Elements of Persuasion Purpose: the specific reason or reasons for the writing What purpose may a writer have for writing? Audience: the writer’s targeted reader or readers What questions should the writer ask himself or herself about audience?

Persuasion:trying to get someone to think, believe, or act in a particular way Claim: the statement that calls for an opinion that presents a position on an issue Opinion: purely subjective and unverifiable – cannot be argued Position:one’s view about the issue Fact:that which is verifiable – cannot be argued Issue: that which is being argued; the problem

Logical Fallacies ad hominem (to the individual) – attacking the person instead of the topic ad populum (to the crowd) – appealing to popular opinion circular reasoning – arguing a claim is true by repeating it in different ways Logical fallacies are errors in reasoning that render an argument invalid. either/or reasoning – setting up two extreme positions, denying any possible middle ground hasty generalization – stereotyping, sexism, racism, etc.

red herring – bringing up irrelevant points to distract attention from the issue slanting – choosing words that are emotional or carry strong feelings (can be effective, but not always accepted as a valid argumentative style) Denotation: the primary or dictionary meaning of a word Connotation: a secondary or “popular” meaning of a word Example:the word “gay” “happy” “homosexual” “stupid”

Let’s Review Persuasion Claim Opinion Fact Position Issue

Appeals of Logos, Pathos, and Ethos Logos:the appeal to logic by using tangible evidence Pathos:the appeal to emotions Ethos: the appeal of the writer’s credibility by eliminating fallacies

And now for a little style... Parallel Structure using the same grammatical form to express ideas of the same importance Example: The giraffe combines traits that seem contradictory; it is gangly, graceful, and has dignity. Example: Having a new car meant more to Dad than Mom. Example: That you learn responsibility is as important as doing your schoolwork. Active Voice a sentence in which the subject performs the action of the verb Passive Voice a sentence in which the action of the verb is performed upon its subject The blazing fire blistered the outside walls. The tree was struck by lightning during the storm last night.

Formulaic Writing Characteristics of A Formulaic Paper 1.The writer announces his or her thesis and three supporting ideas in the opening paragraph. 2.The writer restates one supporting idea to begin each of the three body paragraphs. 3.The writer repeats or restates his/her controlling idea and supporting points in the final paragraph. 4.Entire sentences may be repeated verbatim from the introduction, used as topic sentences in each of the body paragraphs, and repeated in the conclusion. WRONG!!!

Formulaic Writing Formulaic writing does not demonstrate an understanding of the principles of effective organization. Formulaic writing does not demonstrate a purposeful grouping or sequencing of ideas. Formulaic writing does not demonstrate an understanding of transitions. With regards to the GHSWT, formulaic writing will adversely affect a writer’s scores in Ideas, Organization, Style, and Conventions because the repetition limits the variety demonstrated in each scoring domain.

Then, What Am I Supposed To Do? First of all, four paragraphs are OK! Always avoid the “First Paragraph Dump.” Have a “grabber” or a “hook.” It can be a question or an anecdote. Your claim/thesis doesn’t need to be the first sentence of the opening paragraph. Heck, it doesn’t even need to be in the first paragraph! Avoid writing the following: “My first reason is…”, “Second, I’d like to talk about…”, “The reason I am writing this is…” Do not repeat your opening paragraph as your closing paragraph.