“Don’t raise your voice; improve your argument.” -Desmond Tutu

AN INTRODUCTION

 Persuasion: writing that presents an argument, or message meant to get readers to think or act in a certain way.  Can you give me examples of persuasion/arguing that you have recently saw and/or took part in?

 Arguments surround us every day, not only through interactions with one another, but also through TV, radio, internet, newspapers, billboards, signs, and brochures.  Anytime someone is trying to persuade you to buy something, contribute money, take action, make a judgment, or change your mind about anything, that person is arguing with you. com/watch?v=QPkHz9o YIBg

 Writing is not so different from that type of persuasion…  So what then is the purpose of argument?

(A.K.A. What you are getting tested on at the end of the week!)

 To support a cause  To urge people into action/promote change  To refute a theory  To arouse sympathy or anger  To arouse interest

 What does my audience already know?  How does my audience feel about the topic?  What questions will my audience want me to answer?

 Claim  Support  Warrant  Counterclaim/Rebuttal

 Your statement of argument or position (Must be a complete sentence)  Types: FACT, VALUE, POLICY  Arguable? (If everyone but a few lunatics would agree with the statement, it is not arguable enough.)  Clear? (Is it concrete and specific enough to be supported by more than theory, hypotheticals, and personal opinion?) EXAMPLE: Students should study for finals.

 Answers the question “WHY is your claim true or valid?”  The information and strategies used to back up your claim  Pathos: Emotional Appeal  Logos: Logical Appeal  Ethos: Ethical Appeal EXAMPLE: Students who study for exams retain more information from a course.

Appealing to emotions, senses, personal biases, prejudices via the following:  Connotative language  (ex. melancholy, villainous)  Figurative language: metaphors, allusions, colorful phrases  (ex. “industrial Goliath,” “environmental cancer”)  Creating tone: friendly, personal, relaxed, authority – based on your language (can include humor!)

Appealing to the reader’s intelligence, reason, common sense via:  Use of statistics or other hard facts  Scientific evidence or studies  Arguing precedent  Drawing comparisons and analogies  Arguing cause and effect  Other logical reasoning

 Most subtle technique  Expert opinion or testimony  (Argument must include something about the “expert’s” credentials, not just his/her name!)  Backing by reputable organizations or publications NOTE: Scientific evidence, for example, could incorporate BOTH logos (hard facts) and ETHOS (expertise by an individual or organization who discovered, studied, or published those facts).  Ethics/Morals

 Answers the question “So what?” or “Why does it matter?” to your support.  The connection between the support and the claim  Often unstated in published arguments  Suppositions that MUST be valid for the support to be effective. EXAMPLE: Retaining more information allows students to achieve better grades.

SupportClaim Warrant

The sun is going down. You should put on a sweater. It gets colder when the sun goes down.

I’m planning to rent a Bentley. You should go to Prom with me. Arriving to Prom in a Bentley will be fun and give you “street cred”

 The opposing side’s argument  Know it well so you can defeat it  Should not simply be the opposite statement to your claim but also include major reasons WHY people believe the opposite side is true. “Know your enemy and know yourself, find naught in fear for 100 battles. Know yourself but not your enemy, find level of loss and victory. Know thy enemy but not yourself, wallow in defeat every time.” --Sun Tzu, The Art of War

 Your refutation of the counterclaim  Should not simply be a repetition of your original claim and/or support points

 S58E S58E

AN EXTENSION