1

TThe Persuasive Letter

Name: ____________________ Class: ______

Due Dates (EACH of these counts as a Writing Grade ☺)

* Brainstorming: _____________ ___/10 * Research: ________________ ___/ 10 * First Draft: _______________ ___/ 20 * Second Draft: ______________ ___/20 * Final Draft: ________________ ___/70

"One of the few things I know about writing is this: spend it all, shoot it, play it, lose it, all, right away, every time. Do not hoard what seems good for a later place in the book, or for another book;

give it, give it all, give it now. The impulse to save something good for a better place later is a signal to spend it now. Something more will arise for later, something better. These things fill from

behind, from beneath, like well water. Similarly, the impulse to keep to yourself what you have learned is not only shameful, it is destructive. Anything you do not give freely and abundantly is

lost to you. You open your safe and find ashes."

- Annie Dillard from The Writing Life

2

How to Write a Letter Dr. Michael Smith 123 ABC St. New York City, NY 99999 April 17, 2012 Dr. Patricia Brown University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center 777 Medical Dr. Los Angeles, CA 11111 Dear Dr. Brown, I am the chairman of the 2012 Metropolitan Medical Conference that is being held in Miami, Florida on July 5, 2012, and I would like to invite you to present your research on beta blockers. We would be delighted to listen to you discuss your work, and I hope you will also agree to run a short question-and-answer session after the presentation. Additionally, Metropolitan Medical would be pleased to cover your travel and lodging expenses while you visit the conference, in addition to providing you with a per diem budget. Please reply with your answer as soon as you are able, so that we may begin to arrange your travel. I encourage you to contact me with any questions or concerns. Sincerely, Dr. Michael Smith

Rhetorical Devices: Logos, Pathos, & Ethos Rhetoric (n) - the art of speaking or writing effectively (Webster's Definition). According to the Greek philosopher Aristotle, rhetoric is "the ability, in each particular case, to see the available means of persuasion." He described three main forms of rhetoric: Logos, Pathos, and Ethos

Logos: Logical appeal. The best persuaders argue through reasoning by supporting their claims with

evidence. Pathos: Emotional appeal. Persuading by appealing to the reader’s emotions. We can look at texts

ranging from classic essays to contemporary advertisements to see how emotional appeals are used to persuade. Language choice affects the audience's emotional response. Ethos: Credibility or Ethical appeal. We tend to believe people whom we respect. A key piece of your

argument is to give the impression that you are someone worth listening to - that you are an authority on the issue, someone who is likeable and worthy of respect.

3

The Persuasive Letter

What to do �Compose a persuasive letter demonstrating your understanding of clear communication and deep thinking. Support your argument with textual evidence from The Hunger Games (at least three quotes) and from an outside source on the topic you have chosen (at least three quotes). Your final draft will be two pages, typed, and double-spaced. How to do it �Begin by selecting one of the three writing prompts (attached). Choose a prompt that will be interesting and fun for you to write about! Next, begin brainstorming for your persuasive letter. This is your time to write down some random thoughts and ideas and see which ones speak to you the most. One of the best ways to get your mind going is to do some freewriting for ten minutes. Then, after selecting your prompt and brainstorming, compile your research by selecting the quote and information from The Hunger Games and your support from an outside source to defend your argument. Be sure to select three relevant quotes from The Hunger Games and three relevant quotes from an outside source. After compiling your thoughts and your evidence, then compose a first draft of your persuasive letter. This is the time to get all of your ideas out on paper and to test your textual evidence. Does it back up your argument? If so, continue developing your transitions to make sure your evidence flows into your argument seamlessly. If not, select different quotes that strongly support your argument.

Before typing up your Final Draft, compose a second draft of your essay. This will help you iron out any leftover mistakes in your thought process, evidence, and grammar and mechanics. Take time in the second draft to develop your voice and creativity and to make your argument unique and powerful. Finally, type up your final draft. Be sure to double-check for grammar and mechanics (do you have paragraphs? Are all of your words spelled correctly? Does your letter demonstrate clear communication and accurate grammar?) and to make sure you have provided in-text citations for your textual evidence. MLA dictates that we use the following form for in-text citations: - Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (263). - Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (Wordsworth 263). - Wordsworth extensively explored the role of emotion in the creative process (263). Questions on this? Check out the experts: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/ or call/text me at 615.543.6260 or email me at laura.fittz@mnps.org Your final essay will be two pages, typed, and double-spaced with 12 point Times New Roman, Arial, Georgia, or Calabri font with 1” margins (format, document, page margins).

