The Brief Thompson is persuasive in that the text is saying that you start to become more persuasive in your writing when you want to make your position known. This is persuasive because the reader starts to think about what they want to say, and they become more motivated to learn how to use rhetoric to make their writing more persuasive. The intention of the text is to motivate readers to write persuasively. The text talks about finding a common ground between the writer and reader, it’s important to find what your audience cares about. A thesis includes the topic and your claim about the topic. It’s important to understand different perspectives. Developing an argument means adding details. Shaping the argument means that you are considering the audience and the purpose of the content. Presenting the argument means trying to figure out what style, diction and tone works best for your argument. Arguing to inquire means that you know that there are different perspectives. Aristotle spent a lot his time figuring out how to invent arguments and how to make them useful. The classical form of an argument is based on the idea the people change their mind. A reader’s attention needs to be captured, then they learn about the topic, analyze, listen to other’s opinions and interpret. Using persuasive evidence, appealing to the reader, and showing the reader why the topic is important will motivate readers to understand the writer’s position. It is important to separate facts and opinions in an argument. Writers need to use logos, ethos, and pathos in their writing and analyze an argument using the Toulmin Method. A fallacy is an error in reason. It is important to concede and refute other viewpoints. It is important that the writer understands the question and then outlines their response. The writer needs to give a clear argument and then proofread their work. This text really helps the reader learn how to become a better writer.
The Purdue Owl video talks about Rhetoric. Rhetoric is language choices. Rhetoric came out of the Greek tradition of preparing speeches. Greek students would memorize long speeches using rhetoric tools. Only certain people, a certain class were able to use rhetoric tools. This changed, when the the Sophists came, they believed that anyone could learn rhetoric strategies to become a good speaker if they payed. People thought the Sophists were ruining rhetoric by doing this. This caused rhetoric to be viewed negatively. They thought if everyone learned, then the strategies would be meaningless and then people would not care about the truth of their argument. Rhetorical strategies were applied to writing, as people moved oral to writing traditions. Rhetoric improves writing, because it makes the writing more persuasive. Audience, ethos, pathos and logos make writing more effective. Rhetoric is about using language in the most effective way
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