Persuasive Arguments

On http://newfarm.rodaleinstitute.org/features/2006/0906/freespeech/bowman.shtml, Greg Bowman, a supporter of organic food, has a very good argument about why organic food is good and should be more present in our local communities. He uses pathos by addressing peoples' wants and needs. He says, "The food system we have now is good at producing lots of food at a fairly low price—we like that. Our food system is not so good at producing healthy people, healthy rural communities or healthy connections between eaters and growers. If we stop to think about it, we don’t like that" In this paragraph, he is saying that he knows that fast food is cheap and quick to get, but he also knows that people need and want to be healthy. He also uses logos when he explains that almost any food we eat can be produced organically. This is a good example of logos because the audience can now think about what kind of foods they like, and they now know that those food can all be more naturally produced. http://www.edenfoods.com/articles/view.php?articles_id=61 has a persuasive essay that also is in favor of organic foods. It has established ethos by stating that they have evidence that organic food is safer, more nutritious, better tasting, better for the environment, and better economically for growers and producers compared to commercially grown and produced food. By saying that there is evidence, the writer is showing that the information is credible and the readers can trust it. This is also a good persuasive argument because the writer addresses the fact that there are opposing viewpoints that also have arguments. On http://www.myeatinghealthy.com/persuasive-speech-on-eating-healthy/, the persuasive writing is not as good. I say this because although it is an opinion piece, the writer claimed his or her opinions to be valid facts. The writer said that organic food making you feel better is a valid fact. This is probably true for many people, but it is not always true. Also, saying that being less alert is based on the bad food people are eating is not always true, either. There are many other factors that can also make people less or more alert. So, it is good to put your opinions in a persuasive essay or speech, but it is bad to claim what you think as a valid fact.