Thank You for Arguing: What Aristotle, Lincoln, and Homer Simpson Can Teach Us About the Art of Persuasion

• Genre: Nonfiction; self-improvement
• Originally Published: 2007
• Reading Level/Interest: College/Adult
• Structure/Length: 5 parts; 29 chapters; approx. 480 pages; approx. 14 hours, 34 minutes on audio
• Central Concern: The author offers instruction in the art of rhetorical persuasion, coaching the reader to set clear goals for the intended audience and to analyze the construction of an argument through its logos (use of logic); ethos (use of character); and pathos (use of emotion).

Jay Heinrichs, Author

• Bio: Born in 1956; former journalist and executive in publishing; conducts workshops and presentations on rhetoric and effective communication with regard to persuasion and marketing; started Gavia Books, a publication imprint; contributor of article-length material to Reader’s Digest and other publications
• Other Works: Word Hero (2011); How to Argue with a Cat (2018); The Prophet Joan (2021)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• Persuasion Is Not About the Persuader
• Rhetoric Is Morally Ambiguous
• Argument Is Human Nature

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

• Gain an understanding of the cultural and historical contexts of the art of rhetoric and persuasion, particularly regarding the literary foundations of rhetorical terms and their classical Greek origins.
• Study short paired texts and other resources to make connections via the text’s themes of Persuasion Is Not About the Persuader, Rhetoric Is Morally Ambiguous, and Argument Is Human Nature.