Introduction to the Art of Persuasion

9th Grade Composition

The Rhetorical Situation• In beginning to think about argument and

persuasion, it is imperative that we take a step back from the argument itself and think about the REASON for arguing.

• We will use the structure for analyzing an argument developed by David Joliffe, a professor of rhetoric

Rhetorical Situation• Joliffe begins by thinking about the reason for

the argument.• What is happening? Why does the argument

need to be made?• Who are you arguing to?• What do you hope to achieve with your

argument?

MLK: “I have a dream’I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.I have a dream today1963

exigence• Exigence: What is the reason for

arguing? What are the circumstances that are happening that are setting the stage for the argument to be made?

INJUSTICE Self-Interest

An election?

Exigence• Speech: MLK’s “I Have Dream”• Exigence: For years in America, black

Americans have been mistreated. American laws exist so that black Americans are disadvantaged. Now, in 1963 The Civil Rights Movement has reached a peak. 200,000-300,000 Americans of all races marched on Washington in support of equal rights for all races. Martin Luther King Jr. has the opportunity to speak about his cause.

audience• Audience: Who is the argument directed at?

Who do you want to persuade? • Be careful that you don’t just make the

assumption that everyone is the audience. This assumption is harmful in your analysis of someone else’s writing and when you are crafting your own arguments. If you want to be really convincing, you need to know who your audience is.

audience• Speech: MLK’s “I Have Dream”• Audience: MLK addresses mostly

Americans who are supporting the Civil Rights Movement, since those are the people in attendance at the march. Though his primary audience are the supporters of his cause, his secondary audience are those people who might disagree with him. In speaking, MLK needed to be aware that he was addressing both supporters and non-supporters of his cause.

PURPOSE• Purpose: What is the writer hoping to

achieve? • Purpose is different than exigence because it

focuses on the desired outcome rather than the initial stages that create the setting for the outcome. While exigence is about what happens to initiate the argument, purpose addresses what the writer hopes the outcome will be.

Purpose• Some Common

Purposes:• to inform• to convince/ to

persuade• to call to action• to entertain• to describe• to define• to instruct

• to explain

• to influence• to urge• to change• to defend

purpose• Speech: MLK’s “I Have Dream”• Purpose: MLK speaks not just to

inform the audience of the injustice that exists in the United States at the time, but to motivate his audience to act. The speech does not dwell on the current situation, but instead looks to the future. MLK calls for change from individuals in order to achieve a collective goal.

Differentiating between exigence and purpose

The SPEECH

Exigence(Causes the speech to be written)

Purpose

(The desired outcome of the speech)