Analysis of Persuasion

Read the article “The White Flight of Derek Black.” by Eli Saslow. Review the article you’ve chosen and made notes of examples of ethos, pathos, logos. After re-reading and annotating, decide what you think was the most vital element of the person’s persuasion. This will be your thesis. It could take a form something like this: “Megan Phelps-Roper was persuaded to change her views through a mix of pathos, logos, and ethos, but the most significant form of persuasion for her was _______ because _____.” Write a brief summary of the subject and outcome of the article you chose. Imagine someone hadn’t read the whole article and just needed you, to sum up, who the subject was and how his/her mind was changed. This should be about a paragraph. Write a paragraph for each mode of persuasion (three paragraphs total). Go back through your annotations, and remember to include a specific example of each. If you think that one of them is absent, explain that, and explain why you think that matters. Conclude your essay by reflecting on what this tells you about humans’ ability to change their minds. What does your thesis tell you about persuasion, convictions, and prejudice? Create a Works Cited Page that includes whichever article you chose to write your essay about.