PERSAUSIVE WRITING CONTINUED

• You need: – Journal (just in case) – Salmon-colored persuasive strategies sheet – Something to write with

Persuasive Body Paragraphs

EXAMPLES of Strategies

Persuasive Body Paragraphs

• Persuasive Language • Expert Testimony • House that Jack Built • Concession/Rebuttal • Compromise/Problem Solving • Facts/Statistics • Anecdotes

Persuasive Language

• It’s all about VOICE: – HOW you say it—emotion words, repetition, etc.

• Think POLITICAL SPEECHES and you are on the right track! – “I have a dream…” – What are WORDS associated with Obama’s 2008

presidential campaign?? • HOPE • CHANGE

Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address • "Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth

on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting-place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead who struggled here have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us--that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to

that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion--that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth."

• HINT: Repetition in THREES is a POWERFUL persuasive AND story-telling tool!

Expert Testimony

• Voices of Authority: – “As Abraham Lincoln stated in his Gettysbury

Address…” – “The Second Amendment of our Bill of Rights

states…” • Use 1+ arguments to support yourself!

– “I think chimpanzees should be allowed to go to school with us because…#1…#2…#3…”

– Shoot for THREE reasons why in your declaratory/thesis statement and you are set!

• 3 reasons = 3 body paragraphs for 5 paragraph essay

Know these and use them!!!

House that Jack Built • Cause & Effect: a + b + c = ??

– The original nursery rhyme!

This is the house that Jack built!

This is the malt that lay in the house that Jack built. This is the rat that ate the malt That lay in the house that Jack built. This is the cat that killed the rat That ate the malt that lay in the house that Jack built. This is the dog that worried the cat That killed the rat that ate the malt That lay in the house that Jack built. This is the cow with the crumpled horn That tossed the dog that worried the cat That killed the rat that ate the malt That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the maiden all forlorn That milked the cow with the crumpled horn That tossed the dog that worried the cat That killed the rat that ate the malt That lay in the house that Jack built. This is the man all tattered and torn That kissed the maiden all forlorn That milked the cow with the crumpled horn That tossed the dog that worried the cat That killed the rat that ate the malt That lay in the house that Jack built. This is the priest all shaven and shorn That married the man all tattered and torn That kissed the maiden all forlorn That milked the cow with the crumpled horn That tossed the dog that worried the cat That killed the rat that ate the malt That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the cock that crowed in the morn That waked the priest all shaven and shorn That married the man all tattered and torn That kissed the maiden all forlorn That milked the cow with the crumpled horn That tossed the dog that worried the cat That killed the rat that ate the malt That lay in the house that Jack built. This is the farmer sowing his corn That kept the cock that crowed in the morn That waked the priest all shaven and shorn That married the man all tattered and torn That kissed the maiden all forlorn That milked the cow with the crumpled horn That tossed the dog that worried the cat That killed the rat that ate the malt That lay in the house that Jack built!

More Cause & Effect

• If You Give A Cat A Cupcake

APPLYING Cause & Effect “The House That Jack Built”

Cause/Effect – example

Just stay home. The unexcused absence policy at our school is ineffective and needs to be changed. Currently, this policy actually encourages misbehaving. If students skip class, they get one hour of detention. If they then fail to report to detention for three days in a row, they receive one day of at-home suspension. Therefore, this policy punishes a student who skips class by letting them stay home. This actually gives the student more time away from school – just what the school doesn’t want.

Cause/Effect – Transitional Phrases

• Because • As a result of • Consequently • Due to • Since • For this reason • Accordingly • For

• Therefore • Hence • Furthermore • If/Then • Thus • Although • Owing to • So

Just stay home. The unexcused absence policy at our school is ineffective and needs to be changed. Currently, this policy actually encourages misbehaving. If students skip class, they get one hour of detention. If they then fail to report to detention for three days in a row, they receive one day of at-home suspension. Therefore, this policy punishes a student who skips class by letting them stay home. This actually gives the student more time away from school – just what the school doesn’t want.

