A lot of advertisements or arguments I have with friends usually involve someone trying appeal to the other emotions. According to Epstein, an appeal to emotion is a premise that says you should believe or do something because you feel a certain way. There are many different types of this appeal and the one that struck my interests the most was appealing to fear. I think this is one of the best ways to persuade someone to take your side or understand your point of view. People will often do whatever it takes when they are afraid something will occur. A lot of advertisements use fear to convince viewers to buy their product. Before an election you often see lots of commercials that talk about the harm a politician will cause if elected. They focus on issues that seem scary to most people such as less funding for schools, open borders or less severe punishment for criminals. This often persuades people too vote for a specific candidate come election day.
Hi MichSim,
ReplyDeleteI really like the organization and clarity of this post. You clearly defined what an appeal to emotion was, and stated a valid example for an appeal to fear. I agree; fear is one of the most powerful tools for persuasion. Your example of elections was especially relevant because of the recent elections that just occurred. It is totally true that candidates use commercials to strengthen their own arguments. In most cases though, the candidates begin with an appeal to fear by stating what bad things their opponent will apply to the state if they are elected. Good job!