Persuasion The Basics

Argument This is the position you are taking; what you are trying to persuade your audience to believe. State your argument/position clearly. This will be your thesis statement.

Argument My curfew should be extended to 12:00. Cell phones should not be allowed in school. Students who participate in club sports should be eligible for PE waivers. Marching Band students should be eligible for PE waivers.

Claim/Topics The topics used to support the argument/thesis. Also known as a topic argument (the claim serves as the topic sentence).

Claim/Topics I am responsible in all aspects of my life, I am trustworthy to make good decisions, and I deserve the chance to demonstrate this responsibility and trustworthiness regarding my curfew. Cell phones are too distracting to students.

Evidence The evidence and facts necessary to support the claim, which in turn supports the argument. Remember, everything is intended to convince the audience to accept your position. (This is where you will want to work in some persuasive techniques).

Evidence –I have never been late for curfew, I have never been delinquent in my chores, and I have never been grounded for making poor choices.

Warrant After you present your evidence, it is imperative that you connect it to your argument (thesis). Don’t assume that your audience understands the connection you are making. This is called the warrant. This is where most of the rhetoric will be developed. Connection to thesis: –I have consistently proven myself to be responsible, and I deserve proper credit. The best and most appropriate reward for me is to give me the freedom to stay out until midnight.

Counter-Argument These are the arguments that others will make against your position. Acknowledge them and then refute them (tell why they are wrong or inaccurate). This uses the persuasive technique antithesis.

Counter-Argument –The dangers present for young adults increase the later it gets. I understand this, and I will be extra careful. There are many dangers in our society, but I have been raised to make smart and responsible choices, and I will always be careful about where I go, and with whom. If we let fear control our lives, we could quickly realize that we should never leave home because there are potential dangers everywhere. I also have my cell phone, so if I need assistance, I can call for help.

Structuring the Essay

Structure Persuasive essays should have an INTRODUCTION: contains the thesis which states your argument. BODY PARAGRAPHS: make the claims that support your thesis and provide the evidence to prove your claims. CONCLUSION: will offer additional insight about the topic and leave your reader ready to take your side. Consider a call to action, an anecdote to

Thesis Statements/Arguments Be direct and concise in your thesis statement. Leave no questions about your position. Place this at the end of your introduction.

Introductions Using the funnel technique, start general and become more specific. Consider these different strategies for an introduction. -vivid example -dramatic anecdote -memorable quotation -or appeal to common values

Body Paragraphs Think of “reasons” why you are correct, and state these in clear, solid topic sentences (claims). Provide evidence (anecdotes, facts, definitions, analogies) to support your reasons. Refute counter arguments, either as they arise in body paragraphs or in a separate paragraph in the body. –Remember: a well-developed paragraph is at the bare minimum three sentences long. Go for very well-developed paragraphs.

Body Paragraphs Traditional argumentative structure Claim Evidence to support the claim Warrant—explanation of how the evidence proves the claim. The warrant is where you spice up your rhetoric and sell your point to the audience. Use evidence to build logical and emotional appeals, and use language that stirs a response in an audience. Address and refute counter-arguments (antithesis)

Conclusions  Invoke a call to action  Excite emotions appropriate for the occasion  Leave your audience with a positive impression of you  Make your audience feel the importance of the issue

Rhetorical Appeals

Logos (Logical) Using facts and statistics (logic) to support your position.

From “I Have a Dream” Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities

Ethos (Ethical) Establishing credibility to support your position (and to make you seem credible). Using famous people as spokespersons for your product and using allusions to refer to sacred or valued ideas are both examples of ethos.

From “I Have a Dream” Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

Pathos (Emotional) Using emotion to support your position. Think of the music used in commercials to make you feel a certain way about their product.

From “I Have a Dream” But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

Persuasive Techniques Strategies and techniques that make your language memorable, convincing, and strong.

Alliteration Use the same consonant sound at the beginning of words.

From “I Have a Dream” Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check.

Allusion Referring to a famous person, work of art, piece of literature. The assumption is that the audience will recognize the reference and that the reference will give credence to your argument.

From “I Have a Dream” Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

Parallel Structure Use matching grammatical structures –To stand up for our rights and to protest this action is our duty.

From “I Have a Dream” But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

Analogy Compare the issue to something easy to understand and to agree/disagree with

From “I Have a Dream” It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check — a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

Repetition Repeat the same word or phrase to add emphasis

From “I Have a Dream” I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal." I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.

Benefits List and explain the benefits of your claim

From “I Have a Dream” And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

Antithesis Acknowledge counter-arguments and refute them.

Rhetorical Question Ask a question that cannot be denied and does not need to be answered How can we allow this to continue?

From “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” —Patrick Henry Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?

Logical Fallacies MISTAKESLogical fallacies are MISTAKES in reasoning. They may be intentional or unintentional, but in either case they undermine (take away from) the strength of an argument. Some common fallacies are defined below.

Hasty Generalization A generalization based on too little evidence, or on evidence that is biased. Examples: All men are testosterone-driven idiots. After being in New York for a week, I can tell you: all New Yorkers are rude.

Either/Or Fallacy Only two possibilities are presented when in fact several exist. Examples: America: love it or leave it. Shut down all nuclear power plants, or watch your children and grandchildren die from radiation poisoning.

Non Sequitur The conclusion does not follow logically from the premise. Examples: My teacher is a good singer; I'll learn a lot from her. George Bush was a war hero; he'll be willing to stand tough for America.

Red Herring Distracting the audience by drawing attention to an irrelevant issue. Examples: How can he be expected to manage the company? Look at how he manages his wife! Why worry about nuclear war when we're all going to die anyway?

Circular Reasoning Asserting a point that has just been made. Sometimes called "begging the question." Examples: She is ignorant because she was never educated. We sin because we're sinners.

False Analogy Wrongly assuming that because two things are alike in some ways, they must be alike in all ways. Example: The destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina was like the Holocaust (one was a natural disaster; the other was a man- made atrocity).

Slippery Slope Falsely assuming that one event will lead to many more catastrophic events. Example: If we allow one student to wear a hat in class, every student in the school will assume rules mean nothing.