Persuasive techniques Flashcards
Ad Hominem Attack
An attack on a person raher than an on their opinion or reasoning
creates a strong negative depiction of a person or group through the use of emotice languae.
Undermines hte oppositions credibility
Alliteration
Repition of a sound at the beginin of words
captures attention. adds emphasis to the writers point. draws attention to key words
Analogy
comparion between two things, helps the audience to draw conclusions about their similarities
explains a complex point in more familiar terms, can help to make the contention look simple and obvious by linking it to something the audience knows well
Anecdote
a brief personal account or story
often entertaining, dramatic or humorous. personal angle enagages reader. carries weight with readers as a true story
Appeal to a sense of justice
engages with people’s belief that everyone deserves fair treatment
arouses anger at a perceived injustice. Positions the audience to agree that action needs to be taken to resore equity.
Appeal to being modern and up to date
engages with peoples desire to be progressive and part of the in crowd
suggests that the new is always better than the old. appeals to the desire to be tought of as ahead of the pack of on trend
Appeal to family values
based on the belief that families are at the centre of society and that children should always be protected
leads the reader to view family as integral to the fabric of society. positions the reader to feel negatively about pople and ideas that threten families.
Appeal to FEAR
plays on peoples tendency to react emotionally when their saftey security county or loved ones are threatened.
usually works by portraying an extreme sceneariop as being highly probable. inclines readers to agree to proposed solutions to allay their fears.
Appeal to financial self-interest
relates to people’s concern about their financial wellbeing
provokes strong emotions, such as outrage at being taken advantage of. positions the reader to feel indignant at those who want to raise prices and suspicious of their true motives.
Appeal to group loyalty
uses peoples deire to belong to a group to persuade them to agree with a view point or take action
can play on people’s sense of obligation, fear, guilt and sentimentality. encourages people to belive that ordinary people can make a difference.
Appeal to partiotism
draws on national pride and people’s loyalty to their country
postition the readers to feel it would be disloyal to their country to disagree with the writer. arouses strong emotions of pride and loyalty. Can sometimes be used to arouse anger, guilt and fear.
Appeal to self-interest
engages with peoples desire for their interests to be placed ahead of others
often divides people into groups of us and them. suggests that the interests of others are in competition with and threten those f the reader.
Appeal to tradition and custom
places a high value on the past and a person’s heritage, suggests that abandoning tradtion is damaging to society
encourages the reader to resist change and to feel that links with the past should be retained. often romanticises the past and rejects modern ways of doing things.
cause and effect
links an outcome to a particular set of events or decisions
gives the impression that a particular situation or action is a direct result of another. can create an impression of the writer as being logical and reasonable.
Cliche
familiar but overused expression that carries a range of associations
conveys meaning in an economical way. can help reader to feel more comfortable with an idea
creating a dichotomy
the tactic of dividing people or ideas into two opposing groups - one good and one bad
simplifies the debate by sugesting that the issue is black and white. suggesstions that the interests o others are in competition with those of the audience.
emotive language
deliberately strong words used to provoke emotion in the reader
positions readers to react emotionally rather then rationally. leads the reader to share the writers feelings on the subject
generalisation
suggests that a fact that applies in a specific case is generally or always true
appeals to commonly held prejudices and attitudes. encourages reader to judge others accordinly to stereotypes.
inclusive language
involves the reader direcly in the issue by using first person pronous such as we na dus
makes readers feel included and that their viewers count. encourages then to agree since this view is apparently shared by the group as a whole
jargon
specialised language used by experts in a particular field of knowledge
can help to convey the writer’s expertise in a field. can suggest objectivity or fact-based opinion, adding credibility to the argument
metaphor and simile
types of figurative languag e that describe one thing in terms of another
capitalises on associations with a vivid image. can evoke strong emotions in readers
overtatsement, exaggeration and hyperbole
the use of dramtic, forceful laguage to exaggerate the real situation
arouses emotion in the reader. can be humorous. worst case scenario plays on readers fears.
pun
a play on a word or phare that gives it multiple meanings
often humorous. gain readers attention and empahsises the writer’s point
reason and logic
supportig an argument with evidence of decuction
creates a credible arguamnt by offereing strong evidence and stong connections between the contention and the evidence. makes the writers seem knowlegable and their opinion seem,ms well thought througha dn researched
repitition
the repeating of works phrases or ideas for emphasis
emphasises the writers viewer point and captures attention. makes the point in a memorable way. can communicate a sense of urgency or conviction
rhetorical questions
a question that requires no answer because the answr is implied.
postion readers to agreen by assuring their answer will be the ssame as the writers. anaged reader by addressing them directely.
sarcasm
the use of words to say something deliberately untrue, especially in order to inslut someone
makes the subject look or fell foolish. postions the audiecne to regard the the issue in a humorous light
