Creating & Presenting - Unit 1
Persuasive writing Persuasive writing attempts to sway, position or influence an audience to agree with a particular point of view. As with any mode of writing, the two key determinants that inform your approach are purpose and audience. These are your starting points: why are you writing this particular piece and to whom is it directed? In persuasive writing, your general purpose is to present and justify a viewpoint or position with the aim of convincing the stated audience. You must also consider the form in which you are writing - a number of possibilities are considered below. These key factors - purpose, audience, form - will, in turn, influence the tone you adopt, the language you choose and the structure you employ. The success of your piece depends on how well you are able to coordinate these variables, as well as the quality of your arguments.
Features of persuasive writing Persuasive writing calls for a clear point of view to be presented and a soundly constructed argument that justifies this point of view.
CONSTRUCTING AN ARGUMENT Arguing a case involves: • a clearly stated contention (your stance or viewpoint on the issue) • reasons that support your contention • evidence that supports your reasons • rebuttal • appropriate persuasive language, given your intended audience. It may be useful to visualise these elements in a metaphorical way. Imagine a tree: trunk, branches and leaves. The trunk, the support structure or base that holds up the tree, represents your contention. Branches grow from the trunk, representing the key reasons or arguments that develop from this central contention. Finally, the leaves signify the necessary evidence - details, illustrations, quotations, statistics and so forth - that support the branches. Thus each essential element grows from and helps to support the others.
REBUTTAL Whatever form of persuasive writing you select (or are given), remember to rebut. It is important to acknowledge the counterarguments in any given issue; raise these in order to refute them. Doing so strengthens your own position.
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PERSUASIVE TECHNIQUES Your writing must also demonstrate an awareness of the linguistic tools of persuasion: in other words, the kind of language most likely to influence your intended audience. Use the language you have been taught to recognise as persuasive in other writers' work. Emotive language, repetition, emotional appeals, rhetorical questions, irony, humour, arguing by analogy - these are all Legitimate and effective techniques that may be utilised in order to promote your case. You are entitled, indeed expected, to position your audience. Language is rarely neutral and an understanding of the way in which it impacts on the audience is one of the hallmarks of a good writer. However, it is not appropriate to deliberately distort facts or evidence, or to resort to blatant personal attack, or racist or sexist taunts.
Forms of persuasive writing There are many ways in which you can present a point of view, and form will determine structure. Some of your options are: • an essay • a letter to the editor • a speech.
• an opinion piece • an editorial
As well as the more conventional options, you could try something a little more creative -e.g. a mock obituary or a fable. See the section on 'Further possibilities' (p.119) for some other creative approaches to persuasive writing.
ESSAY Perhaps the most common way in which you will find yourself arguing a point of view will be in an essay. After all, you will be writing in essay form in all three Areas of Study, especially in your analytical writing on texts in Area of Study 1. A good essay offers a clear line of argument. Your ideas must be presented in a cohesive and well-organised fashion and the case supported with convincing evidence that often draws on sound research skills. An essay also requires the following elements: ð The introduction must include the contention and your line of argument, and should engage the reader. ð Three or four body paragraphs should each examine a different aspect of your argument. Ask yourself what the focus of each paragraph is and remember your topic sentences. These encapsulate your supporting arguments and are vital as they provide the 'skeleton' or branches of your essay. ð Rebuttal strengthens your argument by anticipating opposing arguments and countering them. The most effective place to do this in an essay is the penultimate (second last) paragraph. ð The conclusion summarises your position in a clear economical fashion, without being too repetitive.
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Persuasive writing practice Using the prompt below, write a short speech persuading the audience to agree with your viewpoint.
“Is Australia a racist country – or a country with racist people?” Opening: Engage your audience with a provocative question or an emotive anecdote. _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________
Formal introduction: Greet your audience appropriately, introduce yourself, and state your contention (point of view) regarding the prompt. _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________
Signpost: Signal to your audience your line of reasoning. __________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________
Next: Write two paragraphs arguing your point of view, each using a different technique to persuade your audience, e.g. anecdote or expert opinion. The opening sentence of each should be engaging; the final sentence should repeat your line of argument in the paragraph. Paragraph 1: ______________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________
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_________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2: ______________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________
Rebuttal: Choose an appropriate tone in which to rebut opposing views. _____________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________
Conclusion: Finish with a punch line that leaves your audience thinking. ______________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Using appropriate evidence OPINION PIECE If an essay works from the general to the particular, then an opinion piece can do the exact opposite and work from the particular to the general. Frequently opinion pieces commence with an anecdote designed to illustrate or personalise the issue. They then move on to an exploration of the issue as a whole. Feature articles, which can be similar to opinion pieces, though invariably longer, often employ the same strategy. As with an essay, opinion pieces present a strong, sustained line of argument. Tone can vary considerably, from moderate and reasonable to highly opinionated. However, it is not advisable to present too biased an argument. Some of the features of this form are: • a headline - if it is a media text • some reference to the Context in which you are writing • an opening anecdote - an effective way to conclude your argument is to refer back to this at the end of the piece • the use of a first-person voice, but don't overdo it!
