<p> Persuasive Writing — Bias and Propaganda Techniques</p><p>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.</p><p>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... </p><p>Name-calling is an attack on the person instead of focusing on the opinions supported by the person </p><p>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. </p><p>A red herring is an attempt to distract the reader with details not directly related to the point the writer is trying to make </p><p>An emotional appeal tries to persuade the reader by using words that appeal to the reader’s emotions instead of to logic or reason. </p><p>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). </p><p>Repetition attempts to persuade the reader by repeating a message over and over again. </p><p>A sweeping generalization (stereotyping) makes an oversimplified statement about a group based on limited information. </p><p>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.)</p><p>An appeal to numbers, facts, or statistics attempts to persuade the reader by showing how many people think something is true. </p>