Cause/Effect – example

Concession/Rebuttal

–Recognizing the opposing viewpoint –Conceding something may have some merit –Then countering with another argument

There is nothing more important to students than the ability to express their unique sense of self. Whether it’s grunge, goth, or glam, each student at our high school is a person whose voice must be heard. Dress codes would turn us all into a bland, uniform mass of white and navy. Having a school dress code might improve discipline, which might be true in schools where students fight over shoes, but enforcing a dress code will cause student rebellion, generating even more discipline issues than we have now. Some say a dress code will reduce the numbers of cliques in school, but students will adapt and find new ways to express themselves. Hairstyles, piercings, and tattoos will not just prove which group the student belongs to, but will make students even more of a discipline problem when the tattoos permanently express youth distress. We are still individuals and should be allowed to express ourselves, and allowed our civil rights. Students must never be forced to wear uniforms at the school board’s wishes.

Concession/Rebuttal

Concession/Rebuttal

• A reader of your essay is more likely to listen to you if you show you can see his/her point of view before you counter that argument.

• Concession is when you acknowledge or consider the opposing viewpoint, conceding something that has some merit.

• Rebuttal is when your own argument proves the other side to be flawed, and shows your argument is stronger.

Concession/Rebuttal – Looking at the Other Side

• Concession is a strategy. – Concede only one or two points. – Choose what you concede strategically.

• Rebuttal is a strategy. – Not everything needs rebuttal. – Rebut the most important or most easily supported points.

• Students have used Concession/Rebuttal successfully on the HSPE.

Concession/Rebuttal: Transitional Phrases

• It is true that…however…therefore… • Certainly…but…in short… • Admittedly…on the other hand…so… • Of course…nevertheless…as a result… • Obviously…on the contrary…finally… • Sure…however…in addition…

Concession/Rebuttal – example one Find the transitions in this paragraph. It is true that students should not have headphones on when their teachers are giving a lesson. Students should not be allowed to block out their teachers. However, when every member of the class is working individually after important information has been given, listening to music can be a helpful learning tool. It would create a more relaxing, calm environment for learning. Some students can concentrate more while listening to music. As a result grades could go up and it would definitely make school more enjoyable. Therefore, our school should allow headphones in the classroom.

Concession/Rebuttal – student sample Example 1 It is true that students should not have headphones on when their teachers are giving a lesson. Students should not be allowed to block out their teachers. However, when every member of the class is working individually after important information has been given, listening to music can be a helpful learning tool. It would create a more relaxing, calm environment for learning. Some students can concentrate more while listening to music. As a result grades could go up and it would definitely make school more enjoyable. Therefore, our school should allow headphones in the classroom.

Problem/Solution Compromise? It’s in the wording!

…Explain the problem or issue, and suggest how it can be solved…

Can be in your last body paragraph or part

of your conclusion, you choose!

Problem/Solution – Transitional Phrases

• A possible remedy • The best solution • A better way • A feasible solution • The proposed solution

• The real problem is • The underlying issue is • The specific problem • We must acknowledge

Problem/Solution – example

Because the world dumps tons of garbage and waste onto the planet every day, recycling should become the law. The real problem is that every week, each family of four generates enough trash to fill two 32 gallon garbage cans. This happens because people are lazy, have busy lives, and buy products with excessive packaging. If people knew there was an immediate consequence for this waste, they would be more inclined to recycle. We must acknowledge that no one likes to pay a fine or have the government tell them what to do, but if recycling were required, we could reduce the amount of trash produced by at least 50%. The best solution to curbing pollution is to enforce recycling by law.

And let’s not forget the last two body paragraph strategies…

• Facts/Statistics: Facts, numbers, percents, (citation), etc. to support your argument.

• Anecdotes: Including a personal story or specific experience to give emotional appeal to your argument.