How Do Writers Persuade You?

Persuasion

Types of Evidence

Logical and Emotional Appeals

Expository Critique

Your Turn

How Do Writers Persuade You?

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Persuasion is everywhere.

Persuasion

Persuasive people can get you to see things their way:

Persuasion is the use of language or images to get us to believe or do something.

• Believe this!

• Trust me!

• Change that!

Persuasion

For writers, persuasion starts with an opinion—a belief—about a subject.

The writer then tries to convince, or persuade, you to accept this opinion.

People should donate food and supplies to the Hebron Humane Society now.

Opinion

When you use logic, you put information together to make a reasonable conclusion.

Persuasion

To build an argument, a persuasive writer will use logic, or correct reasoning.

If A is true . . .

. . . then B must be true.

Persuasion

If A is true . . .

For logic to work, each point should follow from the other in a clear, sensible way.

. . . then B must be true.

The government has cut funding for the Humane Society animal shelter.

Therefore, the shelter staff need more help from the community.

For a persuasive argument to be logical, it must be supported by reasons and evidence.

Persuasion

Reasons tell why writers hold particular opinions.

Evidence is support or proof that backs up the reasons.

People should donate because the Humane Society benefits the entire community.

Sheltering homeless animals keeps them off the street.

Persuasion

Evidence is the foundation of persuasive writing.

Evidence for Reason 3



Reason 3Reason 2Reason 1

Writer’s Opinion

Persuasion

Budget was cut by $50,000

last year.

People can adopt a dog or cat for a very small fee.

Some of the cats do not have

beds or toys.

Humane Society is low on funds.

The shelter benefits the community.

Supplies are low.

People should donate food and supplies to the Hebron Humane Society now.

The evidence and reasons support the opinion.

What reason does the writer give for his opinion?

Persuasion

Quick Check

The school board should include money for new buses in next year’s budget. We need new school buses as soon as possible. The old ones are not reliable. Last spring, three different buses broke down, leaving students stranded on their way to school. These students waited an average of two hours for another bus to pick them up.

[End of Section]

What evidence does the writer give to support this reason?

Types of Evidence

To get you to believe or do something, writers have to present convincing evidence.

Facts Quotations Statistics Examples Anecdotes

• can be confirmed in reliable sources (books, newspapers, encyclopedias)

Types of Evidence

Facts

Every pet at the Humane Society shelter is spayed or neutered before being adopted.

• statements that can be proved true

A direct quotation is a person’s exact words:

Types of Evidence

Quotations

• comments people have made about a topic

“The staff helped us pick out just the right cat for us,” said Mrs. Lucy Fernandez of South Hebron.

An expert opinion is a statement by someone who is an expert on the subject:

Types of Evidence

Quotations

• comments people have made about a topic

Regional director Gary Stokes commented, “All animal welfare groups rely on help from their communities.”

• information presented as numbers• may be given in the text or in a chart or graph

Types of Evidence

Statistics

In the past three years, the cost of operating the shelter has increased by $30,000.

Cost to Operate Shelter

2007 2008 2009

$200,000 $220,000 $230,000

Text

Chart

Types of Evidence

Examples

• specific illustrations of a general idea

For instance, a number of cats went without their regular shots because there was no money left in the budget.

A case study is a special type of example based on scientific research.

Types of Evidence

Examples

In a long-term study, Lynette Winters, D.V.M., showed that pets adopted from shelters where conditions were good made better, healthier pets than those adopted from less desirable shelters.

Types of Evidence

Anecdotes

• brief personal accounts that illustrate a point

On several occasions, Jared Epps, an adoption counselor at the shelter, has had to leave his desk, drive to a nearby pet store, and buy food for the animals himself, using his own money.

For each item, identify the type of evidence. Choose from the list below.

Types of Evidence

Quick Check

1. “If there were a convenient, safe trail, I would ride my bike to work most days,” said Ms. Brenda Gibson of Ridgecrest.

