Appeal to Emotion
Definition:
A rhetorical strategy where
the reasoning of an argument plays upon a person’s
emotions.
Examples:
A politician says that we have
to fight the war “over” there
so that we don’t have to fight it here at home.
A
commercial offers to tell you what your friends won’t.
A
newspaper editorial for private-school vouchers states
that our public schools are dens of thieves and thugs.
A
high school runs an article about drinking and driving
with detailed descriptions and graphic pictures of
automobile crashes.
-
Which of the four examples above is the
most believable?
-
Why are the other choices not as believable?
-
Which of
the four examples above will impress or sway people’s
minds if they aren’t specifically watching out
for such influence?
-
Pretend that you have been assigned to write
a paper that supports students carrying their cell phones
in class.
What appeals might you use?
-
Which of the appeals that
you cited above are actually legitimate? Which do you
think might be most effective?
Download a PDF file of the student handout,
Appeal to Emotion. |