4

1 2 3

4 5

Introductory Paragraph

Introduction lacks two or more of the following; a hook, tie-in, or thesis statement. No effort to engage reader's interest.

Lacks one or more of the following; a hook, tie-in, or thesis statement. No clear effort to engage reader's interest.

Introduction has a hook, tie-in, and thesis, however the thesis is unclear. There is no clear effort to engage the reader's interest.

Introduction demonstrates lack of clarity in one or more of the following: hook, tie-in, and thesis

Introduction has a hook, tie-in, and a clear thesis. Clear effort to engage the reader's interest.

Body Paragraphs

Paragraphs are unorganized and stray from the topic. Topic sentences are unclear. Paragraphs lack details.

Paragraphs are somewhat organized, but stray from the topic. Topic sentences are unclear. Paragraphs lack some details and do not connect to thesis statement.

Paragraphs are fairly organized, but stray from the topic. Topic sentences are sometimes unclear. Paragraphs lack some details and sometimes do not connect to thesis statement.

Paragraphs are fairly organized and typically related directly to the topic. Topic sentences are primarily clear. Paragraphs have several details that connect to thesis statement.

Paragraphs are well organized and related to the subject. Topic sentences are clear. Paragraphs have details that connect to thesis statement.

Opinion Student opinion is not clear

Opinion is somewhat defined but seems to be hesitant in findings

Opinion is present but little support is provided

Opinion is clear and support for the opinion is evident

Opinion is very clear. Excellent and well stated support for the opinion is provided.

Support from sources

No support from outside sources is documented (2 quotes total)

Support is provided but is not documented (3 quotes total)

Some support is provided but it leaves potential questions and is only partially thorough. Provided support is documented. (4 quotes total)

Solid support is provided and documented accurately.(5 quotes total)

Excellent support (3 relevant quotes from The Hunger Games and 3 quotes from other source) is provided and accurately documented.

Conclusion Paragraph

No conclusion paragraph is attempted

Conclusion is present but fails to thoroughly sum up the ideas of the paper

Conclusion is present but only summarizes 1-2 ideas from the paper.

Conclusion is present and summarizes most of the ideas from the paper.

Conclusion thoroughly summarizes the main idea of the paper and connects back to the thesis statement

Personal voice, style, and creativity

Essay does not attempt to creatively use information found. Quotes used are not appropriate. Improper word choice. Unvaried sentence structure.

Essay seldom uses information creatively. Quotes used are often inappropriate. Improper word choice at times. Unvaried sentence structure.

Essay sometimes uses information creatively. Quotes used are sometimes appropriate. Improper word choice at times. Some varied sentence structure.

Essay often uses information creatively. Quotes used are usually appropriate. Few improper word choices. Some varied sentence structure.

Essay uses information creatively. Quotes used are appropriate. Word choices are effective. Sentence structure is varied and effective.

Grammar, Punctuation and Mechanics

Many errors in essay. Frequent run-ons, fragments, and comma splices.

Some errors in essay. Some run-ons, fragments, and comma splices.

Some errors in essay. Few run-ons, fragments, and comma splices.

Few errors in essay. Few run-ons, fragments, and comma splices.

Minimal errors in essay. Very few run-ons, fragments, or comma splices.

REMEMBER: 1” margins, 12 pt. font, double spaced. LOGOS, PATHOS, ETHOS.

5

The Persuasive Letter: Prompts * Prompt #1: Violence Is violence ever justified? In Chapter 10, Peeta tells Katniss that he doesn’t want the games to change him: “I want to die as myself… I don’t want them to change me in there. Turn me into some kind of monster that I’m not” (Collins 141). The Hunger Games force people to do inhumane things. The idea of the games is predicated on the idea of children killing children in order to create “peace” (see page 18 for an explanation of why the Hunger Games were created). Eleven children are brutally slaughtered at the Cornucopia – not because they did anything wrong, but because they had the unfortunate choice of trying to collect valuable supplies and were killed by bigger, older children. Katniss, however, makes a kill to protect Rue in chapters 17 and 18. Which killing is justified? Is either? Is violence ever justified? " Compose a persuasive letter to someone you know, a gang member, the military, President Obama, or a person of your choice arguing either that violence can be justified (describe why and give an example) or violence cannot be justified (explain why and give an example). Be sure to employ three relevant quotes from The Hunger Games and three relevant quotes from another source in your letter.

