Persuasion Techniques An Analysis of the Persuasion Techniques used in "Bowling for Columbine" Kaylen Woods and Katie England

Contents Organizational Structure…………………………3 Evidence……………………………………………6 Persuasive appeal…………………………………9 __________________ The structure can influence whether someone understands the information being presented or not and whether or not they will be able to grasp the main idea. Evidence is the most critical part of persuasion. Without solid evidence, your argument will fall short and people will not follow your same ideas on the matter. Some people are persuaded more by their emotions while others focus more on the logic and ethics of an argument. You must know your audience in order to know which type of appeal you need to use most _______ ______________ 1

Organizational Structure The overall structure of the video was random and unorganized. It jumped from topic to topic and at times was confusing to understand. At the end of the video, the man leaves the picture of the little girl for the man he interviewed. After this it flashed to an interview at the bowling alley where 3 men had been shot. This movement from one topic to the next did not have fluency. 2

Bad Points of Structure It is easy to get confused The thesis statement it not made known until farther into the video There is little fluency in the transition from one topic to the next 3

Good Points of Structure The interviews were well-placed Many different topics were covered The thesis statement was made clear with much supporting evidence 4

Evidence The video used many different forms of evidence to try and persuade the persons watching that violence is present in America because the people of America are engulfed in fear. One major piece of evidence that was convincing was the statistic that stated that although the murder rate has declined by 20%, the murder coverage rate has increased by 600%. This shows that the mass media over exaggerates about violence. Therefore, fear can be forced into American citizens. 5

Evidence Presented Actual footage from Columbine shooting Showed that people in Canada don’t lock their doors Real cases where children had been expelled for possessing “warning signs”- things as simple as pointing chicken or having dyed hair Statistics of violence of other countries was compared to American statistics 6

Analysis of Evidence An ample amount of evidence was presented to support the argument that Americans are afraid. This evidence is not only presented in abundance but is also very strong. By using statistics and real examples of when people showed fear, the evidence seemed much more believable. 7

Persuasive Appeal Throughout the video, the type of appeal used the most prominent thing focused on is appealing to the viewers emotions. They do many things to dig down deep into the emotions of the viewer. One main thing they present to play on the viewers emotions is the security cameras from the Columbine shooting. The view of all of the students screaming and running in fear really triggers the emotions of those watching the video. 8

The Use of Persuasive Appeal There was no ethical persuasion used to influence those who watched the video. Emotional appeal was used when: The young girl was shot and the teacher called the police The father of a Columbine victim spoke out against the NRA. They use logic when asking if it makes sense for Americans to be so intimidated. 9

Overall Evaluation of Persuasion Although the organizational structure of the video was lacking, this was made up with the strong use of evidence and the deep sense of emotional appeal that were presented throughout. By combining strong evidence and the use of emotional appeal, the video appeared to be more believable. Not only were facts focused on, but also the emotions of the viewers. Overall, the video seemed very believable. There may be so much violence in the U.S. because Americans are so full of fear. 10