Propaganda Collection: A Project for Practicing Persuasive Techniques

Transcription

1 English II Pre-AP 3rd Quarter Propaganda Collection: A Project for Practicing Persuasive Techniques This project is due Friday, February 26, Cold War Propaganda:

2 Propaganda Collection: Directions The American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition (dictionary.reference.com) defines propaganda as "information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc." Therefore, propaganda includes commercials, billboards, print ads (in magazines, flyers, etc.), campaign material, and many other forms. In this project, you will design your own original worlds that are currently in a state of conflict against each other, and create context and propaganda relating to both sides. All imaginings are up to you! STEP ONE: Exposition (your Page 1 [the colored sheet]) Design your own world with its own enemy and a central conflict between the two sides. This will be detailed on the Exposition handout, which will be Page 1 of your collection. STEP TWO: The Contexts and their Propaganda (your Pages 2 9) Based on your own original Exposition (Page 1), complete Pages 2 through 9. When a product is expository, keep a neutral tone; on the other hand, when it is persuasive, be biased, and use words/images with strong connotations (e.g., evil, sneaky, vile, villain OR honest, innocent, hard-working, right, hero, etc.). Each product must be no more than one page. Type/handwrite the page number on the bottom of each product. Page 2 -- Unbiased Cause-and-Effect Report (Expository or Literary) Third-person objective or omniscient point of view. Compose a cause-and-effect (either a report or a story) regarding the major conflict. Do not use bias and do not use strong connotations. Explain: A. the root cause(s) of this "us versus them" conflict (does the disagreement stem from an ideological difference? An economic disagreement? A defiant act on the part of one or more citizens? A difference in cultural values? A territorial dispute? Is it being fueled by wealthy higher-ups? Or what? Explain!), and B. its effect(s) on foreign and/or domestic issues. Page 3 -- Map of the Major Conflict (Expository or Persuasive) Third-person objective or omniscient point of view. On any scale, draw a map that features information regarding the two sides and the pre-planning, current state, or end result (your choice) of their major conflict. Here are some ideas to choose from: A. Geographical features (forests, deserts, mountain ranges, rivers, etc.) B. Man- or alien-made features (cities/villages, power plants, airports, etc.) C. Any battle sites D. Flags/symbols of the two sides' winnings and/or territories E. Notes regarding dates/times F. Notes about effects (such as destruction, monetary costs, casualties, impact on morale, etc.) You may create the map using technology, but make sure to list the URL below each image, at the bottom of the page, or on a Works Cited page (your optional Page 10).

3 Page 4 -- The Two Flags (Persuasive) Top half of the page = "Us" perspective. Draw and color the unifying flag. Incorporate symbols of these people plus/minus their ideology into the design. Bottom half of the page = "Them" perspective. Draw and color the unifying flag. Incorporate symbols of these people plus/minus their ideology into the design. Page 5 -- Rhetoric on Both Sides (Persuasive) Top half of the page = "Us" perspective, first person point of view. This supreme leader is addressing his/her/its people regarding the conflict. Write a half-page speech (or excerpt of a speech) in which he/she/it employs the three rhetorical appeals: ethos (appeal to audience's ethics and to establish oneself as trustworthy and of high credibility/character), pathos (appeal to audience's emotions), and logos (appeal to audience's logic). Remember those strong connotations! Bottom half of the page = "Them" perspective, first person point of view. This supreme leader is addressing his/her/its people regarding the conflict. Write a half-page speech (or excerpt of a speech) in which he/she/it employs the three rhetorical appeals: ethos (appeal to audience's ethics and to establish oneself as trustworthy and of high credibility/character), pathos (appeal to audience's emotions), and logos (appeal to audience's logic). Remember those strong connotations! Page 6 -- Poster with a Fallacy ("Us" Side) (Persuasive) "Us" perspective. Create a poster (on paper) that promotes the "us" side or attacks the "them" side. Integrate at least one rhetorical fallacy (see the appendix at the end of this packet). Use strong connotations! Page 7 -- Poster with a Fallacy ("Them" Side) (Persuasive) "Them" perspective. Create a poster that promotes the "them" side or attacks the "us" side. Again, integrate at least one rhetorical fallacy, and use strong connotations. This must be very different from page 6. Page 8 -- Antithetical Propaganda ("Us" Side) (Persuasive) Antithesis uses paradox/oxymoron to emphasize opposites. Example: In George Orwell's 1984, the government decrees, War is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength. "Us" perspective. On this product, you will design a piece of propaganda that promotes the "us" side and that employs antithesis. Since you've already made a report, a map, flags, speeches, and posters, you must choose something else (as always, make it one whole page). Some options: Badge Website Campaign letter Uniform Bumper sticker Wall graffiti Stamp Patriotic song lyrics This product must be very different from your pages 6 and 7. Remember those strong connotations!

