AP English--Persuasive Techniques

Persuasive Techniques (Martin Luther King, President Obama, Patrick Henry, Jonathan Edwards, and other great orators)

The following persuasive techniques are some ways, among many, that writers and speakers effectively persuade their audiences. Of course, not every technique is used by each speaker; and there are also additional techniques that you will learn about as we read more literature.

1. establishing purpose and argumentative focus through claims/assertions
2. complimenting those with dissenting (different) viewpoints

3. metaphors

4. extended metaphors

5. allusions

6. words with religious connotations or religious imagery

7. ethical appeals (ethos)

8. logical appeals (logos)

9. emotional appeals (pathos)

10. rhetorical questions

11. loaded language

12. parallelism

13. cadence

14. anticipation of counter-arguments/providing counterclaims

15. repetition

16. variety in sentence structure (long/short) and punctuation; rhythm

17. an offered solution or plan

18. building to a climactic moment (or several) in the writing

19. strong conclusion

20. strong lead that grabs the attention of the audience

21. variety in diction (using formal as well as informal words to

appeal to different audiences)
22. vivid imagery and description
23. figurative language (metaphors, simile, personification)

24. use of aphoristic language
25. finding common ground
26. establishing context for present occasion/providing background

and history
27. clearly defining purpose/objectives/reasoning (logos)
28. awareness of multiple audiences or groups (constituencies) within

the larger audience being addressed

Analysis of "How It Feels to Be Colored Me" by Zora Neale Hurston

Zora Neale Hurston, an important voice of the Harlem Renaissance, was an American folklorist, anthropologist, and novelist best known for her work, Their Eyes Were Watching God. Sadly, she died in 1960 after suffering financial and medical difficulties. In 1973, Alice Walker, another famous American writer, "rediscovered" Hurston and promoted her body of work. In the classic essay, "How It Feels to Be Colored Me," Hurston explores the idea that all of us have multiple selves, depending upon the context and environments in which we find ourselves. Hurston's writing has an ebullience, self-assertiveness, and pride that is particularly evident in this text. She was a flamboyant and dramatic personality, at times clashing with fellow writers from the Harlem Renaissance, who believed that black Americans should use their art to speak out against racial oppression and the white majority. Hurston chose not to align herself with the political ideologies of ot...

All Classes--Analysis of Patrick Henry's Speech in the Virginia Convention

Scholars: It is good to read examples of analytical writing because it helps you understand how to write your own analysis essays. The habit of reading and studying models (examples) is the best way to learn how to write more effectively. Below is an analysis that I wrote on Patrick Henry's Speech in the Virginia Convention.

Teacher Model--Responding to an Argumentative Prompt

Below is an example of a written response to the AP English Language and Composition Argumentative Prompt (2011). I will use this in my classroom to model for students the writing process on the AP Exam. (The response was written in a 40-minute timed session when I attended an AP Summer Institute.) I want to show students that AP Readers understand that their writing is a draft and that they will not be marked down because of cross-outs and penmanship that is difficult to read. The caveat I would tell students is to of course try to write as legibly as possible. If the penmanship is very poor, the AP Reader will struggle and may miss important content in the student response.

Mulhern's English Site

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