What is Persuasive/Argumentative Writing?

Persuasion is everywhere!We get persuasive messages every day:Buy this productVote for this candidateDrive this carVacation hereUse this credit cardAttend this collegeGo eat at this new restaurant

Is it persuasion or is it brainwashing? Messages I think I hear sometimes…

Text messaging is essential to life!

You MUST be on Facebook 24/7.

Carry your cell phone with you at all times.

Charge it and pay later (or never at all).

You must never be bored! Plug in the IPOD, go to ITunes or YouTube….

Sorting out facts from opinion A factual statement: I am a teacher at

Creekland Middle School. We can verify this statement rather easily.

A statement that expresses an opinion: I love teaching at CMS! (This statement is different; you cannot “get” inside my head to see if I am being sincere or sarcastic)

Taking it a step further….from opinion to persuasion “I am the best language arts teacher at CMS! Am I?? What is my evidence? I am gifted certified. I have been Teacher of the Year. I teach advanced language arts. But am I the BEST?? Who would be best

qualified to call me that? (Maybe my students from last year?)

A working definition of argumentative or persuasive writing Writing that presents an argument – a

statement that uses one or more of the persuasive appeals and some sort of support – in order to change your viewpoint or shape your behavior

Persuasion is basic to our lives. Do you want to go see a BORING movie? Eat at the same place every time? We use persuasion to negotiate with friends

and family: let’s go see this movie BECAUSE it’s…..let’s go eat at this new restaurant BECAUSE it’s….let’s skip going to Grandma’s house and check out the new mall BECAUSE….

So, let’s look at four things we expect to find in a written argument

A clear statement of the writer’s argument or position on the issue (the thesis)

Evidence that supports our purpose(statistics, research, expert testimony, and examples)

Clear explanations of how this evidence actually supports the thesis

A sense of the bigger picture, or context

What types of things do we argue about? You cannot argue about facts (gravity, the

existence of Alaska, the sum of 34 + 23, etc.) To argue about something, you need an issue

that generates some controversy Civic and political issues certainly provide

us with ideas, especially as they apply on a local level. Should our town build a new library?

Is private school better than public school? National issues could include bringing back

the draft, changing the driving age, or Obamacare.

Possible stances on an issue We agree with the argument We can provide support for it – with

facts, stories, and statistics We can provide a counterargument—

argue against it and show how it is wrong

We often talk about having taken a position on a topic and it means pro or con (I’m for immigration reform…or I am opposed to immigration reform)

Taking a position…

This is also called a rhetorical stance

The point is to clarify your own thinking and determine where you stand, and then articulate your ideas to your reader

Two kinds of persuasive essays

1. The Position paper – I support _____I am opposed to

__________Pro vs. con

Three kinds of persuasive appealsThese are the tools you can use to

persuade your listener or reader:Ethos (ethics) (Right vs.

Wrong)Pathos (emotion)Logos (logic)

Ethos

Ethos refers to ethics, or what is right or wrong

These workers are fighting for fair wages and appealing to the ethos of their boss

Pathos

Pathos refers to emotion A persuasive appeal could be

a sad story about the evils of spam and hackers in an email urging you to sign your name to a new petition for prosecute these criminals to the fullest!

However, it could also be another kind of emotion—such as a salesman saying how good you look in that car (the color of the exterior just matches your baby blues!)

Logos

Logos refers to the use of logic

This tool depends on an almost mathematical approach.

If 2 plus 2 equals 4, then……no emotion, no ethics.

However, it is also used by lawyers: if the defendant has an eye witness to support his alibi, he could not have been at the scene of the crime.

Therefore, he is innocent of the crime.

Supporting arguments Arguments need

support to be effective

You back up your arguments with evidence and explanations

This used to refer to print sources (books, magazines, newspapers).

New sources of evidence

Web based publications (blogs, wikis, organizational websites, etc.)

Organization’s web pageNewspapers, reference

materials onlineOther electronic sources

(databases)

Research resources geared for argumentative essays Here is a site focused on collecting

research http://www.procon.org/ Their home page has links to a variety

of controversial topics, including voting machines.

Questions about evidence

Is the evidence clearly related to the issue or argument?

Do you have enough evidence? Can you verify it? Is it up to date? Does it come from reliable sources?

How to handle differing views Summarize differing views fairly Refute – explain why they are wrong Concede – if you agree with some, say

so and then clarify how you still differ Negotiate – look for ways you can work

out your differing views

Polarized arguments

This is an important term; it means that some controversies tend to put people into extreme opposites

When this happens, people may end up trying to out-shout each other, rather than discussing their differences in a calm manner.

How do we break the gridlock? Look for common ground—what CAN

we agree on? Sort out the noise from the

facts….what evidence can we find to support our views?

If necessary, agree to disagree respectfully….without the name calling and temper tantrums of cable TV

Closing thoughts

We don’t always agree on important issues

When we don’t, we need to support our views with evidence, and respect others’ views too

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdLsQcYyAcc