Tuesday, January 8, 2013

•Write in your agenda:•Editing: A Sticky Business•Persuasive Text/Media

A Sticky Business Editing

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Persuasive Reading

Outline

• Author’s Viewpoint• Author’s Purpose• Persuasive Devices• Persuasive Techniques• Distinguishing fact from opinion• Strong and Weak Arguments• Fallacies

Author’s Viewpoint

• Knowing the author’s point of view will help in the understanding of other aspects of the author’s writing

• Sometimes the viewpoint is obvious• Author’s use many techniques to make

their points– The language the author uses – The examples given– The way the selection is put together

Author’s Viewpoint Example 1

The Romanian capital of Bucharest was officiallyfounded in 1495 by Prince Vlad Tepes. This beautiful city on the banks of Dambovita River became prominent as the city from which he governed. Although Prince Vlad was notorious for his cruel treatment of his enemies- his reputation inspired Bram Stoker to create the fictitious Count Dracula- the real-life prince was a wise and brave defender of the people he ruled.

Which statement below best reflects the author’s view of Vlad Tepes?A. He feels Count Dracula

was not nearly as terrifying as Vlad Tepes.

B. He feels Prince Vlad was a poor ruler.

C. He feels that the prince was an evil man.

D. He feels that Vlad Tepes has been unfairly portrayed.

Author’s Viewpoint Example 1

• Choice D is correct• In describing Prince Glad as a wise

and brave ruler, the author is suggesting that Vlad’s reputation as a cruel and violent man is one-sided and gives only part of the story.

Author’s Viewpoint Example 2

Theodore Roosevelt was President of the United States from 1901 to 1909. He had been a sickly young man, but time spent on a western ranch built him up and made him strong. In the Spanish-American War

of 1898, he became a national hero. He led a group of horse soldiers, the Rough Riders, and captured San Juan Hill in Cuba in one of the main battles of the war. Elected Vice President, he became President when President William McKinley was assassinated. As President, Roosevelt fought against large companies, rusts, that abused their power. He also wanted the United States to be a strong country without having to go to war to prove it, and actively pursued this goal in his foreign policy. He believed that if the country showed itself to be strong, then other countries would not attack U.S. interests. He summed up his foreign policy in a famous saying: “Speak softly and carry a big stick.”

Author’s Viewpoint Example 2

What is the author’s opinion of Theodore Roosevelt?A. He talked big but accomplished very

little.B. He was far more successful as a soldier

than he was as a politician.C. He was far too willing to risk

unnecessary wars.D. He was strong and energetic both as a

man and as President.

Author’s Viewpoint Example 2

• Choice D is correct• The passage contains numerous

examples of Roosevelt’s vigor; his adventures as a Rough Rider, his attacks on large corporations, and his foreign policy. The passage does not allow you to make the inferences contained in the other choices.

Author’s Purpose

• Authors have a purpose in mind when they write.– Inform or instruct their readers– Express an opinion and persuade

their readers to agree with it– Entertain or amuse readers

Author’s Purpose Example 1

Until fairly recently, the most popular medical remedy for all kinds of ailments was bloodletting. Leeches were placed on the patient’s skin and allowed to drain from 12 to 80 ounces of blood. Bloodletting was routinely used to treat outbreaks of yellow fever in the eighteenth century. George Washington’s troops, for example, were regularly leeched, though this treatment could not have helped soldiers who were already weakened by cold and an inadequate diet.

Finally, in the last century, a French doctor decided to find out if bleeding really did help. He observed 134 patients with a variety of diseases and concluded that bloodletting was no help at all. After that, the practice dwindled, though even today there are two or three conditions for which modern medicine might sanction the use of bloodletting. For example, it is still used to reduce a bloody swelling or an abnormal buildup of iron in the blood.

Author’s Purpose Example 1

Why did the author write this passage?A. To describe how leeches spread

diseaseB. To describe the ignorance of doctors

before 1900C. To encourage doctors to use

bloodletting techniquesD. To explain that bloodletting very rarely

helps the patient

Author’s Purpose Example 1

• Choice D is correct.• The writer of this passage intended

to explain that bloodletting very rarely helps the patient.

• The author gives the example of an early study that found that this treatment was useless.

Persuasive Devices

• Fair presentation of the facts– A baseball coach may wish to persuade a

pitcher to throw fast balls and change-ups with the same pitching motion. If the coach explains that this will deceive the batter, the pitcher will probably follow his advice.

• Accurate use of statistics• Provide facts on both sides of the argument• Bias

– An author does not provide all the facts, only those which support his or her argument.

Persuasive Devices Example

Passage AThe SUPERVAC cup will keep your drink cold for up to four hours without refrigeration. It is effective for hot drinks, too- a hot cup of cocoa will still be hot two hours later. The cup is made from a new material first developed by NASA’s space program, and many astronauts and politicians have used it and approved of it.

Passage BThe manufacturers of the SUPERVAC cup claim that it will preserve the temperature of liquids for up to four hours. However,our studies indicate that the cup is only partially effective. We found that a cold liquid placed in a SUPERVAC cup remains cold for between three and four hours. But the claim that the cup will keep a hot drink hot for up to two hours is misleading. “Lukewarm” was the adjective that our researcher used to describe hot tea after only 45 minutes. The cup looks attractive and its large handle makes it very easy to carry. Unfortunately, its performance does not match its appearance.

Persuasive Devices Example

• Which passage do ou think is more objective? Support your answer with details and information from the two passages.

Persuasive Devices Example

• The first passage describes only the positive features of the SUPERVAC cup. It sounds as though it comes from a sales advertisement written by the cup’s manufacturer. The second passage discusses the cup’s pros and cons. Its language suggests that it appeared in a consumer magazine. Presumably, its authors had no vested interest in selling the cup. Consequently, it is the more objective of the two passages.

