Persuasive Text I’ll convince you!!

Persuasion is part of our everyday lives... It makes us think... Reading it together helps us to understand, analyze, and take a stand on complex issues Persuasive essays generate debate on controversial issues to make us think and possibly change our minds on a particular topic

Persuasive Text: Where is it found?  Professional journals  Political speeches  Public services announcements/TV scripts  Magazine articles  Essays in books  Newspaper editorials

What is a persuasive composition? It is a written work in which a writer persuades a case for or against a particular position in order to try to convince readers to agree with his/her ideas.

Persuasive Composition: Structure  Introduction  Background Information  Thesis  Argument(s)  Evidence (reasons)  Counter-arguments  Conclusion

Term to Know: Structure  Something made up of a number of parts that are held or put together in a particular way  Persuasive texts, indeed all writing, should be structured with logic, coherence, and consistency

Term to Know: Logic For persuasive text look to see if...  The author supports opinion with clear examples and reliable facts  That the text flows logically, in some kind of recognizable order, from one point to the next

Term to know: Coherence  Do arguments build on each other and support main point?  Does essay hold together well, with good use of transitions?  Is it understandable?  If so, then it has coherence

Term to Know: Consistency  Does all the evidence support the author’s main claim?  Is there no extraneous information?  The author does not go off topic. If so, the text has consistency

More About Persuasive Text Structure  Title is often in form of QUESTION “Should Teens be Tried as Adults?”  The title sometimes states the author’s position directly as in “Why Rats Are the Best Pets”  Sometimes there is a question followed by YES and NO columns and the text reads as a debate with different authors writing for each side.  The thesis statement is frequently in beginning paragraph, but not always !  It can be clearly stated or implied.

Term to Know: ThesisStatement  A one-to-two-sentence statement of the main idea or purpose of a piece of writing.  The thesis states your position on the issue.

Term to Know: Issue A matter that is in dispute An issue must have more than one side The point at which an unsettled matter is ready for a discussion, where you as a writer are ready to take a position on the issue The position you take on the issue leads to the writing of your thesis statement

Term to know: Argument  Speaking or writing that takes a position or states an opinion and gives evidence (or reasons) to support it; a strong argument often takes into account other points of view.  It is used to convince the reader of a writer’s reason(s) relating to a debatable issue and to convince the reader of the writer’s point of view.

Term to know: Evidence  Includes anything that is used to determine or demonstrate proof.  A thing or things helpful in forming a conclusion or judgment: The broken window was evidence that a burglary had taken place  May include facts, statistics, and expert opinion

Term to know: Expert opinion Expert opinion is just that, quoting from an expert or author is an expert on the topic or issue This lends credibility (the quality or power of inspiring belief) to an argument  CNN vs Enquirer

Term to know: Counter-argument  When you counter-argue, you consider a possible argument against your thesis or some aspect of your reasoning. This is a good way to test your ideas when drafting, while you still have time to revise them.  An author addresses the counter-argument to make his or her own stronger  Part of the structure of a good persuasive text involves addressing the counter- argument

Persuasive Techniques  A strong writer supports arguments through use of powerful words and vivid language  Stylistic devices like imagery and figurative language help support an argument  Other persuasive techniques include: anecdote, rhetorical question, hypothetical question, and appeal to emotion, reason, and character

Term to Know: Anecdote  A brief story about an interesting, amusing, or strange event. Writers tell anecdotes to entertain or to make a point in support of their position

Term to Know: Rhetorical question  Asked merely for effect-to get the reader to think- no answer expected  “If practice makes perfect, and no one’s perfect, then why practice?” Billy Corgan

Term to Know: Hypothetical  A question or situation presented to pique interest, the answer will have no effect on the situation.  Allows the reader to think about the issue or your argument. What if... Imagine...

Term to know: Appeal to emotion (pathos)  To support or reject arguments according to our strong feelings about what is ethical and socially responsible Ex. When a writer evokes childhood memories

Term to Know: logos  An appeal to reason or logic  Use of absolute facts or strong possibilities Ex. People can be persuaded to practice more healthy living if told about the results of medical research.

Term to Know: ethos  An appeal to character Ex. When the writer has, or quotes someone who has, the expertise or personal experience necessary to endorse a product or cause.  We can be persuaded by what another person recommends if we trust that person. Ex. If you want to prove to someone about the effectiveness of a golf swing you could quote Tiger Woods.