ANOREXIA

[Pages:15]ANOREXIA

A SAMPLE PERSUASIVE SPEECH

CONTENTS

Topic, Thesis and Basic Outline Page 2

Actual Student Speech Page 5

Speech with Evaluation Page 8

Final Speech Page 13

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TOPIC, THESIS AND BASIC OUTLINE

PERSUASIVE SPEECH ANOREXIA

TOPICS: ___Subliminal Advertising ___Dangers of too much Sun ___Gateway Drugs ___Anorexia ___Same Sex Marriage

LIST OF SUBTOPICS: ___World Wide Issue ___USA Issue ___California Issue ___Teenage Issue ___Treatments ___Who's affected ___Why is this an issue

TOPICS

1. Subliminal Advertising 2. Dangers of too much

Sun

3. Anorexia

4. Gateway Drugs 5. Same Sex Marriage 6. War in Iraq

7. Loud Music & Hearing

Loss

Make a list of topics that might interest you. The more topics you list, the easier it will be to select one that will work for you.

When you have selected your topic, make a list of subtopics to cover. You might want to think in BROAD to NARROW terms. World wide might be too broad for your topic and Southern California may be too narrow. What would be a good demographic compromise? Next, list all questions you can think of. You are supposed to be an "expert" on this topic, so think about questions that others might ask and then go find the answers!

NARROW TOPIC

1. Gateway Drugs

2. Anorexia

3. Sleep Deprivation

4. Hearing Loss

FINAL TOPIC CHOICE

1. Anorexia

1. When brainstorming a Persuasive topic, you should make a list of at least 6 ? 10 topics you are interested in.

2. Your next step is to reduce your list to 3 ? 5 topics you would really like to spend time researching.

3. Your final step is to select the topic that fits the type of speech you are doing: In this case, you are preparing a Persuasive speech, so it is important that you make a decision about your topic at this point.

4. Your next step? Figure out what you already know about the topic and what is your Position? In other words, what kind of information are you going to present to your audience to make them believe the way you do about your topic? Are you for or against? Should we do something or leave it well enough alone?

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THESIS STATEMENT

BRAINSTORMING YOUR POINT OF VIEW (P.O.V.) ? THESIS STATEMENT

Brainstorming your thesis statement. Anorexia is a dangerous illness that affects people mentally, emotionally, and physically.

A short thesis does not make it clear and concise. Even though this thesis does well in focusing on "mentally, emotionally, and physically," it is too broad because of one little word ? "people". People is plural, (more than one) which creates a broad effect in this thesis.

Narrowing your thesis statement Anorexia is a dangerous illness that affects people in the United States of America mentally, emotionally, and physically.

This thesis statement is narrower; however, it is still not concise enough for the information you will see in the student's speech. Below is an example of a perfect speech thesis statement. It gets straight to the point.

Final thesis statement Anorexia is a dangerous illness that affects a person, not only mentally, but emotionally, and physically.

This thesis statement is concise. The speaker states what will be discussed (the Topic), and then the topic is broken down into the various parts for discussion. The narrowness of "a person" implies that anorexia can affect any one person.

Preview of Main Points For a Persuasive speech it is imperative that you have a "Preview of Main Points". Think of it as an expansion of your thesis statement. Below is a basic format that might work for you. You may need to replace more than the (underlined/bracketed) words for your particular speech, but this is a straight forward, simplistic, orderly Preview format that can be switched up to meet your needs.

Today, we will look at (Anorexia). I will discuss the history of (Anorexia), (who) is affected, some of the symptoms of (Anorexia), and why you should care. Finally, I will tell you about some (Treatments/Preventions) for Anorexia.

Yes, it can be as simple as that. Once you get the hang of this format, you can try to expand or change yours in order to fit your style. However, remember you want to get to the point in a clear cut fashion. Don't get to wordy or you will lose your audience's interest.

