Brainstorming Together...

What types of careers require the skill of

persuasive language?

Insurance Sales Agents Sales EngineersAnimal Trainers TeachersLawyers DoctorsConservation Workers Police OfficersFinancial Advisors Travel GuidesTelemarketers NutritionistsDentists OrthodontistsRadio Ad Announcers Market VendorsSales Managers ClergyPoliticians

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Brainstorming Together...

What types of writing tend to be persuasive in nature?

•Opinion pieces•Letters to the editor•Newspaper and/or magazine columns•Written advertisements•Academic essays which present an original thesis•Speeches•Songs of protest from social movement•Poetry

Persuasion is the art of getting others to agree with you; therefore, your task in writing a persuasive essay or speech is to convince your audience that your point of view is correct (or at least reasonable). Changing someone’s beliefs is a difficult task; you may have to be satisfied if he or she says, “Maybe you’re right. I never thought of it that way.”

Emotional appeals typically consist of vivid description or moving anecdotes about real people. They add human interest to an argument.

For example, a writer arguing that our health care system is in trouble may use an anecdote about a patient who dies while waiting for an operation. The more details the writer gives you about the patient, the more you will probably empathize with the person.

Emotional appeals personalize the situation. After all, an essay full of eloquent words, heartfelt passion, and personal anecdotes can be very moving and effectively persuasive, compared to a dry, factual essay.

Brainstorming Together...

In the court of law, what makes a lawyer successful when presenting a case?

Persuasion is a form of exposition which attempts to convince the audience of a claim or thesis.

This is accomplished by making appeals to both the left and right sides of the brain (to logic and reason & to the heart and emotions).

Brainstorming Together...(no pun intended)

Why do you think it’s important to have an

essay/speech that appeals to both sides of the way we

think?

Although a good essay appeals to the reader’s emotions, the arguments must also be based on good logic.

Arguments should be presented in logical or climatic order.

In other words, always present your points in order of importance, saving your most important point for the end.

Logical appeals are based on reason and concrete evidence.

To defend your thesis statement, you can use four different types of supporting details:

1) examples2) facts3) expert opinions4) personal experiences

What is a thesis?Your thesis is the point you are trying to make about a particular subject. It is the overall message you are trying to persuade your audience towards.

For example, your class might be assigned to write a persuasive essay about drinking and driving. One student’s thesis may be that drinking and driving is preventable, while another student may write to persuade their audience that drinking and driving will never be solved until drinking is outlawed. Finally, some may strive to prove that drinking and driving could be solved by having new, severe consequences.

Organizing Persuasive Writing

Outline

Subject: Should the government forbid students under the age of 18 from working a part-time job? My Thesis: Students under the age of 18 should be allowed to work part-time, even through the school week.

1. Introduction and thesis statement2. First Argument: Students need the money to pay for necessities.3. Second Argument: Part-time work helps students develop important people/social skills. 4. Third Argument: Having a part-time job helps students gain experience and, consequently, better jobs later on in life.5. Fourth Argument: Students need to begin saving for the high costs of university and/or college tuition.6. Conclusion

Outline

Subject: Should teenagers be held responsible for their actions?My Thesis: Teens should be held fully responsible for their actions.

1. Introduction and thesis statement2. First Argument: Teenagers are old enough to be aware of the consequences of their actions. 3. Second Argument: Without being held responsible, more poor choices will continue because dealing with consequences helps young people mature and grow-up.4. Third Argument: Teens are not small children any more. They are mature enough to show self-control when necessary. 5. Conclusion

Outline

Subject: Are personal music devices a good or a bad thing?My Thesis: Personal music devices, such as IPODS and MP3 players, can be dangerous to society in the long term.

1. Introduction and thesis statement2. First Argument: More and more people are demonstrating poor social skills when plugged into their music devices. 3. Second Argument: The ear phones slowly cause permanent, irreversible damage to people’s ears. 4. Third Argument: More and more accidents are caused by driver’s being distracted by personal music players because the driver cannot hear the siren, the horn, or the person trying to warn them of approaching danger. 5. Conclusion

Outline

Subject: Should movies and music be rated?Class Thesis:

1. Introduction and thesis statement

2. First Argument:

3. Second Argument:

4. Third Argument:

5. Conclusion

Outline

Subject: Should text messaging be allowed in school?Group Thesis:

1. Introduction and thesis statement

2. First Argument:

3. Second Argument:

4. Third Argument:

5. Conclusion

Outline

Subject: Should Sexual Education be taught in public schools?My Thesis:

1. Introduction and thesis statement

2. First Argument:

3. Second Argument:

4. Third Argument:

5. Conclusion

Reading Persuasive Essays:Searching for both

a logical and an emotional appeal

Persuasive Reading

TournamentThere will be rotations every 10-12

minutes.

“I Would Rather “Smoking in “Bilingualism’s “Should Animals Be Fat” Public Places” Goal” Be Used in Medical Research?”

Evaluating a Writer’s Persuasiveness

Does the essay use/include...

...emotionally charged language?

...obvious exaggerations?

...vivid description?

...moving anecdotes/stories?

... good logic and reason?

...examples?

....facts or statistics?

....expert opinions?

...personal experiences?

...acknowledgements of the possible objections or opposing arguments?

“I Would Rather Be Fat”Subject: Thesis:

“Smoking in Public Places”Subject:Thesis:

“Bilingualism’s Goal”Subject:Thesis:

“Should Animals Be Used in Medical Research?”Subject:Thesis:

...emotionally charged language?

...obvious exaggerations?

...vivid description?

...moving anecdotes/stories?

... good logic and reason?

...examples?

....facts or statistics?

....expert opinions?

...personal experiences?

...acknowledgements of the possible objections or opposing arguments?

“The Death Penalty: Justice for None”

by: Heather MeredithDoes the essay use/include...

“The Death Penalty: Justice for None”by: Heather Meredith

The Subject:Her Thesis:

1. The Introduction:

2. First Argument:3. Second Argument:4. Third Argument: 5. Fourth Argument:6. Fifth Argument:7. Sixth Argument:8. Seventh Argument:9. Eighth Argument:

10. The Conclusion:

1. What message does the title alone relay about the essay and its thesis? 2. Has the writer presented the arguments in climatic order? How do you know this? What did you observe?3. Are there sections of the essay that are hard to follow or that make leaps in logic?4. Are there any loop-holes in her argument? If so, elaborate.5. How did the author appeal to the reader’s emotional side?6. Did the essay answer the critics in advance? How convincing is the author when they dealt with the counterargument? 7. Did you already have an opinion about the death penalty?8. Do you find the writer’s arguments to be convincing? Explain.

“The Death Penalty: Justice for None”

by: Heather Meredith