LETTER TO THE EDITOR Like opinion pieces, letters to the editor vary significantly in style and structure. Some may commence with an anecdote and then move to a general discussion of the issue, while others are more logically structured like an essay. • Ideally, unless you are a very confident writer, you should present your contention reasonably early. • Write your name and suburb at the end. • Clearly state the context in which you are writing. Many letters are written in response to other media texts acknowledge this. • Consider adopting a persona. For any given issue, there are a number of parties involved and all will have a perspective on the debate. Your role could influence, even determine, the position you take. • You may personalise your response to the issue through the use of anecdote or by writing in the first person.
PERSONAL LETTER Persuasive letters can be written in a broader context than media debate. Personal letters can also be persuasive, and there are many examples of this kind of letter writing in fiction, when one character seeks to persuade another to change an opinion or belief. Check your set texts to see if they include any personal letters that aim to persuade: they can provide models for your own persuasive writing in this form. Creating a persuasive letter from one character to another is an effective way to present ideas and arguments in an imaginative response to a text.
EDITORIAL While the structure of an editorial can also vary, typically it works towards the contention, rather than stating this explicitly at the beginning of the piece. This format makes it quite different from other persuasive text types. Editorials usually begin by contextualising the issue and offering some background. The counterarguments will be acknowledged. However, readers are subtly positioned throughout so that the contention, when it does come, is not a surprise.
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• Your editorial will require a headline (once again, it is a media text). You may also need a subheading or lead if the headline is not specific enough. This is one way in which you can 'clue' in the audience with regard to your stance. • Include background to the debate. • Present the key arguments for both sides. • Work towards a strong recommendation or contention that may not be explicitly stated until the very last sentence. • Use a tone that is objective and authoritative. The editorial represents the official view of the newspaper and speaks on its behalf. • Language style should be formal and measured. • Use inclusive language, such as 'our view', 'we feel'; however, avoid using T. • Paragraphing can vary, but you do not need to think in terms of body paragraphs, as in an essay. Often three long paragraphs are appropriate.
SPEECH A speech is not an essay read aloud. It is crucial that you acknowledge your audience, both at the beginning of your speech and at regular intervals throughout. As with most other persuasive forms we have discussed, a clear contention should emerge at an early point. If you don't do this, you run the risk of confusing your audience, and making your presentation informative rather than persuasive. You will need: • an opening designed to engage your audience - a challenging question or emotive anecdote • a formal introduction • strategies to demonstrate ongoing awareness of your audience - e.g. address them directly using the second person, appeal for their support or understanding • signposting - you must signal your structure to your audience • simple, clear sentences that flag the line of reasoning as you speak - these help your audience to follow the thread of the argument • persuasive strategies, such as repetition, rhetorical questions, inclusive language, humour and irony • a tone that is appropriate to the subject, e.g. jokes are inappropriate if you are talking about casualties in a current war • a powerful conclusion or punch line that leaves your audience thinking.
Incorporating ideas from a set text It is worth looking carefully in all your prescribed texts for models of persuasive writing. These may correspond to the more usual options explained above, or they may simply be examples of persuasive writing that defy conventional expectations, but are extremely convincing nonetheless. Similarly, take note of key points (such as crisis or turning points) where a character puts forward a viewpoint in a particularly effective way. How can you use these ideas as a catalyst? Ways to incorporate ideas from a set text into a piece of persuasive writing include: • an essay, speech or opinion piece that presents a strong point of view (such as a response to a given prompt) - devote one or two paragraphs to a discussion of ideas in the set text, or refer to ideas in the set text throughout your discussion
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• an editorial that responds imaginatively to the text - comment on characters and incidents depicted, then conclude with strong general statements on the implications of these in terms of the broader Context ideas • other imaginative responses that can use persuasive forms and techniques, such as a letter from one character to another or a monologue to be inserted into a play.
Keys to effective persuasive writing Ensure that you use the texts in your chosen Context to inform your thinking and writing. The ideas presented in them are your starting point. Then: ð Determine purpose and audience.
ð Develop a contention and line of argument. ð Decide on the evidence - textual and general - that best supports your case. ð Plan an appropriate structure that is consistent with the chosen form. ð Rebut as many elements of the alternative view as is reasonable.
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