* Prompt #2: Technology Is technology helpful or harmful? Technology plays a HUGE role in developing the dystopian setting of Panem and the relationship between the capitol and the districts. Take the tracker-jacker and the burn medicine in chapter 14 for example. In Chapter 14, Katniss explains the tracker-jackers:

like the japperjays, these killer wasps were spawned in a lab and strategically placed, like land mines, around the districts during the war. Larger than regular wasps, they have a distinctive solid gold body and a sting that raises a lump the size of a plum on contact. Most people can’t tolerate more than a few stings. (Collins 185)

A few pages later, she receives her first gift from sponsors: burn medicine. She explains: The effect is almost magical, erasing the pain on contact, leaving a pleasant cooling sensation behind. This is no herbal concoction that my mother grinds up out of woodland plants, it’s a high-tech medicine brewed up in the Capitol’s labs. (Collins 188)

In The Hunger Games, technology serves a variety of purposes: it can be harmful, used as a weapon by a powerful minority to oppress a powerless majority (in the case of the tracker-jackers) or helpful, used as powerful medicine to heal people. Now consider today’s technology. What are examples of technology that are surrounding you right now? What are examples of technology that you use every day? Do you think technology is helpful or harmful? " Compose a persuasive letter to Apple, Microsoft, a car manufacture, your school principal, Xbox, a nearby hospital, or the technological corporation of your choice arguing that technology is either helpful or harmful. Be sure to employ three relevant quotes from The Hunger Games and three relevant quotes from another source in your letter.

6

* Prompt #3: The Games Should we have the Hunger Games?  The Hunger Games were created as a result of the Dark Days: the uprising of the districts against the Capitol. Twelve were defeated, the thirteenth obliterated. The Treaty of Treason gave us the new laws to guarantee peace and, as our yearly reminder that the Dark Days must never be repeated, it gave us the Hunger Games. (Collins 18) The rules of the Hunger Games are simple. In punishment for the uprising, each of the twelve districts must provide one girl and one boy, called tributes, to participate. The twenty-four tributes will be imprisoned in a vast outdoor arena that could hold anything from a burning desert to a frozen wasteland. Over a period of several weeks, the competitors must fight to the death. The last tribute standing wins. (Collins 18) Should we have the Hunger Games? " Compose a letter to President Snow arguing for either continuing or stopping the Hunger Games. Be sure to employ three relevant quotes from The Hunger Games and three relevant quotes from another source in your letter.                

Suggested Sources *** The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins **** must use three relevant quotes from the novel “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut “Civil Disobedience” by Henry David Thoreau Tara Myer’s presentation (from one of our EUP business partners, Earl Swensson) The Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King, Jr. Suzanne Collins and The Myth of Theseus http://www.debate.org/opinions/are-there-cases-where-violence-is-necessary http://debatewise.org/debates/2007-modern-technology-good-or-bad/  Use this awesome resource to type up your evidence: http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/persuasion_map/

7

8

Helpful Resources

Consider employing a selection of the following quotes and ideas as you formulate your own angle for your persuasive letter.

All material taken from http://wikieducator.org/English/ASHS_Year_12_-_The_Hunger_Games/Themes Humanity and Inhumanity. Katniss, in particular, faces a number of situations in the novel where she has to decide whether to do something humane (compassionate) or do something inhumane to another person. Quite often these decisions are based on a potential threat to herself, either directly or indirectly caused by the Capitol's tyrannical (harsh) treatment of the lesser districts. To what extent is Katniss and the other characters in the text prepared to commit inhumane or morally acts to increase their chances of survival? How do these decisions effect or change them? How much guilt does Katniss feel over these decisions and is the guilt justifiable? She appears to feel more guilty over the Avox girl than over killing anyone in the arena. Also, killing 'evil' people seems easier than killing less evil ones (e.g. Cato vs. Thresh). Peeta refuses to let the Games (and in turn, the Gamemakers) change him. "I don't want them to change me in there. Turn me into some kind of monster that I'm not” (Collins 141). When the time comes, I'm sure I'll kill just like everybody else... Only I keep wishing I could think of a way to... to show the Capitol they don't own me. That I'm more than just a piece in their Games” (Collins 142). "I want to do something, right here, right now, to shame them, to make them accountable, to show the Capitol that whatever they do or force us to do there is a part of every tribute they can't own. That Rue was more than a piece in their Games. And so am I." (Collins 236-237) "He'll probably turn into one of those raging beast tributes, the kind who tries to eat someone's heart after they've killed them. There was a guy like that a few years ago from District 6 called Titus. He went completely savage and the Gamemakers had to have him stunned with electric guns to collect the bodies of the players he'd killed before he ate them." (Collins 143) "The monstrous boy from District 2 is a ruthless killing machine” (Collins 125). "In the Capitol, they call it the Launch Room. In the districts, it's referred to as the Stockyard. The place animals go before slaughter” (Collins 144).

