Analyzing Persuasive Text Can they change your mind?

What is persuasive text? Text (or media sources) in which the authors share their perspectives in order to influence the attitudes or actions of others. BIG QUESTION: How does an author influence the attitude and/or actions of others through persuasive text?

Presidential nominees… Obama 2012 Romney 2012

Aphorism- A concise statement of a general truth or principle. Aphorisms are sayings that have truth in them: Example: “A penny saved is a penny earned.” “Give your brain as much attention as you do your hair and you’ll be a thousand times better off”

Aphorisms:

Epigraph- A quotation at the beginning of a literary work to introduce the theme. Epigraphs introduce the main idea of the speech or literary work to an audience. Example: “I meant what I said, and I said what I meant …An elephant’s faithful – one hundred per cent!” -Dr. Seuss, Horton Hatches the Egg. Epigraph from Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen

Epigraphs:

Terms to Evaluate Persuasive Text Factual claim (FACT) – A statement that claims truth and contains no value language. Assertion – An opinion or declaration stated with conviction. Opinion – A personal view or belief based on emotions or interpretation of facts.

Factual Claim (FACT):

Assertion:

Opinion:

Rhetorical fallacy: An Argument that is not sound but may still be convincing. Loaded term-a term or phrase that has strong emotional overtones and that is meant to evoke strong reactions beyond the specific meaning. Caricature-a distortion of characteristics or defects of a person or thing, either in picture or in words. Leading question-a question worded to suggest the desired response.

Loaded terms: Using the term death tax instead of estate tax.

Caricature:

Loaded question:

Logical Fallacy: Depends on faulty logic. False assumptions-flawed ideas that emerge when a reader pieces information together solely by inference and fails to consider other possible interpretations. Incorrect premise-a faulty idea that is used as the foundation of an argument.

False Assumptions: A woman leaves home and makes three left turns. She returns home again. On the way she passes two women wearing masks. Who were the two women?

False Assumption cont’d: Answer: The two women were the catcher and the umpire. False assumption: That the woman was walking down the street. She is on a baseball field.

Incorrect Premise:

Now let’s re-watch or campaign videos and look for examples of persuasive text. Obama 2012 Romney 2012