2. The city has not added any new bike paths since 1998.

3. A recent survey showed that 1 in every 30 city residents currently uses a bicycle to get to and from work or school.

[End of Section]

examplequotationstatisticsanecdotefact


When you read a persuasive article or essay, look for two different types of arguments:

• support the argument with facts and other sound evidence

• target the reader’s thinking ability

If every household in Hebron would donate one twenty-pound bag of food, the shelter could feed its animals for a full year on those donations alone.

1 Logical appeals


When you read a persuasive article or essay, look for two different types of arguments:

• use evidence that affects feelings

2 Emotional appeals

• often appeal to emotions such as fear, pity, and love

Think of the poor homeless pups and kitties. Do you really want them to suffer any more than they already have?


Logical Appeal

The shelter cares for more than two thousand homeless pets every year and finds them loving homes.

Emotional Appeal

Opinion: People should donate food and supplies to the Hebron Humane Society now.

Effective persuasive writing often uses a combination of logical and emotional appeals.

What will happen to these animals if the Humane Society runs out of food, supplies, and money?

+

• Don’t be swayed by emotional appeals alone.


Be careful when reading a persuasive article or essay.

• Make sure the writer’s position is also supported by solid evidence.

Identify each statement as either a logical appeal or an emotional appeal.


Quick Check

1. Volunteering helps young people learn about work and think about careers they might like.

2. Many senior citizens would go hungry if it weren’t for the volunteers who bring them meals.

3. Students who volunteer in their communities grow up to be more successful than those who do not. [End of Section]

Critique, or evaluate, all forms of persuasion carefully to judge if the opinion is valid.

Express your evaluation by

Expository Critique

• making assertions about the opinion and the argument

• supporting your assertions with citations

ASSERTION

ASSERTION

An assertion is a statement or a claim.

A citation is evidence from a text that backs up or supports an assertion.

When you make an assertion about a text, you need to support your statement with evidence.

ASSERTION

Cita

tion

Cita

tion

Cita

tion

Expository Critique

Follow these steps to make an assertion about a text:

Identify the author’s opinion.

Identify the author’s

evidence and decide

whether it is convincing.

Make your own assertion about the argument. Support your statement with citations.

Evaluate your assertion. Is it reasonable? Is it supported by

accurate evidence from

the text?

Expository Critique

What assertion can you make about the article “The Global Classroom” based on the text below?

Many schools use e-mail and online exchanges that link students throughout the world. The International Education and Resource Network (iLEARN) is a network of schools teaching students aged 5 to 19 in more than 115 countries. Students and teachers interact in more than 30 languages to carry out online projects with peers worldwide.

In the time it takes the social studies teacher to spin the globe, her students can connect with classrooms on the other side of the country—or the other side of the world.

Expository Critique

Assertion: The Internet is a valuable tool for a global education.



Expository Critique

What evidence backs up the assertion that the Internet is a valuable tool for a global education?



Expository Critique

Evidence: These pieces of text are citations that support the assertion.



Expository Critique

You can use a chart like this one to keep track of your assertions and citations.

Assertion (Claim) Citation (Proof)

The Internet is a valuable tool for global education.

• Students can connect with classrooms on the other side of the world.

• E-mail and online exchanges link students throughout the world.

• Students and teachers interact in many languages to do online projects with peers worldwide.

Expository Critique

Based on the underlined facts, what assertion might you make about Arabic and U.S. schools?

Quick Check

[End of Section]

In the twenty-first century, however, Arabic is increasingly being seen as a language that’s helpful to know in a changing world. At several high schools in Seattle, students are learning to read, write, and speak Arabic in after-school programs. Students at Annandale High School in Virginia are already in their third and fourth years of the language.

from “The Global Classroom,” by Barbara Bakowski

Expository Critique

Analyze Persuasion

1. Give an example of a statistic you’ve heard or read. What opinion might it support?

2. Describe a television commercial you’ve seen that included an emotional appeal. To which emotion did it appeal? What assertion can you make about the commercial?

Your Turn

The End

How Do Writers Persuade You?

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