Tired” (Address to First Montgomery Improvement
Association [MIA] Mass Meeting, at Holt Street Baptist Church, December 5, 1955, Montgomery, Alabama)
by Martin Luther King, Jr. Copyright © 1955 by Martin Luther King, Jr.; copyright renewed © 1986 by
Coretta Scott King. Reproduced by permission of The Estate of Martin Luther King, Jr., c/o Writers
House as agent for the proprietor, New York, NY.
For this reason, many writers structure an argument
to go from a general idea to a specific call to action.
Structure and Tone
Sometimes how you say something is as important
as what you say. The how is called tone.
“Is this going to be
on the test?”
Your teacher might have mentioned it.
Structure and Tone
Writers use tone, too. It shows the author’s attitude
toward a subject, a character, or the audience.
The tone of a piece of writing may be
admiring
earnest
affectionate
mocking
bitter
serious
comic
vengeful
Structure and Tone
Tone can indicate a writer’s intent. It can also help
you evaluate the credibility of an argument.
Anyone with half a brain knows that Memorial High
School is much better than Roosevelt High. Is that
so? Yes, it’s absolutely undeniable. Hellooo. The
building looks like it’s from the Middle Ages. The
teachers are all old crones. And, have you seen the
football team? Can you say “Neanderthal?”
For example, if a writer uses a sarcastic tone for
an objective argument, the argument might lack
evidence and credibility.
[End of Section]
Structure and Tone
Quick Check
Who doesn’t love grandparents? Some
of my fondest childhood memories are of
my grandmother’s hugs and my
grandfather’s quick smile.
Every school vacation was a chance to
visit their house in the country, go fishing
in the creek, work in the wood shop, or
ride my bike into town.
That’s why caring for my grandparents
as they age is so important. In fact, we
should all cherish the loved ones who
cared so much for us as children.
What is the tone
of this passage?
What is the
specific call to
action?
What Is Persuasion?
Your Turn
Analyze Persuasion
Read the Your Turn passage (from “Eulogy for Martin Luther
King, Jr.”) in your textbook, and answer the questions
below. Discuss your answers with a partner.
1. What is the speaker’s intent?
2. What is the tone of this passage?
3. Is the author appealing to logic or emotion, or both?
Explain.
[End of Section]
The End