Class October 1, 2008

Class Session for October 1, 2008


Agenda 10-1-08
•Persuasive writing techniques
•Persuasive writing assignment #2
•Group Discussion Questions/ Review
•Literary Elements to Know

Group Study Questions
•Why did M. Loisel expect his wife to be pleased to receive the invitation from the Minister of Education?

1.3 Describe Mme Loisel's reaction on reading the invitation.1.4 Why had M. Loisel been saving 400 Francs?

1.5 Compare and contrast the life of Mme Lebrun before and after the disappearance of the necklace.

1.6 Why was Mme Loisel anxious to hurry away from the ball?1.7 What efforts were made to find Mme Forestier's necklace?

1.8 Describe in your own words how the Loisels' life changed after they had paid for the new necklace.

1.9 How did Mme Forestier recognize Mme Loisel when they met in the Champs-Elysees?

1.10 What was Mme Forestier's reaction when the necklace was returned?

Persuasive Letters
•Persuasive letters are just what you'd imagine--an attempt to convince someone to do something. There are two types of persuasive letters: requests which the reader is likely to grant and requests which the reader is likely to reject.

Persuasive Writing Assignment
•Write a letter to Madame Forrester, in a effort to persuade her to give you the authentic diamond necklace back , after discovering that the necklace that she lent you, was a fake.

Writing the Persuasive Letter
•First:
• Determine and define your audience
• Define your purpose for writing
• Decide what information to include
• Outline how best to support your position. What reasons or benefits will the reader find convincing?
Continued….
• Ascertain the possible or potential objections of your readers
• Discover if there are any special circumstances that you should keep in mind.

Next…..
•Then:
•
•Decide what you want your reader to do
•
•Determine the objections that must be overcome
•
•Make as strong a case as necessary
•
•Use a direct request if your reader will have minimal objections
•
•Ask immediately for the information or service you want
•
•Give readers all the information they need
•
•Tell readers what you want them to do
Use a problem-solving strategy if your reader will resist your request:
•Catch the reader's interest by mentioning common ground
•
•Define the problem you share
•
•Explain the solution to the problem
•
•Show that negative elements (cost, time) are outweighed by the benefits of acting
•
•Summarize any additional benefits to acting
•
•Tell readers exactly what you want them to do

Organizing Your Thoughts
•The organization of your persuasive letter is like an inverted pyramid. You begin broadly by capturing the reader's interest and stating common ground--you get the reader to buy into your problem or situation.

•Then you specifically detail the shared problem and its solution. Should you suspect that your reader may sense negative elements (and this is the norm), you outline the benefits of acting. Then you narrow the focus by telling the reader exactly what he/she should do.