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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
audience’s
heart
attempt to persuade the of the writer’s opinion.
•If Fluffy is spayed, she will be a healthier, happier companion.
•
Ethical appeals
target the audience’s sense of of
right and wrong
.
duty
or •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
ever to air.
is unquestionably the funniest television series
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.
•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