Persuasive Techniques

• Giving effective examples• Supplying quotes and opinions from experts• Using statistics• Presenting scientific evidence and explanations• Giving only one side of the argument• Using positive or negative language to stir up

emotions• Blaming opponents for real or imagined evils• Stating opinions but making them sound like

facts

Practice

Emotional Appeal: Writers may appeal to fear, anger or joy to sway their readers. They may also add climax or excitement. This technique is strongly connected to the essay's mood.

Word Choice (Diction): Is a person "slim" or "skinny"? Is an oil spill an "incident" or an "accident"? Is a government expenditure an "investment" or a "waste"? Writers tend to reinforce their arguments by choosing words which will influence their reader's perception of an item or issue. Diction may also help to establish a writer's "Voice" or "Tone".

Rhetorical Question: Sometimes a writer will ask a question to which no answer is required. The writer implies that the answer is obvious; the reader has no choice but to agree with the writer's point.

Repetition: Overly repetitive writing can become tiresome. However, when used sparingly for effect, it can reinforce the writer's message and/or entertain the reader. Writers may repeat a word, a phrase or an entire sentence for emphasis.

Parallelism: When an author creates a "balanced" sentence by re-using the same word structure, this is called parallelism. Always strive for parallelism when using compound or complex sentences.

Analogy: This tool is not limited to poets. Essay writers often use figures of speech or comparisons (simile, metaphor, personification) for desired emphasis.

Appeal to Authority (association): A writer may mention an important event or person in an essay to lend importance or credibility to his/her argument.

Hyperbole: This is one of the more enjoyable persuasive techniques. It involves completely overstating and exaggerating your point for effect. (Like when your mom says, "I must have asked you a million times to clean your room!" Get it?)

Irony: Irony is present if the writer’s words contain more than one meaning. This may be in the form of sarcasm, gentle irony, or a pun (play on words). It can be used to add humour or to emphasize an implied meaning under the surface. The writer's "voice" becomes important here.

Distinguishing Fact from Opinion

• Fact– Can be checked or

proven– Example: A

meteorologist claims, “Five inches of rain fell on southern Kentucky yesterday.”

• Opinion– Based on writer’s

feelings– Cannot be proven– Think, feel, believe– Example: If an artist

claimed that yellow is the most thrilling color, we could not determine the validity of this statement.

Fact/Opinion

• To spot facts (as opposed to opinions), ask yourself: Can this statement be checked or proven? If so, it is a fact.

• Here are some ways to spot opinions:– Does this statement express the writer’s

personal feelings or judgment? If so, it is an opinion

– Does this statement contain verbs that show emotions, like fear or hope? Does it contain adjectives that show values, like good or bad? If so, it is an opinion.

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Strong/Weak ArgumentsThe federal government spends twelve times more on the elderly than on children, yet seven percent of the elderly are poor while almost a quarter of all younger Americans live in poverty. Twenty percent of our children are living under the poverty line. By the year 2005, it is projected that one in three children in America will live in poverty. Young people today pay 20 times more Social Security taxes (even after inflation) than their grandparents did fifty years ago. Rising health care costs are making basic care a luxury item. While every person over 65 is covered, one in eight children are without any protection at all. Younger Americans have the highest tax burden of any generation and the lowest level of benefits.

Example Continued

• Myth: Any reduction in social security benefits will hurt poor Americans.

• Fact Social Security and Medicare pay $75 billion a year to households with cash incomes over $50,000/

• Myth: People put into the system their entire lives and deserve every check.

• Fact: People should get back what they put in, plus compounded interest. Yet, many of today’s reitrees get three times what they contributed, regardless of need.

Example Continued

• Which of the author’s conclusions is based on an incorrect assumption?

A. A cut in Social Security benefits will not hurt poor Americans because so many senior citizens are well-off.

B. Children receive fewer government payouts than the elderly.

C. Many children have no health care insurance.D. Social Security costs are rising and today’s

young people pay much more in Social Security taxes than their grandparents did.

Answer

• Correct Answer is A.• Some senior citizens have incomes over

$50,000, but this does not mean that all of them do. For example, Social Security is the only source of income for some senior citizens, and a cut would definitely hurt them. The other choices contain too much factual information.

Fallacies• Red Herrings use misleading or

unrelated evidence to support a conclusion.

– Example: That painting is worthless because I don’t recognize the artist.

• Bandwagon Appeals encourage an audience to agree with the writer because everyone else is doing so.

– Example: Paris Hilton carries a small dog in her purse, so you should buy a hairless Chihuahua and put it in your Louis Vuitton.

• Slippery Slope arguments suggest that one thing will lead to another, oftentimes with disastrous results.

– Example: If you get a B in high school, you won’t get into the college of your choice, and therefore will never have a meaningful career.

• Either/Or Choices reduce complicated issues to only two possible courses of action.

– Example: The patent office can either approve my generator design immediately or say goodbye forever to affordable energy.

• False Authority asks audiences to agree with the assertion of a writer based simply on his or her character or the authority of another person or institution who may not be fully qualified to offer that assertion.

– Example: My high school teacher said it, so it must be true.

• Ad Hominem arguments attack a person’s character rather than that person’s reasoning.

– Example: Why should we think a candidate who recently divorced will keep her campaign promises?

• A Hasty Generalization draws conclusions from scanty evidence.

– Example: I wouldn’t eat at that restaurant—the only time I ate there, my entree was undercooked.

• Begging the Question occurs when a writer simply restates the claim in a different way; such an argument is circular.

– Example: His lies are evident from the untruthful nature of his statements.

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