Persuasive Language

1. Persuasive Language

2. Aims of the lesson • Today you will be looking at the language techniques that make a text persuasive. • You will examine these language techniques in context and identify them within a text. • You will try to incorporate this language into your debate.

3. Empathy Encouraging the reader to imagine a situation, usually one in which someone is suffering Rhetorical questions A question asked by a text that doesn’t require an answer. They are used to encourage the reader to think. Rule of three (Triadic structure) Three words, clauses or sentences given together in order to create a memorable impact. Adjectives Words that describe nouns, such as ‘big’ ‘blue’ or ‘nasty’ Metaphors A comparison of two terms using the words ‘IS’ or ‘ARE’. E.g. This room is a pigsty! Powerful imagery Using language to create mental pictures, usually with a powerful or emotional theme Semantic fields Groups of words all relating to the same topic. Direct interaction with the reader Speaking to the reader directly in a text, for example by using the pronoun ‘YOU’ Inclusive tone A technique to make the reader feel part of a text, for example, using ‘WE’ or ‘US’ Demonstrative Pronouns Words that are used to demonstrate or show the reader something to make them feel ‘close’ to a text. Common examples are ‘this’ and ‘these’. Some terms…

4. Examining a speech • You are now going to read through an excerpt of Martin Luther King’s famous speech, ‘I have a dream’. • There are several persuasive techniques used in this excerpt. • How many can you identify yourself? rhetorical questions? rule of three? inclusive tone? empathy?

5. Applying your knowledge • You are now going to annotate (or text mark) your speech for some of the persuasive language features. To help you, we are going to identify certain features together. • We will start with: repetition

6. Repetition Look at the examples taken from the text below. Why has the highlighted section been continually repeated? What effect does it have? Is it boring for the listener? Why / not? I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal." that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood. I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream I have a dream today.

7. Now find more examples of repetition

8. Identifying features Look at the highlighted examples below. What features have been identified for you? …will be transformed into a situation where little blackboys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers… adjectives …When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!" inclusive tone

9. Contd.. This momentous decree came as agreat beacon light of hopeto millions of Negro slaves who had beenseared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as ajoyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity… metaphor • Now find as many examples in the text as you possibly can for: • Adjectives • Inclusive tone • Metaphors

10. On your own… Building on your identification skills, now identify any other persuasive features you can. Use this checklist to help you: • Semantic fields (especially ones to do with suffering / injustice vs. light and relief) • Rhetorical questions • Rule of three (Triadic structure) • Powerful imagery • Empathy