Persuasive Essay

1. Persuasive Essay Your Claim: Counselors are necessary to student success in public schools and should be funded fully by the school district.

2. Rhetorical Devices/Persuasive TechniquesPatrick Henry tested and approved “Speech in the Virginia Convention” • Rhetorical Question – no response required; designed to create thoughtful contemplation • Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be of the number of those who, having eyes, see not, and, having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation? • Allusion – Biblical, historical, mythological • Suffer not yourselves to be betrayed with a kiss. • We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts. • Parallel structure- not a repetition of words, but similar patterns of parts of speech (creates stronger syntax) • We have petitioned; we have remonstrated; we have supplicated; we have prostrated ourselves before the throne… • The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave.

3. Convince me… • The Greek philosopher Aristotle divided the means of persuasion, appeals, into three categories- • Ethos – use of vocabulary/syntax (establish your credentials) • (Greek for 'character') refers to the trustworthiness or credibility of the writer or speaker. Ethos is often conveyed through tone and style of the message and through the way the writer or speaker refers to differing views. • Pathos – emotional appeal (use charged words designed to elicit a strong response) • (Greek for 'suffering' or 'experience') is often associated with emotional appeal. But a better equivalent might be 'appeal to the audience's sympathies and imagination.' • Logos – logical appeal (use facts/statistics to appeal to intellect) • (Greek for 'word') refers to the internal consistency of the message--the clarity of the claim, the logic of its reasons, and the effectiveness of its supporting evidence. Source: Ramage, John D. and John C. Bean. Writing Arguments. 4th Edition. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon, 1998, 81-82

4. Introduction Paragraph • Section 1 (several sentences, but combined) – Vague – don’t mention the topic until the end of your story. • Get your reader’s attention – start strong • My sister Susan had a dream that guided all of her actions; she wanted to be a nurse. She practiced shots on her dolls; she carried band-aids with her at all times in hopes that she would rescue a kid’s skinned knee; she wanted nothing more than to help and heal. She thought that her dream had come to a painful end when she discovered that our parents did not have the money to send her to even the smallest community college. With the help of her counselor, she applied for several grants, and now she can begin healing the sick, helping the injured, and caring for others. Because the counselor played such an important role in Susan’s life, every school should have one, and the county should fully fund those positions.

5. Bring it on home…finish the intro!! • Section 2: 1 sentences • Describe the problem • Many people who are not directly involved in public education believe that a student can handle his or her own personal issues, class selection or college applications. (stating the problem as you see it) • Section 3: 1 more sentence - Your stand/claim: • Respond to the points in the problem listed above. What are your main points? What evidence will you provide in the essay to prove you are correct in your claim? • The counselors are invaluable, and the county can cut other programs or raise more money so that we are able to graduate healthy, educated, college- or career-ready students.

6. The finished intro My sister Susan had a dream that guided all of her actions; she wanted to be a nurse. She practiced shots on her dolls; she carried band-aids with her at all times in hopes that she would rescue a kid’s skinned knee; she wanted nothing more than to help and heal. She thought that her dream had come to a painful end when she discovered that our parents did not have the money to send her to even the smallest community college. With the help of her counselor, she applied for several grants, and now she can begin healing the sick, helping the injured, and caring for others. Because the counselor played such an important role in Susan’s life, every school should have one, and the county should fully fund those positions. Many people who are not directly involved in public education believe that a student can handle his or her own personal issues, class selection or college applications. The counselors are invaluable, and the county can cut other programs or raise more money so that we are able to graduate healthy, educated, college- or career-ready students.

7. Support your Claimsound reasoning and relevant evidence • Reminder: In order to maintain unity and coherence within the paragraph and essay. You must stay on topic, this statement and all of them in this paragraph must directly relate to the topic sentence and thesis statement (your stand) • Topic – make your first point (choose this from the graphic organizer/should match your claim) • Counselors are trained to help students who may have serious mental or emotional problems with no one to trust. • Sentence 2 and 3 – Support your point with a rhetorical device/persuasive technique. • Remember that you are trying to convince someone to agree with you. • Sometimes two short ones together create a stronger bond, but be careful of wordiness. (see Patrick Henry example of rhetorical question) • With excessive stress placed on students in high school, a counselor can help a young person deal with it before it turns into a serious issue, changing his life. Is the school environment a stronger place for all students when a counselor can help several become healthier people?

