The Important Elements Argument! The Important Elements

Argument vs. Persuasion… often used interchangeably, but actually different! A type of persuasion Purpose: to provide organized, well- supported and well-reasoned conclusions in order to arrive at “a good conclusion” Methods: Appeals to the audience through logic by establishing claims, evidence, warrants, backing, and rebuttals The speaker must examine BOTH/MULTIPLE sides of the argument in order to determine the best side. Persuasion A broad term Purpose: to convince the audience to agree with the speaker Methods: Appeals to the audience in several ways (logic, credibility, emotions, etc…) but focuses mainly on emotional appeals and style The speaker typically focuses on and cares only about his/her side

Argument is NOT…

Components of Argument! The components of argument are: Claim—a statement of belief that someone else could disagree with (Ex: The Cardinals are the best baseball team ever) Evidence—the data or grounds that support the claim; Answers “What makes you say so?” (Ex: The Cardinals have won 11 World Series Championships and appeared in many more post season playoff games) Warrant—explains why the evidence leads to the claim (Ex: Post season appearances/performance is the hallmark of any great baseball team)

The hard part… Constructing your claim is the easy part. The hard part is SUPPORTING your claim through the use of evidence and warrants. Let’s talk about the kinds of support (evidence) you can use…

You have a point you want to make (claim), so how to you prove it?? Find evidence to support your claim! “Because I said so” is not good support Good support can come in the form of: Ethos Pathos Logos

Logos Appeal to people’s logic Argument utilizes logos the most Ex. 2+2=4 Argument utilizes logos the most Consist of: Facts/Statistics Citations/Quotations from experts & authorities Informed opinions Literal and historical analogies

Let’s see some logos in action: First, watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v= Y_56BQmY_e8&feature=related Then, in your notebook, answer the following questions: 1) What is the video’s claim? 2) In what piece of evidence is logos being used to support the claim? 3) Why is it effective to use logos in this commercial?

Ethos Refers to the sources credibility and authority Is your evidence from a reliable, credible source? You wouldn’t want an English teacher teaching you math…they would not be reliable! A math teacher is much better suited to teach math. YOU also want to come across as credible in your argument by using: Language appropriate to audience & subject A restrained, sincere, and fair- minded voice Correct grammar & vocabulary Should we trust this mommy? 

Let’s see some ethos in action… First, watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =3NxF3ipUEHE Then, answer the following questions in your notebook: 1) What is the video’s claim? 2) In what piece of evidence is ethos being used to support the claim? 3) Why is it effective to use ethos in this commercial?

Pathos Consist of: Emotionally loaded language & stories Appeal to the audience’s emotions Ex. Drunk driving offenders should receive harsher punishments because my 2 year old daughter was killed by a drunk driver. Okay in persuasion, but not in argument Consist of: Emotionally loaded language & stories Vivid descriptions Emotional tone Figurative language Connotative meanings

Let’s see some pathos in action… First, watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =6eXfvRcllV8 Then, answer the following questions in your notebook: 1) What is the video’s claim? 2) In what piece of evidence is pathos being used to support the claim? 3) Why is it effective to use pathos in this commercial?

Let’s whiteboard it up! Everyone grab a whiteboard and marker. For the following evidence examples, please identify whether the author is using ethos, pathos, or logos to present evidence.

What type of appeal is this? Scenario: You are trying to convince your father to stop smoking. Evidence #1: Dr. Joe Smith, a cardiac surgeon with 20 years experience says he would never start smoking because of the many health risks associated with it. Evidence #2: I remember when Grandma died of lung cancer. It was the first time I have ever seen you cry, Dad. I remember that you also made me promise not to start smoking. Evidence #3: More than 400,000 deaths in the U.S. each year are from smoking-related illnesses. Evidence #4: Smoking greatly increases your risks for lung cancer and many other cancers. On your whiteboard, write one more piece of evidence you could use to support this argument. Then, have a partner label your evidence as ethos, pathos, or logos.