Elizabeth Hasseld Project 1 Draft 5

! Persuasive Text: Dance is a Sport ! ! !

Ethos: -credible because use a dictionary definition -knows the kinds of leotards, so she is a dancer which means she understands -explains dance well, showing she knows a lot about it Pathos: -emotion you feel before you perform, heartbeat -emotion when you realize you need new dance clothes -imagine streaching as reaching for the stars -feel the aches in your body, imagining them, emotion pain -feel happier (emotion) taking dance -we will love it (emotion)

Logos: -dance fits definition of a sport -learning timing is important cause you can get hurt otherwise -wrong foot position messes you up -attire is important for any sport -abdominal strength is needed in dance as well, turns -dance requires balance (turns) - football players take ballet to improve agility

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Elizabeth Hasseld Project 1 Draft 5

I am a very stubborn person and not easily persuaded. Before I read this article, I was already in agreement with the point being made. After reading it, I agree even more. The article I chose is about wether or not dance is a sport. As a dancer, I take special interest in this topic. I have always argued that dance is a sport but my only reasoning was because it is difficult and competitive. Emilys blog post Persuasive text: Dance is a Sport appealed to me and convinced me even more that dance is a sport through her use of ethos, logos and pathos. Ethos is the use of ethics and morals in an argument. Ethos shows an authors credibility and tells the audience how much they can trust the writer. In my opinion, ethos is the hardest to use and to find. The first use of ethos I observed was her reference to a dictionary definition. This shows me that she did her research and looked up her facts. Because of this, I now know that I can trust her and her writing: she is a credible person. Later in the paper, she discusses the attire dancers wear. Most people know that dancers wear a leotard and tights, but only dancers know the different kinds of leotards and tights. She discusses the different materials leotards can be made of and explains why some are better than others. This shows me that she has worn the different kinds and she knows what she is talking about first hand. For someone to know that spandex is the best material for a leotard, they know from personal experience. Towards the end, she uses several words and phrases to describe dance and dancers. The words and analogies she uses also help to prove she is a dancer. Some of the words she uses are balance, strength, determination, and the phrase burning like fire. To any other person, they just seem like normal words used. As a dancer, those words mean something to me on a deeper level. Her ability to connect with me as a dancer shows me that she understands dance and it helps me trust her

Elizabeth Hasseld Project 1 Draft 5 writing and opinion more. Through her use of ethos, the author has proven to me that she is writing from experience and she has researched her facts and can back all of them up using real examples. Next up is logos. Logos is the use of logic and consistency to make your point. For people who arent dancers, the logic behind the argument is the most important part. The logic tells the everyday person why what she is saying is true. She uses real examples that everyone can relate to. I am very impressed by her ability to make connections between dance and other sports. Her first example of logos is the definition of a sport. Based on the dictionary definition, dance fits the requirements to be considered a sport. She shows this by stating the definition and explaining how dance meets each of these requirements. This can convince a person who knows nothing about dance that it is a sport. Her next logical point is when she talks about the importance of having correct timing, position, and arms. If one person is off count, they can kick or hit another dancer causing an injury. Timing is everything in dance, especially because you have to be careful of those around you. She compares dance with football to logically illustrate this point. If one football player goes to the wrong position for the specific play, you can mess up the entire play. Most Americans watch football so this argument is almost guaranteed to make sense to the average reader. Her example of why abdominal strength is needed is also a good point. If someone is going to support their entire body weight on the ball of one of their feet while they spin around, they need to have good balance. To achieve the amount of balanced needed, a dancer must have incredible abdominal strength. The abdominal strength helps a dancer maintain correct form as they turn. If a dancer is going to propel their body into the air

Elizabeth Hasseld Project 1 Draft 5 and do the splits while landing gracefully, they need abdominal strength. The use of logos makes the argument appealing to people who arent dancers. To me, the most compelling arguments made in this paper were those using pathos. Pathos is the emotional and imaginative appeal in a paper. I dance for emotional reasons so the emotional aspect of dancing is very important to me. The first emotional appeal is made in the third sentence: right off the bat. She describes the feeling of being backstage and about to perform. I have performed and competed countless times, but each time is accompanied by a rush of excitement and nerves. When she describes this, she makes me think of how it feels before I perform and I can imagine how amazing it is. Through her description, she also gives others the opportunity to know how it feels emotionally for a dancer before he or she performs or competes. Next, she explains the feeling of not having the proper attire. In most sports what you wear is a crucial element. When you dont have the right size of something or you have a rip in your tights it can ruin everything. This is explained in her paper. At one point, she equates stretching to reaching for the stars. This made my imagination run wild. As I was in dance class this semester, I thought of this vivid image and it helped me push myself just a little bit further than normal. Being able to make your audience feel and imagine something is not easy to do, and I really respect that she was able to do this. She also describes the feeling of having every part of your body ache. This just reminds me of all the pain and injuries I have personally endured. Making me think of this helps me appreciate every day and dance just a little bit more. The last example of pathos in this paper is when she explains how taking a dance class can make you feel happier and healthier. This appeals to everyones emotions because everyone wants to be happy and healthy. By making people think of the happiness they could have if they took a dance class,

Elizabeth Hasseld Project 1 Draft 5 the writer effectively uses pathos to make her argument more compelling. For the most part, I think the pathos mostly appeals to people who are fellow dancers because it makes dancers think about the passion and love behind the dance. Every effective persuasive essay includes the three elements of persuasion: ethos, logos, and pathos. In order for a writer to persuade everyone in their audience, they need to appeal to them in different ways. The audience needs to know that they can trust the writer through their use of ethos. Once they trust the writer, the writer can appeal to them in different ways. All facts, data, and logic are represented through the use of logos. The imaginative and emotional part of an argument uses pathos to get the audience to feel and understand what the writer s trying to say. All of these elements must be present to have an effectively persuasive essay such as this one.

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