Persuasion and ArgumentEntering the Argument

Monday, March 221. Read Under the Spell by Joan Acocella and Can

35 Million Book Buyers Be Wrong? Yes. By Harold Bloom

2. Be sure to read the introductory information to learn a little about your authors.

3. Write two thesis statements in response to the following prompt (one for, one against): 1. Synthesizing at least three sources for support, take

a position that defends, challenges, or qualifies the claim that Harry Potter has had a positive impact on children’s literature.

4. Last but not least, go find your support! 1. Notice the prompt asks for three sources. This

means you need one more per thesis statement (that’s two total): one defending, and one challenging.

5. And that Burning Question: you must have your thesis statements and support with you when you come to class Wed/Thurs.

Tuesday, March 23

• Test Corrections are due today!

• What was your most recent attempt at persuasion? (Think of something from today.) Did it succeed? Why or why not?

Purpose• Argument (classically defined as an attempt to persuade,

not as an attempt to win a dispute) is usually aimed at one of several outcomes:

• Those who argue are usually attempting to persuade people – To support a cause or make a commitment– To take action– To change a situation– To change behavior or attitudes– To refute or introduce a theory– To arouse sympathy– To stimulate concern– To win agreement– To provoke anger

• Sometimes, several of these purposes are incorporated into on piece of writing.

Audience• Most readers will fit into one of the following

classes:1. Readers who already agree with the writer’s ideas and

are reading mainly for reinforcement or encouragement.

2. Readers who are interested in and inclined to agree with the issue the writer is discussing but want to know more.

3. Readers who are neutral on an issue and want explanations and arguments based on evidence and logical reasoning before they make up their mind.

4. Readers who are skeptical about an issue and will not take a stand until they hear both sides of an argument explained in complete detail

Strategies: Evidence• Must be Pertinent, Verifiable, and

Reliable• Three types of useful evidence:– Facts: valuable tool, cannot be disputed (the

stock market crashed 10/29/29)– Judgments: conclusions inferred from facts (a

doctor’s diagnosis based on symptoms); lend credibility to an argument because they are the result of careful reasoning

– Testimony: affirms or asserts facts; provides authenticity (eyewitness testimony), but must be used carefully- do not allow it to be distorted by opinion or to draw parallels to unrelated events

• Note that “Opinion” is NOT considered useful

Arranging Evidence: Logical Reasoning

• Induction- (scientific method) presents specific evidence, then moves to general conclusion

• Example: – Question: “Why is our company losing so many data

processors to other companies?”1. Most data processors are women who have preschool

children. (Fact)2. A nearby day-care center has closed because it lost

federal funding. (Fact)3. Other day-care centers in the area are inconvenient and

understaffed. (Testimony)4. Other companies provide on-site day care for children of

employees. (Fact5. On-site day care is beneficial to the emotional well-being

of bother children and their mothers. (Judgment)– Conclusion: Therefore, our company needs to provide on-

site day care to retain valuable employees.

Arranging Evidence: Logical Reasoning• Deduction- (classical reasoning) begins

with a general statement, and by restricting it is lead to a conclusion– Syllogism: if A and B, then C

• Example:Major Premise: Retention of data processors

who have preschool children is promoted by on-site day care.

Minor premise: Our company wants to retain data processors who have preschool children.

Conclusion: Our company should establish on-site day-care centers.

Arranging Evidence: Claims and Warrants• Present claims (general

assertions) first, then provide evidence to support the claim – the statement that links the claim to

the evidence is called a warrant.– Support: strengthens argument– Qualifiers: modify or limit a claim– Reservations: point out instances to

which a claim may not apply

• Claim: Retention of data processors who have preschool children is promoted by on-site day-care centers.

• Evidence: – Many of our data processors have pre-k children– These employees have difficulties arranging and paying for day-

care services.– Mothers are more effective employees when they don’t have to

worry about their children.• Warrant: Our company should establish on-site day-care

centers.• Support:

– Competitors who provide on-site day care have a high retention rate.

