The POWER of PERSUASION

WHAT IS PERSUASIVE WRITING? Persuasive writing tries to convince the reader to accept an idea, adopt a point of view, or take action on an issue The writer wants the reader to agree with what he/she believes This kind of writing usually requires preparation and research

ELEMENTS OF PERSUASIVE WRITING The topic must argue FOR (PRO) or AGAINST (CON) a DEBATABLE point The writer must support his/her position with strong EVIDENCE to convince the reader The writer’s thesis sentence states a POSITION, not a fact The writer addresses reader concerns and provides counterarguments

WHAT IS A COUNTERARGUMENT ? In addition to providing evidence to support your position/opinion, you must also acknowledge and reply to reader objections Counterarguments are the answers that you provide to an opposing argument

Know your audience The audience is the person or group of people the writer is trying to convince The language the writer uses will change depending on who the audience is You might use one approach when trying to persuade your parents and a different approach with your friends

RHETORICAL DEVICES IN PERSUASIVE WRITING THESE ARE WAYS FOR THE WRITER TO CONVINCE THE READER TO ACCEPT HIS/HER POINT OF VIEW ON A TOPIC Appeal to logic through reasoning Appeal to emotion Ethical arguments/beliefs Personal anecdotes (stories) Case study (research) Analogy (comparison) (remember the commercial “this is your brain, this is your brain on drugs”- eggs in frying pan)

SAMPLE RHETORICAL DEVICES TOPIC= Should animals be used for experimentation? POSITION: Animals should NOT be used for experimentation.

Appeal to logic There are other methods to test products and achieve the same results.

Appeal to emotion Have you ever seen pictures of suffering animals in the name of research?

Ethical arguments/beliefs Animals also have souls; shouldn’t all living creatures be treated humanely?

Personal anecdotes Can you imagine your pet dog being locked up in a cage and being poked and prodded with chemicals just so we could find out about a new shampoo?

Case study Over 5,000 bunny rabbits were maimed or killed during the research process to develop Herbal Essence.

Analogy Just because animals can’t verbalize their pain doesn’t mean they don’t have emotions. It’s like a hungry baby who wants food, but he can’t tell you.

PERSUASIVE ESSAY FORMAT (5 PARAGRAPH ESSAY) Introduction-attention grabber, background, and position statement 2. Reason of Support #1 for Position and explanation 3. Reason of Support #2 for Position and explanation Counterarguments and rebuttals 5. Conclusion- Restate your position and call the audience to action.