Emotional appeals. Emotional appeals stir your emotions and remind you of deeply held values. When politicians argue that the country needs more tax relief, they almost always use examples of one or more families they have met, stressing the concrete ways in which a tax cut would improve the quality of their lives. Doing so creates a strong emotional appeal. Some have criticized the use of emotional appeals in argument, claiming that they are a form of manipulation intended to mislead an audience. But emotional appeals are an important part of almost every argument. Critical readers are perfectly capable of “talking back” to such appeals by analyzing them, deciding which are acceptable and which are not.

The photo on p. 113 shows protesters at an Occupy Wall Street demonstration outside police headquarters in New York City. The protesters’ signs range from a simple logo for the United Auto Workers union to hand-painted cardboard slogans (“This is patriotic”) to an American flag. To what emotions are the protesters appealing? Do you find this appeal effective, manipulative, or both? Would you accept this argument?