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BASIC OUTLINE

PERSUASIVE SPEECH

ANOREXIA

INTRODUCTION

Hooks Ideas: 1. Personal greeting/question. It's okay to get your audience thinking right off the bat! 2. Startling Statements. This can be a personal experience, or information you have discovered in your research. 3. Utilizing statistical information can show how big/small, represented/underrepresented the issue is. For instance, if you are claiming that too many people worry about ______, you can bring in statistics that show how small the problem really is. Similarly, if you want to show that ________ is underrepresented you can introduce statistics that show how big the problem really is and how few people are aware of the problem.

Thesis Statement and Preview: What is the major purpose of the speech? What main points am I going to cover?

I. Background

A. What is Anorexia? 1. 2. 3.

B. How many people are affected by Anorexia? 1. One 2. Two

II. Causes of Anorexia A. List some causes of depression. B. Who claims these are causes? What are their qualifications?

III. What are the Symptoms A. How would someone know if they were depressed? B. What do health professionals recommend?

IV. Treatment/Prevention A. What are some treatments available and are they successful? 1. List treatments. B. What do health professional recommend?

CONCLUSION 1. List key points. 2. Leave audience with something to think about.

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ACTUAL STUDENT SPEECH

Persuasive Speech Anorexia

Justy Seang

Introduction: Daren Carpenter, a major pop star in the 1970's and early 80's sadly had her life cut short after

suffering from a major heart attach. Most people were not familiar with the condition at the time, but doctors announced that the cause of her death was anorexia.

Anorexia Nervosa is a disorder that affects women and man alike. According to Lori Smolin, Ph.D., about one percent of females from 13 to 25 years in age, in the United States, have Anorexia Nervosa and ten percent of the one percent can die as a result of this disorder.

I learned about anorexia when I met my friend Kristine, who suffered from Anorexia for about two years. She came from an all girl Catholic school that pressured her to loose weight, especially since she was on the track and cross country team.

Thesis: Anorexia is a dangerous illness that affects people mentally, emotionally, and physically.

Preview and Transition: Today, I will explain what anorexia is, who it affects, why it is dangerous, and what we can do

about the problem.

Body:

I. The Problem A. What is anorexia? According to Mary B. Grosvenor, M.S., R.D., Anorexia Nervosa is, "the desire to be thin that causes individuals to decrease their food intake." a. Anorexia Nervosa has been around for a long time; around the late 19th century. Physicians observed that individuals that suffered from this condition had severe weight loss, constipation, and females had abnormal menstruation cycles. These characteristics are still accurate for people who suffer with this illness today. B. How large is this problem and who is susceptible to develop this condition? 1. Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, Ph.D., presents us with some startling data. a. "Over one-half of teenage girls and nearly one-third of teenage boys use unhealthy weight control behaviors such as fasting, vomiting, skipping meals, and taking laxatives" (I'm like, so fat!, 5). b. "one out of two hundred teenage girls and young women will develop anorexia" (Neumark-Sctainer, D., 6). C. This condition is on the rise. One cause is the increased promotion of thinness in actresses and models on television. Another cause is teenagers in sporting events, such as, cross country, wrestling, swimming, and even dance. 1. Television promotes/portrays women as being thin and beautiful and men are lean and muscular. a. There are even shows that promote thinness like, "The Biggest Looser". And actress Kirsty Alli, the spokeswoman for Jenny Craig, for instance, is constantly asking viewers, "Have you called Jenny yet?" b. Television forces us to evaluate our bodies, and question our weight. Basically, everyone is exposed to the pressures of being thin, whether, you take part in loosing weight or not.

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D. Allowing people, especially young individuals who are going through puberty, to have false assumptions about their bodies and trying unhealthy methods to loose weight is something that must be stopped. 1. According to Dr. Peter Rowan, MBBS. MRCPsych. of the Priory Hospital in London, "Anorexia leads to a decrease in blood circulation accompanied by coldness of hands and feet, low blood pressure, and heart failure". 2. People suffering from Anorexia also experience bone loss, weak bones, and they become tired to the point where they can not concentrate in school.

