Persuasive Speech
What’s the gist of this project? In connection with reading Animal Farm and in order to support our study of rhetorical devices, you will write and deliver a 3-4 minute speech to the class that calls your audience to action in stopping some sort of injustice.
How should I get started? Your first task is to choose a topic. Identify an injustice you see around you, whether at home (i.e. chores, curfews), at work (i.e. wages, hours, management practices), at school (i.e. rules, homework loads) or in the world around you (i.e. corrupt banks, racism, poverty, human rights violations). As you can gather from my suggestions, your topic can be fairly light hearted, or you can take on a serious cause; what matters is that you use the tools of persuasion effectively. I advise that you choose something that really sets you off, something that gets you angry/frustrated when you think about it. The more passion you can summon up, the better!
How should I organize my speech? 1. Describe the current situation. (May require research. Make sure to document the sources you turn to as you assemble the facts. We’ll talk about how to work citations in to your speech later.) 2. Discuss why the situation is unfair and needs to be changed. 3. Describe a vision of a "better way." 4. Call for appropriate action from your audience. 5. Remember to use at least 4 out of the 6 rhetorical devices we studied–i.e. alliteration, repetition, metaphors, rhetorical questions, allusions, and parallelism.
How will I be graded? You must: o Structure ideas and arguments in an organized and logical fashion (follow pattern described above in steps 1-4) o Use specific rhetorical devices to support assertions (see step 5 above) o Clarify and defend positions with precise and relevant evidence, including facts, expert opinions, quotations, and/or expressions of commonly accepted beliefs and logical reasoning o Address readers'
How should I get started? Your first task is to choose a topic. Identify an injustice you see around you, whether at home (i.e. chores, curfews), at work (i.e. wages, hours, management practices), at school (i.e. rules, homework loads) or in the world around you (i.e. corrupt banks, racism, poverty, human rights violations). As you can gather from my suggestions, your topic can be fairly light hearted, or you can take on a serious cause; what matters is that you use the tools of persuasion effectively. I advise that you choose something that really sets you off, something that gets you angry/frustrated when you think about it. The more passion you can summon up, the better!
How should I organize my speech? 1. Describe the current situation. (May require research. Make sure to document the sources you turn to as you assemble the facts. We’ll talk about how to work citations in to your speech later.) 2. Discuss why the situation is unfair and needs to be changed. 3. Describe a vision of a "better way." 4. Call for appropriate action from your audience. 5. Remember to use at least 4 out of the 6 rhetorical devices we studied–i.e. alliteration, repetition, metaphors, rhetorical questions, allusions, and parallelism.
How will I be graded? You must: o Structure ideas and arguments in an organized and logical fashion (follow pattern described above in steps 1-4) o Use specific rhetorical devices to support assertions (see step 5 above) o Clarify and defend positions with precise and relevant evidence, including facts, expert opinions, quotations, and/or expressions of commonly accepted beliefs and logical reasoning o Address readers'