Argument and Persuasion

3Argument and Persuasion
Preparing to Write
What is the difference between argument and persuasion?
  * persuasive essays typically appeal to emotions and feelings
  * i.e. you will not be cool if you don't wear a certain brand
  * an argument uses factual evidence to support an idea, but the evidence can quite often be used to support the other argument
  * i.e. "physically challenged" vs. "physically disabled"
What do you already know about arguing and persuading?
  * we all develop argumentative skills as we grow older
  * we learn to persuade people about ideas and facts
  * we also learn how to compromise from arguments
How do you analyze your audience?
  * in order to make a good persuasive essay one has to analyse their audience
  * you should ask yourself questions like:
  1. Who will be reading this?
  2. What do they already know about this subject?
  3. What are their values?
  4. etc.
  * your arguments should always revolve around your audience; and will allow you to pick out the evidence that will most likely hit home with them
  * you should also anticipate any arguments or objections that they could make and answer them in your writing
What does it take to persuade your reader?
  * if your argument goes against the morals of the audience you will fail to persuade them
  * choose something that you feel strongly about
  * you must make a fair, logical argument; express honest emotion; but avoid distorted evidence and inflammatory language
  * for an argument there are 2 main types of support:
  1. factual
  2. emotional
  * the strongest evidence that you can gather is factual
  * you can appeal to your readers values as a way to persuade them
  * the best way to persuade someone is to appeal to both their emotions and their reason
  * another thing that you must display is fairness, reason, and credible