4 Page 9 -- Letter to the Leader(s): A Problem-Solution Persuasion (Persuasive) Outside perspective, first-person point of view. A foreigner (from elsewhere) visits both sides. After seeing the facts, the map, and all the propaganda, he/she/it has a solution that will bring everything to an end but, for whom? Compose a one-page, persuasive, problem-solution letter addressed to one or both supreme leader(s), written by this third party. Craft the letter so that the speaker (the foreigner): A. Briefly introduces himself/herself/itself (such as name, homeland, commonalities, etc.). B. Briefly references the problem, with or without bias (depending on the audience being addressed). C. Focuses on his/her/its specific solution a decisive course of action to the major conflict. D. Attempts to persuade the supreme leader(s) to follow through with this plan. Think of resources to offer, as well as what he/she/it would say to connect ("hit home") with the intended audience. Page Works Cited (if you need it) If you used images from the Internet, you may list their web URLs on this page. If you don't want to do this, then make sure that any image you copied from the Internet has a citation (URL) somewhere near it.

5 Appendix 1 -- Types of Government: Writerswrite.co.za

6 Rhetorical Fallacies Rhetorical fallacies, or fallacies of argument, don t allow for the open, two-way exchange of ideas upon which meaningful conversations depend. Instead, they distract the reader with various appeals instead of using sound reasoning. They can be divided into three categories: 1. Emotional fallacies unfairly appeal to the audience s emotions. They are faulty pathos. 2. Ethical fallacies unreasonably advance the writer s own authority or character. They are faulty ethos. 3. Logical fallacies depend upon faulty logic. They are faulty logos. Keep in mind that rhetorical fallacies often overlap. Emotional Fallacies Sentimental Appeals use emotion to distract the audience from the facts. Example: The thousand of baby seals killed in the Exxon-Valdez oil spill have shown us that oil is not a reliable energy source. Red Herrings use misleading or unrelated evidence to support a conclusion. Example: That painting is worthless because I don t recognize the artist. Scare Tactics try to frighten people into agreeing with the arguer by threatening them or predicting unrealistically dire consequences. Example: If you don t support the party s tax plan, you and your family will be reduced to poverty. Bandwagon Appeals encourage an audience to agree with the writer because everyone else is doing so. Example: Paris Hilton carries a small dog in her purse, so you should buy a hairless Chihuahua and put it in your Louis Vuitton. Slippery Slope arguments suggest that one thing will lead to another, oftentimes with disastrous results. Example: If you get a B in high school, you won t get into the college of your choice, and therefore will never have a meaningful career. Either-Or Choices reduce complicated issues to only two possible courses of action. Example: The patent office can either approve my generator design immediately or say goodbye forever to affordable energy. False Need arguments create an unnecessary desire for things. Example: You need an expensive car or people won t think you re cool. Ethical Fallacies False Authority asks audiences to agree with the assertion of a writer based simply on his or her character or the authority of another person or institution who may not be fully qualified to offer that assertion. Example: My high school teacher said it, so it must be true. Using Authority Instead of Evidence occurs when someone offers personal authority as proof. Example: Trust me my best friend wouldn t do that. Guilt by Association calls someone s character into question by examining the character of that person s associates. Example: Sara s friend Amy robbed a bank; therefore, Sara is a delinquent. Dogmatism shuts down discussion by asserting that the writer s beliefs are the only acceptable ones. Example: I m sorry, but I think penguins are sea creatures and that s that.

7 Moral Equivalence compares minor problems with much more serious crimes (or vice versa). Example: These mandatory seatbelt laws are fascist. Ad Hominem arguments attack a person s character rather than that person s reasoning. Example: Why should we think a candidate who recently divorced will keep her campaign promises? Strawperson arguments set up and often dismantle easily refutable arguments in order to misrepresent an opponent s argument in order to defeat him or her Example: A: We need to regulate access to handguns. B: My opponent believes that we should ignore the rights guaranteed to us as citizens of the United States by the Constitution. Unlike my opponent, I am a firm believer in the Constitution, and a proponent of freedom. Logical Fallacies A Hasty Generalization draws conclusions from scanty evidence. Example: I wouldn t eat at that restaurant the only time I ate there, my entree was undercooked. Faulty Causality (or Post Hoc) arguments confuse chronology with causation: one event can occur after another without being caused by it. Example: A year after the release of the violent shoot- em-up video game Annihilator, incidents of school violence tripled surely not a coincidence. A Non Sequitur (Latin for It doesn t follow ) is a statement that does not logically relate to what comes before it. An important logical step may be missing in such a claim. Example: If those protesters really loved their country, they wouldn t question the government. A Half-truth is a statement that is partially correct but that purposefully obscures the entire truth. Example: The new welfare bill is good because it will get people off the public dole. (Yes, but it will also harm those who are truly needy.) Begging the Question occurs when a writer simply restates the claim in a different way; such an argument is circular. Example: His lies are evident from the untruthful nature of his statements. A Faulty Analogy is an inaccurate, inappropriate, or misleading comparison between two things. Example: Letting prisoners out on early release is like absolving them of their crimes. Stacked Evidence represents only one side of the issue, thus distorting the issue. Example: Cats are superior to dogs because they are cleaner, cuter, and more independent. Further Resources: Lunsford, Andrea A. and John Ruszkiewicz. Everything s an Argument. 3rd ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martin s, Undergraduate Writing Center The University of Texas at Austin FAC Last revised by Tamara Smith, March 2009