Appealing to Audiences

Ch. 8 explains that the four basic "ingredients" in writing argument essays that address issues are main claim/thesis, support, counterargument, and concession. In order to build support for your explanation, evaluation, proposal, response, or definition, however, you must give special care to how you address your audience's beliefs and values through the types of support you choose. 

In particular, your writing on most subjects will depend heavily on how you appeal to your audience through logic, emotion, character, need, and value (see CEL Ch. 8, p. 257). This activity will help you understand and practice working with different types of appeals. 

Assignment:

Read over the different types of "Classical appeals" in CEL Ch. 8, p. 256-257. Note that the purpose of using these appeals is to "make a connection between the topic and the audience's thoughts, values, and feelings" (256). Appeals, in other words, are ways of crafting language that can make your readers feel connected to the issue you are writing about even if they disagree with your reasons or conclusions.

Write a short response (at least 200 words) in which you practice writing appeals by responding to the following questions (from CEL Ch. 8, p. 257). For this response, you can answer each question individually rather than writing your response as a coherent paragraph. 

• What line of reasoning can I create for readers to follow? What premises do readers have to accept before they accept my thesis?


• How can I connect the issue I have chosen to people’s values (sense of right and wrong, success, discipline, selflessness, moderation, honesty, chastity, modesty, self-expression, etc.)?


• How can I connect the issue I have chosen to people’s basic needs (spiritual, economic, physical, sexual, familial, political, etc.)?


• How can I connect the issue I have chosen to people’s emotions (fear, hope, sadness, happiness, etc.)?


• How do experiences from my life (my role in a relationship, on a job, in school, on a team, etc.) lend credibility to my position on this topic?

Submit your response to this assignment.