Persuasion is a very powerful type of language and means to make someone do something by argument, charm, insult, complements, etc. Persuasive language can be found in everyday life e.g.
adverts, teachers, media, friends and family. Persuasion can be broken down into eleven different techniques; List of three, Repetition, Alliteration, Based on personal experience, Use of statistics/Quotations, Involvement of the audience, Exaggeration, Metaphors, Sarcasm and Ending strongly. Some of the most famous speeches in history have used all these techniques.I have studied three different pieces of persuasive text they are "Julius Caesar" written by William Shakespeare, The "I have a dream speech" written by Martin Luther King and "To kill a mocking bird" written by Harper Lee.
All of these are good examples of how the eleven techniques of persuasion can be used and they will be referred to in this essay.List of three is a good way of making you sound like you know what you talking about (know your facts) e.g. "Friends, Romans, Countrymen" from Anthony's speech and "Quiet, Respectable, Humble" from Finch's speech.
Repetition emphasises one word or fact e.g. "Tom Robinson" was said a lot in Finch's speech and "Brutus says he was ambitious" was used in Anthony's speech.Alliteration uses words all beginning with the same letter to put emphasis on a list of words e.g.
"Brutus Beasts" in Anthony's speech and "State sweltering" in King's speech.If you base something on personal experience then your audience may find it more believable e.g. "He was my friend" in Anthony's speech and "But I can not pity her" in Finch's speech.Putting Statistics or quotations into your speech makes it much more convicting and planned out e.
g. "In this year of grace 1935" in Finch's speech and "I three times gave him a royal crown" in Anthony's speech.Rhetorical questions make the audience think more about what is being said e.g.
"Is this ambitious? " in Anthony's speech.Involving the audience can make them not feel left out and more in the speech e.g. "What cause withholds you then to morn for him?" from Anthony's speech and "Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells" in King's speech.Sarcasm is used to put down or undermine people/objects e.
g. "For Brutus is a honourable man" in Anthony's speech and "This phrase out of context" in Finch's speech.Metaphors make a speech sound very powerful and exciting. Metaphors are when you compare one thing to another e.g. "Crashing down on her afterwards" from Finch's speech, "Lend me your ears" from Anthony's speech and "Battered by the storm of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality" from King's speech.
If you exaggerate something then it can make it sound much better than it is and easier etc. Some examples of exaggeration are "When poor cried Caesar hath wept" from Anthony's speech, "A state sweltering with the heat of injustice" from King's speech and "But it came crashing down on her afterwards" from Finch's speech.I think Finch's speech works best because he uses all the point of persuasive language well with an equal number of each. He also backs up everything he says with undisputable evidence.I believe that using statistics or quotations is the best way of using trying to persuade someone because if it is accurate then it is undisputable and makes you look a lot more confident.In conclusion I would say that with enough practise and used well you could persuade anyone to do almost anything using the eleven different aspects of persuasive language.
