EVERYTHING IS AN ARGUMENT!

So what is argumentation?

WRITING CAN BE DIVIDED INTO MODES OR “TYPES”

MODES/TYPESof writing

Narrative Expository Persuasive Analytical Technical

METHODS

FORMS

Good Writing=

Multiple Modes

PERSUASIVE MODEARGUMENTATIVE

METHODCharacteristics :•Clear position established•All ideas are strongly related to position•Controlled, specific reasons and evidence•Writer recognizes opposing or alternate points of view•Persuasive tone throughout

Example One:

Which is more important: what a person thinks or what a person does

Forms:Advertisements

EditorialsLetters to the editorPersuasive essays

Persuasive speechesPropaganda (primarily political)

Reviews (books, movies, products)

WHERE DO WE BEGIN? Rhetoric is the power of language and its effects

Essence of rhetoric is built upon Aristotle’s Rhetorical Triangle

CONTEXTOccasion Tone Tone

LPURPOSE

Speaker

Audience

Subject

LOGOS

PATHOS

ETHOS

ACADEMIC CONVERSATION Writing well means entering into a

conversation with others The underlying structure of effective academic

writing – and of responsible public discourse – resides not just in stating our own ideas, but in listening closely to others around us, summarizing their views in a way that they will recognize, and responding with our own ideas in kind

What others are saying and thinking motivates our writing and gives it reason for being

As a student and a writer you need to enter conversations and debates that surround you

“THEY SAY” ~ “I SAY” Effective persuasive writers do more than

make well-supported claims (“I say”); they also map those claims relative to the claims of others (“They say”) Writing asks students not simply to keep

proving and reasserting what they already believe, but to stretch what they believe by putting it up against the beliefs of our increasingly diverse, global society, to engage in the reciprocal exchange that characterizes true democracy.

Gerald Graff & Cathy Birkenstein

THE BASICS OF ARGUMENTATION It is a mode of writing intended to gain a

reader’s agreement using the powers of reasoning and logic.

Arguments must be supported by evidence. Evidence may include examples, personal,

experience, statistics, research, expert testimony.

An argument can be spoken, written or visual as long as it expresses a point of view Point of view is often termed the

assertion/claim/thesis.

WHAT ARE THE NECESSARY INGREDIENTS OF AN ARGUMENT? Introduction:

Must state your assertion/claim/point of view/thesis Introduce the ideas that motivate your response (“They say”)

Concession: Recognize and acknowledge in more depth the opposing point of view

Reasons Why do you believe what you believe? Support each reason with evidence

Confirmation/Evidence: Research, personal experience, examples, statistics, expert testimony

Conclusion (summation): Restate your assertion in response to the ideas of others that motivated

you to write your response Amplify your best ideas Offer a solution/compromise (where applicable)

KEEP IN MIND… The ability to enter complex, many-sided

conversations has taken on a special urgency in today’s diverse, post 9/11 world, where the future for all of us may depend on our ability to put ourselves in the shoes of those who think very differently from us.

Therefore, we should learn to carefully and effectively listen to others, including those that disagree with us, and then engage with them thoughtfully and respectfully.

ETHOS An ethical or value-based appeal•How to recognize Ethos• Language appropriate to audience• Sincere, fair minded presentation• Correct grammar

•The EffectShows the speaker as a reliable, respectful source through the speaker’s respect for the audience’s values

ETHOS EXAMPLES

PATHOS An appeal to emotions

• How to recognize Pathos• Emotionally loaded language• Emotional tone• Personal stories• Vivid description

• The Effect Creates an emotional, impulsive response

PATHOS EXAMPLES

LOGOS An appeal to logic•How to recognize Logos• Factual data and statistics• Definitions• Quotations• Opinions of an expert or authority

The Effect Creates a rational, reasonable, logical

response

LOGOS EXAMPLES

CBS NEWS REPORT

LETS SEE IF YOU’VE GOT IT…

CHILDFUND COMMERCIAL

QUESTIONS What are some examples of ethos that

you found?

What are some examples of pathos that you found?

What are some examples of logos that you found?

What is the primary appeal that is made?

KENS 5 REPORT

QUESTIONS What are some examples of ethos that

you found?

What are some examples of pathos that you found?

What are some examples of logos that you found?

What is the primary appeal that is made?

SCENE FROM “A TIME TO KILL”

QUESTIONS What are some examples of ethos that

you found?

What are some examples of pathos that you found?

What are some examples of logos that you found?

What is the primary appeal that is made?

CREDITS “They Say” “I Say” by Gerald Graff &

Cathy Birkenstein Argumentation – Basic Training by

Elizabeth Villarreal

CONTEXTOccasion Tone Tone

LPURPOSE

Speaker

Audience

Subject

LOGOS

PATHOS

ETHOS