Thien “Christian” Nguyen Prep #13

Preparing to Participate: Chapter 17

Argument Model1. Define argument. What are the six elements of an argument?

Argument is the process of advancing claims supported by evidence and reasoning. Six elements of an argument are

o Claims: The point that a speaker advocates or a conclusion whose merit must be established. For example:

Smoking should be banned in public places.o Evidence is employed to substantiate a speaker’s claim and may take several forms

including statistics, analogies, facts, examples, and testimony Syrian people are living in poor conditions. UN High Commissioner for

Refugees Antonio Guterres addressed in the press release on January 2015 that two-third of refugees temporarily locating in Jordan have been living below the national poverty line.

o Evidence Credibility Statement is a brief statement that establishes the quality of the information you are using to support your ideas.

According to the October 10, 2015 New York Times article, the United States promised to take in 10,000 Syrian refugees in the following year. However, the new quota still is the subject of public of criticism because of its small effort.

o Warrant provides the justification and reasoning to connect the evidence with your claim. Claim: Syrian refugee crisis has some impacts on the United States. Evidence: According to the October 10, 2015 New York Times article, the

United States promised to take in 10,000 Syrian refugees in the following year. However, the new quota still is the subject of public of criticism because of its small effort.

Warrant: American people wants the government to provide larger support for Syrian refugees.

o Qualifiers are words or phrases that are added to another word to modify its meaning or increase its absolute. As a persuasive speaker, one should avoid using these words since one rarely discuss issues in absolute terms.

Syrian people have always been living in poor conditions. UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres addressed in the press release on January 2015 that two-third of refugees temporarily locating in Jordan have been living below the national poverty line.

o Rebuttal is a consideration and an attack on counterargument to successfully persuade your audience.

Diane Ravitch, one of the most respected voices on public education, express her opinion that “standardized testing is a monster that ate American education.” Press coverage and scholarly debates have successfully created widespread opposition against standardized testing in America society. Even though these opinions have their merits, they fail to provide bigger picture on the topic.

2. What's the difference between an argument and a disagreement? What are the consequences of neglecting one of the six elements of a persuasive speech?

Disagreements is an acceptance of two different opinions. Arguments is a use of persuasive speaking to persuade other people to change their values, beliefs, or behaviors.

The consequences of neglecting:o Claims: Your audience will not understand what is a conclusion you are trying to

establish

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Thien “Christian” Nguyen Prep #13

o Evidence: Your claim will not be supported by concrete and trustable supporting material, which will reduce your credibility as a speaker.

o Evidence credibility statement: Your evidence will lack credibility since you do not persuade your audience to see this supporting material as compelling and plausible.

o Warrant: Your audience will not be able to find the relationship between your reasoning and the evidence you present to substantive that reasoning.

o Qualifiers: The use of absolute term in a speech will reduce your credibility, especially if your audience is aware of exceptions to the claim.

o Rebuttal: Your audience will see the lack of counterargument in your speech as an evidence for your bias and week research on the topic.

Persuasive Appeals3. What are the three persuasive appeals?

The three persuasive appeals”o Logos refers to the rational proofs one uses make in an argument. Speakers employ logos

by presenting credible information as supporting material and verbally citing their sources during their speech. There are four types of rational proofs:

Inductive reasoning reaches conclusions through the citation of examples. For example, in the address to the nation on the evening of September 11, 2011, President Bush lists a series of events from the day, which leads to the conclusion that the terrorist attacks failed to shake the foundation of America.

Deductive reasoning begins with a generalization and moves logically to an application in a specific case:

All humans are mortal. (Major premise) Socrates is a human: (Minor premise) Socrates is mortal: (Conclusion)

Casual reasoning argues to establish a relationship between a cause and an effect. Eating more local foods will boost the local economy and make you

healthier. Analogical reasoning helps clarify complex situations by comparing them with

situations more familiar to the audience. You can try to persuade a university to adopt an alcohol education

program by citing the program’s success at another institutions with supporting material such as statistics and testimony from students.

o Pathos refers to emotional appeal. Speakers appeal to pathos by using vivid language, providing testimony

(personal stories from self or others), using figurative language, and using vocal variety.

o Ethos refers to the credibility of a speaker and includes three dimensions: (1) competence refers to the perception of a speaker’s expertise on the topic; (2) character refers to the degree that audience members perceive a speaker to be trustworthy and sincere; and (3) goodwill reflects the extent to which an audience perceives that the speaker is concerned about them. There are three types of speaker credibility:

Initial credibility refers to your credibility before you give the speech by revealing your training, credentials, experiences, etc.

