How are these advertisements persuasive?

NONFICTION The Art of Persuasion

Elements of Persuasion Writers try to persuade you when they are trying to convince you of something You are most likely to agree with writers whose ideas seem credible and whose evidence seems valid The author’s structure and tone can also influence how you react

Writer’s Intent Sometimes the writer’s goal is to change the way you think A writer may also be calling you to action, asking you to go and do something The writer communicates his or her intent objectively or subjectively An objective approach uses provable facts A subjective approach focuses on the writer’s experiences, feelings, and opinions Sometimes a writer uses both approaches

Credibility and Evidence Before responding to a persuasive text, evaluate the writer’s credibility, or believability Credibility depends on the writer’s qualifications as well as the quality of the evidence presented A writer’s qualifications might include expert status or work experience in the field about which he or she is writing

Evidence To evaluate a writer’s argument you need to confirm that it is supported with enough evidence An appeal to logic uses facts, statistics, and examples to speak to a reader’s reason and common sense Emotional appeals speak to the reader’s emotions, such as fear, sympathy, or anger An appeal to emotion may contain loaded words that carry strong connotations An appeal to emotion may also include anecdotes

Structure A good writer organizes an argument carefully and logically An argument might be organized by cause and effect problem and solution chronological order question and answer Since readers generally remember the beginning and end of a piece, writers often structure an argument so that it moves from the least important idea to the most important idea, or from a general idea to a specific call to action

Tone A writer’s tone reflects his or her attitude toward the subject or audience and is closely related to intent In persuasive writing the writer’s tone might be serious, sincere, concerned, or amused Identifying the tone of a text can help you evaluate the credibility of an argument If the writer uses a highly emotional tone for an argument that is meant to be objective, the argument might lack evidence and credibilty

From “Eulogy for Martin Luther King, Jr.,” by Robert F. Kennedy For those of you who are black and are tempted to be filled with hatred and distrust at the injustice of such an act, against all white people, I can only say that I feel in my own heart the same kind of feeling. I had a member of my family killed, but he was killed by a white man. What is the speaker’s intent? What is the tone of this passage? Is the author appealing to logic or emotion, or both?

Read: Answer: Excerpt from “Silent Spring” by Rachel Carson (page 585) “Kiss and Tell” by Judith Stone (page 589) Answer: What do Carson and Stone hope to accomplish with their concern for the environment? Who is the “grim specter” described in Carson’s essay? What does the author of “Kiss and Tell” suggest we do with the “people in power?” Do you agree with her? Carson and Stone make similar arguments in different ways. Compare and contrast the tone of their arguments. Which selection did you find more persuasive? Why? The authors of these texts use different points of view. Which narrator do you find more effective? Why?

Homework Think of a topic that you feel pretty strongly about. List specific details that would illustrate its importance. Write a persuasive paragraph about the topic, including details. *We will begin Wednesday’s class by presenting these paragraphs.