9

Corporal Punishment. "Corporal punishment is the deliberate infliction of pain as retribution for an offence, or for the purpose of disciplining or reforming a wrongdoer, or to deter attitudes or behaviour deemed unacceptable." Most societies have some form of punishment to dissuade people from actions that are deemed inappropriate or damaging to others. As well as providing a punishment and an incentive to not commit these actions, corporal punishment (capital punishment is the death sentence) can also be put on display so others can see the direct consequences of disobeying the ruling power. In this way, it is used to remind people of what will happen to them if they choose to break the rules. Much of the debate surrounding corporal punishment is around whether or not is can be considered humane to enact violence on an individual for committing an infraction (breaking the rules.) The Capitol in the novel uses public capital punishment in a similar way to the way they use the Hunger Games. "My father could have made good money selling [handcrafted bows], but if the officials found out he would have been publicly executed for inciting a rebellion... the idea that someone might be arming the Seam would never have been allowed” (Collins 5). "Rue’s eyes widen. “Oh, no, we’re not allowed to eat the crops.” “They arrest you or something?” I ask. “They whip you and make everyone else watch,” says Rue. “The mayor’s very strict about it.” (202) The Avox Girl: "Someone who committed a crime. They cut out her tongue so she can't speak... She's probably a traitor of some sort... you're not to speak to one of them unless it's to give an order” (Collins 77). "They were running as if their lives depended on it." A Hovercraft appears and kills the boy, and captures the girl. "They'd had that Capitol look about them." (Collins 82) "Beyond us there's only wilderness. If you don't count the ruins of District 13 that still smoulder from the toxic bombs. They show it on television occasionally, just to remind us." (Collins 83) "If the Gamemakers want to punish me they can do it publicly. Wait until I'm in the arena and set starving wild animals on me" (Collins 104). "One time, this boy Martin, he tried to keep his pair [of night vision goggles]. Hid them in his trousers. They killed him on the spot... Martin wasn't right in the head. I mean, he still acted like a three-year-old. He just wanted the glasses to play with." (Collins 204) Government Control and Oppression. The main source of power in The Hunger Games is clear. The government controls everything--from the amount of information that each district receives, the financial and physical resources allowed for living, to the entertainment (how much and what sort) the citizens are allowed to enjoy. As the full extent of this control becomes apparent to Katniss, the novel's heroine, and observing readers, we can assume that the more this government controls, the more dangerous it has become.

