The Art of Persuasion

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The Art of Persuasion
Give me liberty or give me death!
God holds you much as one holds a spider
A common murderer, a highwayman, or a house
breaker, has as good a pretense as he.
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Appeal

• Logical (logos)
• Logical appeal is the strategic
• use of logic, claims, and
• evidence to convince an
• audience of a certain point.
• Stong, clear claims
• Clear reasons for claims
• Strong evidence (facts, statistics, personal
  experience, expert authority, interviews,
  observations, anecdotes)
• Acknowledgement of the opposition

• Emotional (pathos)
• Not surprisingly, emotional appeals target the
  emotions of the reader to create some kind of
  connection with the writer.
• Reinforce logical arguments
• Use diction and imagery to create a bond with the
  reader in a human way
• Appeal to idealism, beauty, humor, nostalgia,
  pity, or fear
• Are presented in a fair manner

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Thesis vs. Purpose

• Thesis
• Main idea
• Point writer is trying to prove
• Edwards tried to prove that God was in complete
  control of everyones eternal life.

• Purpose
• What writer hopes to accomplish with his/her
  writing
• Edwards wanted people to hear his sermon and be
  compelled to be born again.

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Persuasive Devices

• Allusion reference to someone or something well
  known from history, literature, religion,
  politics, sports, science, etc.
• Used to help people make a personal connection
  with a topic with which they might be unfamiliar.

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Persuasive Devices

• Analogy comparison made between two things to
  show how they are alike
• Often used as emotional appeal
• i.e. College students and kindergartners are
  similar because they cherish nap-time and believe
  that macaroni and cheese can be breakfast, lunch
  and dinner

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Persuasive Devices

• Anecdote very brief story told to illustrate a
  point or serves as an example
• Can be either logical or emotional appeal
• Susie always did what her friends did because
  she wanted them to accept her and think she was
  cool. Then one day Susies friends decided to
  jump off a cliff, so Susie did as well. Now they
  are all dead. Basically, dont follow the crowd
  it could lead to accidental death.

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Persuasive Devices

• Concession writer acknowledges an argument from
  the opposition and then proves why that argument
  is wrong.
• Often used as logical appeal
• My parents say that eating my vegetables will
  help me form healthy eating habits as well as
  gain important vitamins and nutrients. While
  this may be true, let me point out that my
  parents also tell me not to let anyone pressure
  me into doing something I believe to be wrong.
  Is this not what youre doing, Mom and dad? STOP
  PRESSURING ME, HYPOCRITES!

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Persuasive Devices

• Metaphor direct comparison of two unlike things
• Direct Metaphor
• Fame is a bee
• Implied Metaphor
• I like to see the train lap the river
• Extended Metaphor
• House Mighty Architect from Bradstreet

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Persuasive Devices

• Parallelism repetition of phrase or words that
  have similar grammatical structure
• Emphasizes a point
• Government of the people, by the people, for the
  people

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Persuasive Devices

• Repetition emphasizes a point by repeating the
  same phrase
• Often used as emotional appeal
• Martin Luther Kings I Have a Dream speech

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Persuasive Devices

• Rhetorical Question question asked not to
  solicit an answer, but to emphasize a point
  and/or make the reader actively think about the
  situation
• Used as either logical or emotional appeal
• How many times do I have to tell you to do your
  homework?!