Persuasion

How to get what you want!

Journal: Your Life!

Think back to when you were younger and you REALLY wanted your parent(s) to get/give you something.
Ex: clothing, trip, pet, toy, etc.

Answer the following question in your journal:

What were some of the ways you tried to convince your parents to get/give you that special something?

Persuasive Text
Text that is designed to move or sway the reader/listener through the use of argument, whether to change the reader's opinion or to rally support for a cause or belief. Persuasion is considered one of the four traditional forms of composition (along with description, exposition, and narration).

There are several types of persuasion:

doublespeak fear glittering generalities name-calling ad hominem apologise astroturf bad science bait and switch big lie buzz buzzwords controlling the message demonizing the opposition disinformation divide and conquer echo chamber front group greenwashing guerrilla marketing junk science misinformation photographic manipulation policy laundering politics of personal destruction Political Code Words product placement providing pictures push poll quoting out of context repetition straw man talking points vagueness video news releases viral marketing (word of mouth)

Dont

freak out; we arent going to learn all

of them, but we will learn some of them!

THERE ARE FOUR MAIN MODES:

Double Speak
language deliberately constructed to disguise its actual meaning Examples:
capital punishment: death penalty, state execution. creation science: religion pretending to be science pre-owned: used, second-hand.

Fear
Scares the person trying to be persuaded to whatever view is less frightening. Examples: Go hit him before he hits you. If you have a gun in your house your child will die.

Glittering Generalities
words that have different positive meaning for individual subjects, but are linked to highly valued concepts. Examples:
Words often used as glittering generalities are honor, glory, love of country, and especially in the United States, freedom.

Name Calling
attack that draws a vague equivalence between a concept and a person, group or idea. By linking the person or idea being attacked to a negative symbol, the propagandist hopes that the audience will reject the person or the idea on the basis of the symbol, instead of looking at the available evidence. Examples:
Redneck Terrorist Sissy

Some other techniques that we see frequently are:

Apologize: to make people believe you are sorry. Bad Science: facts presented that are not based on scientific research. Buzz: word of mouth to hype up a product or idea. Demonizing the opposition: making opponents look negative.

Beautiful people
This works in print ads or media. deals with famous people or depicts attractive, happy people. This makes other people think that if they buy a product or follow a certain idea, they too will be happy or successful. Ex: Lebron James endorsing shoes. Ex: Oprah endorsing Obama.

The Common Man

The "plain folks" or "common man" approach attempts to convince the audience that the persuader's positions reflect the common sense of the people.
Ex: Michael Vick, Im not a speech writer, so Ill just speak from the heart.

Transfer
this is involves using the positive or negative qualities of one person, symbol, or object onto another to make the second more acceptable or to discredit it. (Like an allusion) Ex: swastikas over other visual images (e.g. logos).

Expert Opinion
When a person related to the issue is asked to give their opinion or experience.

Ex: A teacher gives a speech at an education conference. Ex: A domestic abuse victim tells about his/her experience to warn others. Ex: A doctor recommends a diet pill.

There are three basic appeals in persuasion:

1. Ethos 2. Pathos 3. Logos

Ethos:
Relates to ones character, credibility , or ethics. Examples:
name-calling demonizing the opposition

Pathos
Appeals made to emotions Examples:
Apologize Glittering Generalities Fear Double speak

Logos
Uses logic and persuades people by using reasoning. Examples:
Bad science Giving facts and statistics Money

Ethos
Character

Pathos
Emotions

Logos
Logic

Name calling Demonizing the opposition The Common Man Expert Opinion

Apologize Glittering generalities Fear Double Speak Beautiful People Transfer

Bad Science Facts Statistics Money

In the following statements made by celebrities and athletes, identify the types of persuasion used.

Michael Vick:
He was arrested for animal cruelty for fighting dogs. The dogs died while being brutally attacked by other dogs, and if the dog lost the fight, it was shot to death. He issued the following apology about the situation:

Michael Vick:
Please refer to your handout for the following questions:

Questions: What is his primary type of persuasion? Are there any others? If so, what are they? Would you forgive him? Why or why not?

Michael Richards
He is a comedian that played Kramer on Seinfeld. He was performing a standup performance when he got upset at the audience and began shouting atrocious racial slurs at the audience. Next are excerpts from his apology on The David Letterman Show. He later met with and apologized to Jesse Jackson.

Michael Richards:
"I got heckled and took it badly and went into a rage," he said in an interview Monday night via satellite on CBS' "Late Show With David Letterman." Richards said, "I am not a racist! That's what's so insane about this. For me to be on stage, and flip out and say this stuff, I'm deeply, deeply sorry."
Questions: What is his primary mode of persuasion? Are there any others? Would you forgive him, why or why not?

Yolanda Saldivar
She was found guilty of murdering Latin musical sensation Selena Quintanilla although she says it was an accident. It is believed that while she was the president of Selenas fan club, and she was stealing money. When Selena tried to confront her, she shot her. Next are various statements made by Yolanda.

Yolanda Saldivar
"Selena started walking towards the door...I pulled the hammer back and I shot at her as she was walking towards the door..." A state trooper has testified that he overheard Saldivar claim the shooting was accidental, and that she objected when police failed to include it in her statement. In later years, she stated that she had been the protector of the singer's private life. When interviewed by journalist, Saldvar claimed to have in her possession a diary, a letter, and a video as evidence of Selena cheating on her spouse. She also claimed to possess a suitcase with clothes Selena had asked her to keep only days before her death, with plans to run away with her supposed lover, Mexican plastic surgeon Ricardo Martnez. Martinez denied any affair with the singer.
Questions: What is his primary mode of persuasion? Are there any others? Would you forgive her, why or why not?

Now:
We are going to find examples of persuasion in texts we have already read and in NEW texts!

Directions:
1. You will read through texts looking for specific types of persuasion. 2. You will mark each example in a different way. 3. In the margin, you will explain how it fits that type of persuasion.

Fear Glittering Generalities Name Calling Demonizing the Opposition

Underline Circle Box