8. Supporting your claim, cont’d • Sentence 4 – Another statement that fortifies your argument further. • Use emotional appeal: tell a story – use charged words. OR • Use logical appeal: give the name of a study, statistics, a fact • A study by the University of California found that 30 percent more students graduated when they had at least one supportive person in their lives than those who did not. • Sentence 5/6 – wrap it up by restating your claim blended with ideas from your topic sentence in this paragraph. Use repeated powerful words • By doing both in this sentence, you maintain unity and coherence. • Cutting counselors will slash opportunities for healthier students and slice dreams in half. Keeping and paying to train counselors improves lives.

9. My polished piece of literary Genius!The body paragraph • Counselors are trained to help students who may have serious mental or emotional problems with no one to trust. With excessive stress placed on students in high school, a counselor can help a young person deal with it before it turns into a serious issue, changing his life. Is the school environment a stronger place for all students when a counselor can help several become healthier people? A study by the University of California found that 30 percent more students graduated when they had at least one supportive person in their lives than those who did not. Cutting counselors will slash opportunities for healthier students and slice dreams in half. Keeping and paying to train counselors improves lives.

10. 2nd and 3rd Body Paragraphsshorten them by 1 sentence Basically follow same format as first body paragraph • Topic sentence • A little extra detail about topic sentence • Use a rhetorical device (see next slide) • Wrap it up by restating your claim blended with ideas from your topic sentence in this paragraph. Use repeated powerful words (make this a compound sentence: use a semicolon or comma-conjunction)

11. What can I use? • Emotional appeal (pathos) – anecdote/charged words • Logical appeal (logos) – common sense/statistics • Be one of the audience (ethics – ethos) • Rhetorical question • Allusion • Maybe if we could all walk on water, our world would be perfect. • Even Hercules could not carry the weight of a student’s stress on his shoulders. • Parallel expression • We have petitioned; we have remonstrated; we have supplicated; we have prostrated ourselves before the throne… • The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave. • Repetition w/synonyms • Cutting counselors will slash opportunities for healthier students and slice dreams in half. • Teachers often beg students to study while pleading for class preparation and asking for participation. • Simile • Metaphor Coming Soon

12. Wrapping it up…the conclusion • Restate your stand/claim and show what the material you have presented adds up to. • You can state what you have presented supports your claim. • Analyze and evaluate your main points for your reader; also consider the consequences and general implications Restate your three main points using different vocabulary • Make it short. Wrap it up quickly so you don’t lose your audience by saying EVERYTHING that they’ve already heard. • Concise word choice – choose the most powerful word for maximum impact. • No NEW information is presented in the conclusion

13. Let’s Break it down… • Sentence 1 – Restate your stand • Remember, you may not use the same exact wording. Use a thesaurus if you must. Counselors are vital to the success of a school system, and the county should always find money to pay for them. • Sentence 2/3 – briefly support your stand/claim by rephrasing your first idea; illustrate with one statement. With counselors’ jobs so necessary to saving students’ lives, why would we even think about not having them, and who could young adults trust when there is no one else? What? Check out this HOT sentence – It’s a compound-complex rhetorical question!!

14. Sentence 4 (compound sentence) – Rephrase your second and third idea; expound with one statement. Students are often unaware of course offerings and how to prepare for college or careers, and counselors can provide expert guidance that will build a foundation for success. • Sentence 5 – What impact has this situation had on the future, on society, on schools? What is the result if someone follows your suggestions? Call your listener/reader to ACTION!! • Diction (word choice) is key here. This is your LAST statement. How will you leave the reader? • Use powerful words that will convince your audience (Ethos). • Another rhetorical device here may not be a bad idea. It’s time to step up to success and fund a counselor’s job; it means higher levels of achievement and recognition for students, schools, and this county.

15. alot very amazingawesomeawfullybadbeautifulbigfine goodgreathappyinterestinglooknicequitereallysowell likebasically you know • “I’d like you to consider my reasons, and change your mind.” • “Here are my reasons for….” • “How would you feel if ….” • “For example, …” • “In my opinion…” • “I think…” OR “I believe…” • “In today’s society…” OR “In the world today…” • “For the most part…” • “Nowadays…” DO NOT use these horribly terrible, contrite phrases or words…you will live to regret it!!YIKES!!!