Persuasive Writing Bias and Propaganda Techniques

Persuasive Writing — Bias and Propaganda Techniques

Persuasive writing is all around us. Look for persuasive writing in advertising, newspaper editorials, political campaign ads, and in many personal essays. A critical reader can spot a writer’s BIAS—his or her strongly-held opinions. A writer’s bias is often stated in a thesis sentence right at the beginning of an essay. A thesis sentence states the writer’s belief or point of view.

When a writer uses persuasive techniques to cloud a reader’s thinking Pedro the Persuasive ability by presenting facts in a dishonest or misleading manner, we call Pelican that PROPAGANDA. Here are some common persuasive and propaganda techniques...

Name-calling is an attack on the person instead of focusing on the opinions supported by the person

A bandwagon appeal tries to persuade the reader to do, think, or buy something because it is popular or because "everyone" does it or believes it.

A red herring is an attempt to distract the reader with details not directly related to the point the writer is trying to make

An emotional appeal tries to persuade the reader by using words that appeal to the reader’s emotions instead of to logic or reason.

A testimonial attempts to persuade the reader by using a famous or respected person to endorse a product or idea (for instance, the celebrity endorsement).

Repetition attempts to persuade the reader by repeating a message over and over again.

A sweeping generalization (stereotyping) makes an oversimplified statement about a group based on limited information.

A circular argument tries to prove a point by restating it rather than offering proof. (Example: He is an effective speaker because he speaks effectively to people.)

An appeal to numbers, facts, or statistics attempts to persuade the reader by showing how many people think something is true.