10

Dehumanization to Justify Inequality Dehumanization is the process of consistently devaluing and looking down on a group of people over a period of time until these concepts are accepted as the norm within a society. People from other groups (usually the ruling elite) will look on people from these other groups as lesser, physically and/or mentally. Dehumanization often takes place before and during persecution and is often used as an excuse for mistreatment of a individuals from the dehumanised group. An example of this would be the persecution of the Jews during World War II and the British view of native peoples in South America, Africa and other nations during British colonialism. In The Hunger Games various characters from the Capitol display this kind of attitude toward the members of the other districts, especially those from districts nine to twelve. The treatment of the Avox Girl (cutting out her tongue) and the killing of her fellow escapee illustrate just how far things can go when dehumanization takes place. "The pair last year ate everything with their hands like a couple of savages" (Collins 44). "The three step back and admire their work. "Excellent! You almost look like a human being now!"... they all laugh... "Thank you," I say sweetly. "We don't have much cause to look nice in District Twelve." (Collins 62) "How you've both successfully struggled to overcome the barbarism of your district." Effie Trinket. (Collins 74) "Barbarism? That's ironic coming from a woman helping to prepare us for slaughter. And what's she basing our success on? Our table manners?" Katniss' response (Collins 74) The use of entertainment to control the population. A system has been created by President Snow whereby the people within the Capitol district are regarded as celebrities. They are rich, outrageously dressed, wear ridiculous but entertaining make-up, have surgically altered bodies, and accept The Games as reality TV. By looking down on the districts, the brutality of The Games has accepted as normal -- like the Roman gladiators' disembowelment within the Coliseums, the treatment of Jews during WWII, and slavery in the pre-Civil War US.) Perhaps the viewers feel better simply because they are not in the situation themselves? Or perhaps by distracting the population with The Hunger Games, it gives the citizens of the Capitol a sense of empowerment, and reduces the likelihood of rebellion. Mandatory viewing of Capitol Controlled Entertainment -- by ALL citizens, in All districts -- reminds the citizens that President Snow, The Gamekeepers, and the Government will show no mercy: an eye for an eye. The Capitol uses The Hunger Games in part to entertain the more bloodthirsty members of society in Panem but also as a warning to the other districts of the lengths they are willing to go to to keep them under control. It is both a positive incentive and a negative one. The effect of the Hunger Games is twofold then, on one hand it provides entertainment for those in the population who enjoy violence and on the other, it shows that not only are the Capitol willing to use violence and torture to keep the other districts under control, they are also willing to direct this violence toward young people and children. "Then came the Dark Days, the uprising of the districts against the Capitol. Twelve were defeated, the thirteenth obliterated. The Treaty of Treason gave us the new laws to guarantee peace and, as our yearly reminder that the Dark Days must never be repeated, it gave us the Hunger Games." (Collins 18)

11

"Taking the kids from our districts, forcing them to kill one another while we watch - this is the Capitol's way of reminding us how totally we are at their mercy. How little chance we would stand of surviving another rebellion. Whatever words they use, the real message is clear... "If you lift a finger, we will destroy every last one of you. Just as we did in District Thirteen." (Collins 18-19) "The reaping is a good opportunity for the Capitol to keep tabs on the population as well. Twleve-to eighteen-year-olds are hered into roped areas marked off by ages" (Collins 16). The Privileged and Powerful Few Creating a system where some people feel superior to others, a hierarchy where some are above others, will provide a degree of empowerment for some and decrease the chances of dissatisfaction, unrest and then rebellion. This system is utilized by the Capitol in their numbering and ordering of the different districts. Most of the population in the Capitol probably feels superior to all the other districts; the members of district four feel superior to those in district nine and so on. Not only do they have the power literally, they also display symbols of their status and power, a technologically and architecturally superior city. This concept highlights the issue of the bottom-of-the-heap District 12 winning the Hunger Games and in a small way, turning the system on its head. "The commentators are not sure what to say about the crowd's refusal to applaud. The silent salute. One says that District 12 has always been a bit backward (Collins 46).” "The cameras haven't lied about its grandeur. If anything, they have not quite captured the magnificence of the glistening buildings in a rainbow of hues that tower into the air, the shiny cars that roll down the wide paved streets, the oddly dressed people with bizarre hair and painted faces who have never missed a meal. All the colours seem artificial, the pink's too deep, the greens too bright, the yellows painful to the eyes, like the flat round discs of hard candy we can never afford to buy at the tiny sweet shop in District 12." (Collins 59) "Days of hunting and gathering for this one meal and even then it would be a poor substitute for the Capitol version. What must it be like, I wonder, to live in a world where food appears at the press of the button? How would I spend the hours I now commit to combing the woods for sustenance if it were so easy to come by? What do they do all day, these people in the Capitol, besides decorating their bodies and waiting around for a new shipment of tributes to roll in and die for their entertainment?" (Collins 65) The Career Tributes tend to gather rowdily around one table, as if to prove their superiority, that they have no fear of one another and consider the rest of us beneath notice." (Collins 97) "They do surgery in the Capitol, to make people appear younger and thinner. In District 12, looking old is something of an achievement since so many people die early... A plump person is envied because they aren't scraping by like the majority of us. But here it is different. Wrinkles aren't desirable. A round belly isn't a sign of success." (Collins 124)

12