Elements of Persuasive Writing

All About Rhetorical Devices (EIS English 7)

Presented by:

J. Taylor

S. Coles

J. Mercer

Lesson Objective

• Today I will: review author's purpose and be introduced to rhetorical devices and elements of persuasive writing.

• So I can: understand persuasive writing and how it connects to what I've learned about main ideas, supporting details, facts, and opinions.

• I'll know I have it when: I can identify different persuasive writing techniques used when given various persuasive texts and resources.

Key Concepts

• Author's Purpose: Why do authors write?

• Rhetorical Devices: What are they?

• Persuasive Writing Techniques (Ethos, Pathos, Logos, and Kairos)

• Main Ideas (Claims) and Supporting Details.

• Facts & Opinions

Author's Purpose

• In 4th grade, you learned about Author's Purpose.

• Writers take the time and effort to write for 3 reasons.

Author's Purpose

• To Persuade

• To Inform

• To Entertain

Multiple Choice

Identify the author's purpose for the following:

You should vote for Mr. Mercer for President. He is very nice, very intelligent, and , is an excellent basketball coach, pastor, and father which means that he knows how to take care of others and will take great care of the country.

• To Inform

• To Persuade

• To Entertain

• To Confuse

Multiple Choice

Identify the author's purpose for the following:

The 2019 Fortnite esports finals took place in New York City from July 26th - 28th and players competed for their share of $30 million, on top of the millions that were up for grabs during the qualification process.

• To Inform

• To Persuade

• To Entertain

• To Confuse

Multiple Choice

Identify the author's purpose for the following:

If you're a rich and famous star, chances are you have no problem affording things like soap, shampoo, and deodorant, right? You could even hire professionals to bathe you, if you so desired! So it must be a problem of motivation for the celebs on this list, who are surprisingly some of the biggest and most popular stars of movies and TV. Read more about these awful-smelling celebrities!

• To Inform

• To Persuade

• To Entertain

• To Confuse

Rhetorical Devices

• A rhetorical device uses words in a certain way to convey meaning or to persuade. It can also be a technique used to evoke emotions within the reader or audience.

What is Persuasive Writing?

• Persuasive writing is used to convince or persuade a reader that the writer’s opinion of a topic or cause is correct.

• The goal of persuasive writing is to make the reader agree with your opinion, to support your cause, or to take action.

Ways To Persuade

Ethos: Convincing someone using credibility (the fame, power, or influence of others such as experts, celebrities, and politicians.)

Pathos: Convincing someone using their emotions.

(Like sad commercials with sad music asking for donations.)

Logos: Convincing someone using facts, statistics, numbers, and logic.

(4 out of 5 dentists use Colgate.)

Kairos: Convincing someone using urgency.

(This deal is for today only so buy, buy, buy!)

Multiple Choice

What persuasive technique was used in the ASPCA commercial?

• Ethos: Credibility

• Pathos: Emotion

• Logos: Logic

• Kairos: Urgency

Multiple Choice

What persuasive technique was used in the Alexa commercial?

• Ethos: Credibility

• Pathos: Emotion

• Logos: Logic

• Kairos: Urgency

Multiple Choice

What persuasive technique was used in the Toothpaste commercial?

• Ethos: Credibility

• Pathos: Emotion

• Logos: Logic

• Kairos: Urgency

Multiple Choice

What persuasive technique was used in the SlapChop commercial?

• Ethos: Credibility

• Pathos: Emotion

• Logos: Logic

• Kairos: Urgency

Main Idea, Supporting Details, Facts, and Opinions

• All of these concepts that we've learned are used in persuasive writing.

• In persuasive writing, you need to state your claim (main idea) so that the reader or audience knows your goal.

• Use supporting details and facts to support your opinion.

• Make sure that your arguments are logical.

Open Ended

In this clip, what are some examples of pathos:

Open Ended

In this clip, what are some examples of logos:

Open Ended

In this clip, what are some examples of ethos:

Open Ended

In this clip, what are some examples of kairos:

Poll

How are you feeling about today's lesson?

• I Learned A Lot & It Was Fun

• I Learned A Little & It Was Decent

• Wake Me Up When Its Over