In this lesson, students will look into the use of persuasion in literature. At the end of the lesson, students will:
- Determine and evaluate the author's motivation for employing persuasion in these specific literary works. 
- Determine the author's persuasive techniques.

- How do strategic readers decipher informational and literary text? 
- How does text interaction elicit thought and response? 
- What is the true meaning of this text?

- Author’s Purpose: The author’s intent is either to inform or teach someone about something, to entertain people, or to persuade or convince the audience to do or not do something. 
- Figurative Language: Language that cannot be taken literally since it was written to create a special effect or feeling. 
- Metaphor: A figure of speech that expresses an idea through the image of another object. Metaphors suggest the essence of the first object by identifying it with certain qualities of the second object. An example is “But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun” in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Here, Juliet, the first object, is identified with the qualities of the second object, the sun.

- Video and text of the President’s Address to the U.S. Fighter Pilots from the 1996 movie Independence Day (https://www.americanrhetoric.com/MovieSpeeches/moviespeechindependenceday.html)
- The above speeches were chosen because of their strong persuasive techniques. Choices include the following:
+Text of Lyndon B. Johnson’s “We Shall Overcome” speech http://www.historyplace.com/speeches/johnson.htm 
+ Video and text of Shirley Chisholm’s speech “For the Equal Rights Amendment” http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/shirleychisholmequalrights.htm 
+ “We Shall Overcome” recording by Pete Seeger at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhnPVP23rzo or by Mahalia Jackson at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmR1YvfIGng .)
+ “I Have a Dream” speech by Martin Luther King Jr. http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm 
+ The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln/speeches/gettysburg.htm 
- Three-Two-One Graphic Organizer (L-L-3-2_Three-Two-One Organizer) 

- As students work on their analysis of Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech, keep an eye out for those who may require additional assistance. Student comprehension will be demonstrated through group presentations. If necessary, review or reteach. 
- Allow students to revise their analysis of King's speech after reading and listening to other people's observations.

Modeling, explicit instruction, scaffolding, and active engagement
W: Examine how persuasion is used in literature and why the author chose certain examples. 
H: Get students interested in the topic by asking them to name the persuasive strategies utilized in a speech from a well-known film.
E: Assign students to write responses in groups that bolster the first analysis. Give them a chance to discuss their answers with other students and edit their written responses as needed.
R: Give students time to think back on what they've read and write their observations about specific instances of persuasion. Encourage them to reevaluate their answers if their ideas have changed. 
E: Ask students to assess their work by determining whether or not their response needs to be revised.
T: Make time for individual performances, group projects, and class discussions.
O: Arrange the lesson so that it starts with an analysis of a well-known speech, is followed by a class discussion, and students write their initial group analyses of the responses before moving on to individual writing.

Focus Question: How is persuasion used in both oral and written communication?

Start the class by playing a video of the president's speech to the American fighter pilots from the Independence Day film. After reading the short text aloud to the class, find out from them why the pilots are fighting the alien invaders and why the speech is meant to motivate them to do their best.

Ask, "How does the president try to inspire the pilots to perform better?" The following are some suggested responses:

As "the largest aerial battle in the history of mankind," he emphasizes the significance of their endeavor.

By saying that they are "united in our common interest," he repeatedly reminds them that they are all in this together.

He connects the Fourth of July to his feelings.

He highlights the inevitable result of losing the war: annihilation.

In his heartfelt plea, he expands the concept of the Fourth of July to an Independence Day for the entire world.

Part 1

Say, "It has long been known that language can influence, mold, and even completely transform our thoughts. The ancient Greeks and Romans defined rhetoric as the art of persuasion. Nowadays, rhetoric can mean many different things, but one definition is the skillful application of words to persuade listeners to do something. Three forms of appeal are used in rhetoric:

logical (relying on rationality),

ethical (the speaker's need to persuade the listener that they are a reasonable, trustworthy, and kind person through their words), and

sentimental.”

"How does the president's speech on Independence Day elicit emotion? What makes the speech possibly regarded as rhetoric?" Discuss the students' responses.

Play the video again and ask the students to name the different kinds of appeals that the speech on Independence Day used. Make sure students recognize these:

logical: To survive, Earth's population must band together to oppose an alien force.

ethical: The American president, a youthful man set to embark on his military expedition, is the speaker.

sentimental: The planet's population faces extinction; there is a link to the Fourth of July; and there is a last plea not "to vanish without a fight!" and the announcement that "We're going to survive!"

Part 2

Present the students with printed copies of the text along with a video of Martin Luther King Jr. delivering his Nobel Prize speech. Please take note that this speech was given in 1964, a time when the use of masculine pronouns and terms like "mankind" to refer to all people was still commonplace. It was also common to refer to people as "Negroes" rather than "African Americans" or "Black Americans." Students may want to be reminded of these words.

Ask students to complete one of the following to analyze the speech: Annotate the speech with instances of persuasive reasoning, moral reasoning, and emotive reasoning.

Circle quotes that exemplify King's skillful word choice.

Emphasize the author's purpose statement.

Alternatively, assign students to complete L-L-3-2_Three-Two-One Organizer, the Three-Two-One graphic organizer.

Assign students to groups so they can compare notes and, if needed, edit their answers. Ask the groups to choose one example to share with the class. On the board or interactive whiteboard, write the headings that are highlighted. Ask students to copy passages from King's speech onto sticky notes. After that, ask the students to arrange the examples under the relevant headings. Address any queries that come up. The following are some possible responses:

rational appeal
a comparative analysis between Indian and American Black Americans' peaceful conduct
moral appeal
"an abiding faith in America and an audacious faith in the future of mankind"
believe that the Nobel Prize should be awarded to "the ground crew, without whose labor and sacrifice the jet flights to freedom could never have left the earth."
the beauty of genuine brotherhood and peace is more precious in the eyes of those who accept the Nobel Prize "in the spirit of a curator of some precious heirloom which he holds in trust for its true owners: all those to whom truth is beauty and beauty truth."
emotional appeal
allusion to the terrible outcomes and deaths of individuals who have fought for justice and freedom.
strong linguistic usage
of "the long night of racial injustice"
aspire for people to "transform this pending cosmic elegy into a creative psalm of brotherhood."
rejection of the idea that "man is mere flotsam and jetsam in the river of life, unable to influence the unfolding events that surround him."
the goal of the author
to advocate for the liberation and harmony of American African Americans
to strive for the world's ultimate victory over peace.

Gather the written answers from the students or their worksheets for the unit's performance assessment.

Part 3

Ask students to listen to the lyrics of Pete Seeger's or Mahalia Jackson's "We Shall Overcome" recording as a follow-up to their discussion of civil rights rhetoric. Ask students to evaluate this song's significance in the civil rights movement. Stress the deep emotional ties and the idea of a righteous fight for freedom that will ultimately be rewarded.

Extension:

Assign the following tasks to students who require more learning opportunities:
- Write comments in response to Hillary Clinton's "Women's Rights Are Human Rights" speech analysis (refer to the Related Resources). Assign students to work in small groups under your guidance. Give students comments on their work.
- Examine the rhetorical devices in rap songs or commercials.
Give students who are willing to go above and beyond the call of duty the following tasks to complete:
- Examine the analysis of Marc Antony's funeral speech in Julius Caesar (refer to Related Resources). Make sure the students present their work to the group.
- To examine the skillful use of rhetoric, compare opposing editorials regarding senior drivers (refer to Related Resources).
- Use rhetorical strategies to lead class discussions.