Module 5 Review

Read this excerpt from Sojourner Truth's speech "Ain't I a Woman?" and think about what persuasive methods are being used.

I have as much muscle as any man, and can do as much work as any man. I have plowed and reaped and husked and chopped and mowed, and can any man do more than that? I have heard much about the sexes being equal. I can carry as much as any man, and can eat as much too, if I can get it. I am as strong as any man that is now.

What approach does Truth use to persuade her audience?

• She explains what she has learned from deep reflection.

• She describes the experience of someone she knows.

• She explains what she has learned from reading books.

• She describes her own personal experience.

Review this excerpt from Harriet Beecher Stowe's note to readers at the end of Uncle Tom's Cabin, and think about the method Stowe uses to persuade her audience.

And you, mothers of America,—you who have learned, by the cradles of your own children, to love and feel for all mankind,—by the sacred love you bear your child; by your joy in his beautiful, spotless infancy; by the motherly pity and tenderness with which you guide his growing years; by the anxieties of his education; by the prayers you breathe for his soul’s eternal good;—I beseech you, pity the mother who has all your affections, and not one legal right to protect, guide, or educate, the child of her bosom!

What persuasive technique does Harriet Beecher Stowe use in this excerpt to convince her audience that slavery is wrong and should be ended?

• a counterargument

• an appeal to emotion

• an appeal to logic

• an appeal to ethics

Why is it important to compare and contrast two writer's perspectives?

• to find reasons to oppose a topic

• to see if both writers are wrong

• to understand which writer is correct

• to gain a balanced view of a topic

Which element is most important in shaping an author's perspective on a topic or issue?

• personal experience

• level of education

• country of origin

• yearly income

How does comparing and contrasting two different authors' perspectives help you make an informed decision on an issue?

• It forces you to reconsider what you believe about the issue

• It reinforces what you already know about the issue.

• It helps you consider other ways of thinking about the issue.

• It makes you less likely to trust your own experiences.

Which of these are all part of an argument?

• claim, appeals, conclusion, and evidence

• claim, reasons, appeals, and evidence

• appeals, reasons, comparisons, and persuasion

• evidence, introduction, thesis, and similarities

Why do writers and speakers use appeals to try to persuade?

• to show supporting evidence of why something is true

• to make people understand the writer's point of view

• to stir people's emotions, logic, and moral responsibilities

• to indicate the writer's opinion for or against a topic or issue

What is the purpose of the author's claim?

• to convince the audience to think or act differently

• to entertain the audience and make them laugh

• to inform the audience of an issue and its supporting evidence

• to explain how an issue is important to the audience

What is the purpose of evidence in an argument?

• to support the author's reasons for his or her claim

• to appeal to the audience's emotions, logic, and ethics

• to state the writer's main point and what he or she wants to accomplish

• to identify how the author's reasons relate to the claim

Why is it important to identify whether the writer is credible or not?

• It gives you insight into whether to believe the author's claims or not.

• It convinces you of the author's claim based on his or her reasons.

• It gives you valuable information about the evidence the author uses.

• It convinces you to look at other information instead of believing the author.