Persuasive writing
Dahlia Bartley, Contributor

Hello there! I am sure you are anxious to check your answers to the multiple choice test. Here they are.
1. A	7. A	13. D	19. B
2. B	8. C	14. A	20. C
3. C	9. A	15. C	21. C
4. B	10. D	16. C	22. B
5. B	11. C	17. B	23. D
6. B	12. B	18. A	24. B

We now turn our attention to persuasive writing. Your ability to persuade others is tested on both the General and Basic papers. What is persuasive writing? This is writing in which you aim to convince your readers that your line of argument is THE correct one. You are also seeking to present your audience with a logical, coherent argument.
Think, my students, of how you have used your persuasive powers! You have persuaded a friend to lend you a particular item; you may even have persuaded your parents to allow you to attend a football match or a send-off party for a classmate who is migrating. Can you recall any of the techniques you might have used convincingly to achieve any of the above? You must have given some suitable reasons on which you elaborated; you must have highlighted advantages or disadvantages; you might even have appealed to emotions.

These are only some of the methods you will use to answer the questions set in section 4 of the exam paper. I will supply you with a list of others, some of which were discussed in earlier lessons:

• Comparing and contrasting of ideas
• Using rhetorical questions
• Repeating key words, phrases or language structure
• Using evidence
• Using figurative expressions, in particular irony and sarcasm
• Using exaggeration
• Using proverbs, brief quotations, analogy etc.
• Using humour
• Citing reliable sources or authority.
  The techniques you choose to use must be relevant to your audience and content.
  How many of you have read George Orwell's Animal Farm? From this fascinating novel, I have chosen an extract which we will examine.

Strange dreams

'Comrades, you have heard already about the strange dream that I had last night. But I will come to the dream later. I have something else to say first. I do not think, comrades, that I will be with you for many months longer, and before I die I feel it is my duty to pass on to you such wisdom as I have acquired. I have had a long life, I have had much time for thought as I lay alone in my stall, and I think I may say that I understand the nature of life on this earth as well as any animal now living. It is about this that I wish to speak to you.

'Now comrades, what is the nature of this life of ours? Let us face it: our lives are miserable, laborious, and short. We are born, we are given just so much food as will keep the breath in our bodies, and those of us who are capable of it are forced to work to the last atom of our strength; and the very instant that our uselessness has come to an end we are slaughtered with hideous cruelty. No animal in England knows the meaning of happiness or leisure after he is a year old. No animal in England is free. The life of an animal is misery and slavery: that is the plain truth.

A decent life

'But is this simply part of the order of nature? Is it because this land of ours is so poor that it cannot afford a decent life to those who dwell on it? No, comrades, a thousand times no! the soil of England is fertile, its climate is good, it is capable of affording food in abundance to an enormously greater number of animals than now inhabit it. This single farm of ours would support a dozen horses, twenty cows, hundreds of sheep - and all of them living in a comfort and a dignity that are now almost beyond our imagining. Why then do we continue in this miserable condition? Because nearly the whole produce of our labour is stolen from us by human beings. There, comrades, is the answer to all our problems. It is summed up in a single word - Man. Man is the only real enemy we have. Remove Man from the scene, and the root cause of hunger and overwork is abolished for ever.

This inspiring speech is presented by Old Major. Now, picture yourself as a member of the 'audience' he is addressing. What is the effect of the speech on you? Old Major denounces human cruelty to animals - the first evidence of this is in the second paragraph and there is evidence later in the passage. The animals are made aware of their plight and Old Major makes them believe that because of his 'age', hence his experience, he knows what he is talking about.

For next week, carefully examine the techniques used in this speech.

Wolmer's Girls' ISCF dancers perform during a concert held in the school's auditorium on Friday, April 4. - Anthony Minott/Freelance Photographer

Dahlia Bartley teaches at Glenmuir High School.