– Data processors at such companies have a lower absentee rate.– The cost of training new data processors is expensive.

• Qualification: Some of our data processors do not have preschool children.

• Reservation: Because our company wants to retain a qualified work force, we don’t want to add expenses to the workplace that will penalize data processors who do not have children.

Arranging Evidence: Claims and Warrants

Arranging Evidence: Accommodation• Takes your audience’s hesitation into account and makes sure all

parties’ interests have been acknowledged.• Example:

– Objective statement of problem: Women data processors who have preschool children are leaving the company.

– Contending positions (complete and accurate)• Corporation board: need a qualified work force, but we are not in

business to provide social services• Fellow Workers: We understand their problem, but providing an on-site

day care is giving expensive, preferential treatment to a small segment of the work force.

• Competitors: We need better data processors if we are going to compete, and we will provide what is necessary to hire them.

– Where parties agree: The corporation should not be in the day-care business; women data processors have the right to market their skills in a competitive market.

– Present your argument explaining difference from other positions: We have invested a large amount of money in training our work force; childcare is an appropriate investment in view of the long-term contribution these people can make to the corporation.

– Present a proposal that might resolve the issue in a fair way: The corporation might help fund the nearby day-care that was previously supported by government money.

Strategies: Monitoring the Appeals• Use the three appeals with PURPOSE and

RESTRAINT• Emotional Appeals (pathos): connect the

audience, emotionally, to the topic; should never replace a rational appeal, but can help amplify it

• Ethical Appeal (ethos): suggests that the author can be trusted, usually through demonstrating competence as an authority on the subject matter

• Logical Appeal (logos): rational discussion of how the facts add up to your conclusion; forceful use of logic does not make an argument true

Points to Remember• Know your audience and your purpose.• Understand the three kinds of persuasive appeals. The most

persuasive writers combine elements from all three appeals.• Construct your argument as a lawyer would a case: state your

claim, and back it up with evidence and reason, but, when appropriate, use metaphor and connotation.

• Always assume your audience is intelligent, if perhaps uninformed about certain details. Be respectful.

• Argue responsibly: – Don’t overstate your claim– Don’t oversimplify complex issues– Support your claims with specific details and evidence

PALM Advertisement

• How does this visual incorporate persuasive techniques?

• The text includes:– A description of how, as a

child, the young woman stepped on a landmine while playing on the outskirts of Sarajevo.

– “every 22 minutes another civilian is killed or maimed by a land mine”

– “There are over 60 million unexploded land mines in nearly 70 countries.”

Tonight

• Take your two articles (you should have them printed out) about the Harry Potter series and analyze them:– What kind of reasoning is being

used?– What kind of evidence do they use?

Is it effective?– What appeals does the author

employ? Why?

Wednesday/Thursday March 24-25• In-class Discussion: The Merits of

Harry Potter• Get out your articles, questions,

and thesis statements.

Socratic Circle

Inner: • Engage in discussion, actively

participate.• Read aloud excerpts from the text to

support or make a point.• Listen carefully• Make eye contact with the speaker• Use each other’s names• Do not interrupt• Paraphrase what the speaker has

said before you speak. Support or refute the speaker’s ideas.

• Stick to the text, your point only matters if you can back it up!

• If you need clarification, ask for it!• Attack IDEAS, not People.

Outer:• SILENT but taking notes• When did the conversation “spark?”

How?• Track the person directly in front of

you. Did he/she contribute well? Explain.

• What was the single most important idea that was discussed? Why?

• What was the single most important idea that was not discussed? Why?

• To what idea were you dying to respond? What would you have said?

• What could have made the discussion even more constructive?

Homework

• HW: Read and do questions over A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift

• Due when you come in Friday.

Friday, March 26

• Multiple Choice Test

• Turn in your answers to the A Modest Proposal Questions

• HW: Weekend Essay 3/29