Persuasive

Week 8, Part 2

Today

1. Persuasion Introduction2. Group Presentation Marks Back

Word-of-the-Day

Rhetoric: The art of using language so as to persuade or influence others

Examples:

She was well versed in the art of rhetoric.

Careful use of punctuation can be an important rhetorical strategy.

Grammar-Rama

Basic Pattern for a sentence containing a colon:

General Statement: Specifics(sentence) (list, bullets, or sentence)

Ex. Television: it is the bane of our lives andthe hardest of hard drugs.

Rhetorical Grammar

She was interested in only one thing, love.She was interested in only one thing: loveShe was interested in only one thing—love.

Argumentation

Play fair Argumentation instead of biased

methods Consider your reader’s reaction

Persuasive Writing

Persuasive Focus:

1.make them see your point of view

2.change readers’ minds

3.move them to action on behalf of your cause

Deduction: begin with a general claim and then support it with evidence

Induction: explore specific evidence and then draw a conclusion from it.

Two Styles of Thinking

Abraham Maslow’s

Values

Make a list of your values (rank them 1-5)

Persuasion

- logos- pathos- ethos

Logos (logical appeal) is an appeal to logic or reason.

Appear rational and appeal to audience’s intellect.

Most arguments are grounded in reason and supplemented by other appeals.

Logos

Emotional appeal

Pathos

(ethical appeal) is an appeal to people’s sense of decency.

Show yourself to be a person of good sense, good will, and moral integrity.

Ethos

How is Credibility Damaged?

Argumentation Involves a strong controversy on which opinion is

divided or opposed to your view

Chooses how far to push argumentation

Constructs a fair-minded, respectful, moderate tone

Balances ethos, pathos, and logos (with a strong logos appeal throughout)

Applies one of the four models for formal argumentation

Concession-Refutation

Recognizing arguments on the other side

Concession Example

Story of Stuff http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLBE5QAYXp8

Concession-Refutation

Assures your reader you are aware of the other side/you have explored the ongoing critical conversation.

Concession-Refutation Model1. My opponent says A is true (allude to

reasons)2. A is not true; B is true for these reasons

(thesis)3. Elaborate on the reasons for believing A

is not true4. Elaborate on the reasons for believing B

is true5. State final implications and reflections,

perhaps even a call to action

Interview Matrix

Step 1:1s ask 2s (question A) and 3s ask 4s

(question B)

Interview Matrix

Step 2:2s ask 1s (question B) and 4s ask 3s

(question A)

Interview Matrix

Step 3:1s ask 3s (question D) and 2s ask 4s

(question C)

Interview Matrix

Step 4:3s ask 1s (question C) and 4s ask 2s

(question D)

Syllogism

1. Premise 12. Premise 23. Conclusion

1) Lawyers work long hours.2) Nima is a lawyer.3) Nima works long hours.

Bad Example of Persuasion

It is obvious to anyone thinking logically that minimum wage should be increased. The current minimum wage is an insult and is unfair to the people who receive it. The fact that the last proposed minimum wage increase was denied is proof that the government of this state is crooked and corrupt. The only way for them to prove otherwise is to raise minimum wage immediately.

Syllogism

Premise 1: Minimum wage should match the cost of living in society.

Premise 2: The current minimum wage does not match the cost of living in society.

Conclusion: Therefore, minimum wage should be increased.

Premise 1

The purpose of minimum wage is to ensure that workers can provide basic amenities to themselves and their families. A report in the Journal of Economic Studies indicated that workers cannot live above the poverty line when minimum wage is not proportionate with the cost of living. It is beneficial to society and individuals for a minimum wage to match living costs.

Premise 2

Unfortunately, our state's minimum wage no longer reflects an increasing cost of living. When the minimum wage was last set at $5.85, the yearly salary of $12,168 guaranteed by this wage was already below the poverty line. Years later, after inflation has consistently raised the cost of living, workers earning minimum wage must struggle to support a family, often taking 2 or 3 jobs just to make ends meet. 35% of our state's poor population is made up of people with full time minimum wage jobs.

Conclusion

In order to remedy this problem and support the workers of this state, minimum wage must be increased. A modest increase could help alleviate the burden placed on the many residents who work too hard for too little just to make ends meet.

Monroe’s Motivated Sequence Moves people from awareness to action1. Arouse attention2. Demonstrate a need3. Satisfy the need4. Visualize the results5. Call for action

Agitprop Theatre

Rogerian Conciliation

Less concerned with winning and losing Explores common ground, building bridges,

resolving differences, and negotiating and achieving reconciliation

Example on page 267

Structuring the Persuasive Essay

1. introduction 1. catchy opening2. counter-argument/refutation3. thesis statement

2. main supporting ideas3. conclusion

Thesis statements develop in two stages:

• Narrow the original topic until it is vivid and small enough to handle in your allotted space.

• Make an assertion or express a viewpoint about this narrowed topic.

Thesis Statement: Persuasive