Derived credibility is the credibility a speaker develops during a speech by citing sources, providing quality arguments, etc.

Terminal credibility is the credibility given to a speaker at the end of the speech.

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Thien “Christian” Nguyen Prep #13

4. Which of these appeals do you think is most effective? How might you use all there appeals in your persuasive speech in class?

I believe that appeal to credibility is the most effective method since the trust given one by the audience is the most important determinant of the success of his or her speech.

In order to use the appeal to logic, I will employ an appropriate ration proof to present my supporting material that back up my claim.

In order to use the appeal to emotions, I will practice vocal variety and incorporate personal testimony into the speech to help my audience relates more easily to what I am going to say.

In order to use the appeal to credibility, I will cite sources accurately, check the credentials of the sources that I am planning to use.

Evaluating Arguments for Fallacies5. What are the common fallacies of reasoning?

A fallacy occurs when an argument is based on unsound reasoning or evidence. These are six most common fallacies:

o Ad hominem occurs when a speaker attacks the character of the person to make an argument.

Of course you would support same-sex marriage, because you are gay.o Bandwagon suggest that something is true because many other people agree with it or are

doing it. Everyone I know is donating money to Hilary’s presidential campaign, so she’s

obviously the best candidate for president.o Slippery slope occurs when a speaker asserts that some event must follow from another

toward disaster. If the United States goes to help this country in need, then we will be expected to

intervene any time there’s a conflict in the world.o False dilemma asserts that a complicated has only two answers, when more actually

exists. Immigrants to the United States should learn English or go back to their own

country.o Appeal to Authority rests on the assumption that because an authority figures says

something, it must be true. As your dentist, I would recommend Viceroys (a cigarette brand)

o Red herring occurs when a speaker introduces irrelevant information into an argument to mask the real issue under discussion.

I have worked hard to reduce crime level my state. Therefore, the economic growth can only come from the hands of such strong leadership.

6. What are the consequences of using reasoning in your speech? What are your perceptions of speakers who use fallacies?

The consequences of these fallacies of reasoning is that:o You will damage your credibilityo Your logic progression will be greatly interruptedo Your organizational pattern will become unclear.

Speakers who use fallacies will appear to be less trustable in the eyes of their audience. They will also question the speakers’ character and intention.

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Thien “Christian” Nguyen Prep #13

Critical Interaciton: Chapter 17

Description of Advertisement: An advertisement of a cigarette brand called Viceroys

1. After a quick glance, what are your first impressions of the advertisement? It promotes the use of cigarettes based on the recommendation from a dentist

2. Who do you believe is the target audience for the advertisement (male, female, teenagers, moms, grandparents, etc.) Why?

Everyone who still questions the impact cigarettes have on their health.3. What emotional appeals (pathos) were advertisers trying to target in this ad? Explain.

Emotion: the inclination to follow whatever a dentist (or a doctor) says.4. What logical appeals (logos) were advertisers trying to target in this the ad? Explain.

Casual reasoning: because a dentist recommends Viceroys, it must be good for your health5. How did the advertisers try to create credibility (ethos)?

By using the authority figure like a dentist, the advertisers created credibility for this add6. What is the slogan, if any? - “Filter the Smoke”7. Are there any fallacies used in the ad? If so, which ones—explain?

Appeal to authority: They introduced an authority figure such as a dentist to prove that everything he says about Viceroys must be true.

8. What is your overall impression of the advertisement based on what you have discovered in the earlier questions? Are you persuaded to buy the product?

Obviously, this notion is not popular anymore. However, when this advertisement was first released, many people believed that filter on a cigarette would protect their teeth. It was proved that the method of using a dentist and his recommendation was very effective.

I am not persuaded to buy this product

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