E. More attention should be focused on anorexia because the pressures of looking weight are everywhere. Models are becoming increasingly thinner, teens in sports are pressured to lose weight, women's magazines are always giving the top ten points for loosing weight quickly, yet we hear in the news that more American are obese. All of these factors can influence someone to take extreme measures to loose weight. This can happen to anyone: Your mother, father, sister, brother, cousin, niece, nephew, neighbor, or friend.

Transition: Because this disorder can affect the people we know and love, we need to work together to

reduce the risks of those in our life falling victim to this devastating disorder.

II. The Solution: A. What has been done about the problem and why has it not worked. 1. Surprisingly, not much is being done about this disorder. We watch the news and learn that there is s 2% increase in anorexic cases, or we watch 20/20 and see a mother battle anorexia while being apart from her daughter, but nothing is being done to inform us about the dangers of anorexia. 2. There are many websites and books that are about eating disorders, many of them written by doctors and researchers that have done case study after case study, determining the effects of anorexia, but who cares? a. What pre-teen is going to take to heart Br. Ursula Bailer's statement, "...this illness has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder"? b. What 16 year old is going to care that her eating habits will result in a decrease of bone growth and loss of blood circulation when the only way she can stay on the track and field team is to just loose five more pounds ? then just five more, etc. 3. The fact is, nobody is really paying much attention. Everyone is focusing on Anna Nicole Smith's Trim Spa commercials of how Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to promote carrot sticks and apple slices in vending machines in "California schools. B. What can we do to help eliminate this growing problem? 1. The underlying cause of anorexia is how people view themselves. People who are to be perfect all the time feel the pressure to loose weight the most. 2. My friend, Kristine, was fighting for the title of Valle Victorian at her Catholic school. Not only was she working hard to achieve a 4.0 academically, but she was also on the cross country and track and field teams. She wasn't as fast as the other members of her cross country team, and her coach continually urged her to loose weight. She became obsessed with loosing weight, and over the summer she collapsed from heart failure on a trip to Europe with her friends. She would fast for three days at a time, and spend her days hiking up the hills in Spain. As a result, she was hospitalized for three weeks. Today, she still undergoes therapy and visits to a nutritionist. C. We have health classes in high school that informs us of STD's. we have drug and crime programs in Elementary schools to prevent children from joining gangs or using drugs. Why not have courses in health class that inform people about eating disorders?

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D. We need a class that brings awareness to eating disorders and programs that can help people who suffer from them. These programs will also help promote self worth. The more classes and programs, the less likely someone will die because from an eating disorder. 1. Throwing research studies onto a website is not going to help. The only time a person is going to learn about anorexia is if they take the time to look it up in books and on the internet. a. People aren't going to take the time to look things up, which is why the idea of a mandatory course added to a health class for all teens in high school is better than the web. b. Since it is mandatory, the student has to take the class. There could be videos that document someone with anorexia, and a guest speaker who has suffered from the disorder. 2. These programs will directly influence a person. People will learn to love themselves and better understand the difference between being healthy and being dangerously underweight.

E. Anorexia is on the rise, and if we don't petition for classes that inform us about anorexia and other eating disorders, then we are letting our friends and family down. Remember, this condition can affect anyone.

Transition: If we don't act now, then nothing will be done. We will never have programs that promote self-

worth and there will be more cases of anorexia among teens and young adults.

Conclusion: Today, I have informed you about Anorexia Nervosa. I have told you who it affects, why it is

dangerous, and what we can do about the problem. Providing educational programs will lead to a reduction in the death rates of people who starve themselves in a country that produces much of the world's food.

People are already dying from automobile accidents, drug addiction, cancer, and many other diseases. Why should we add Anorexia to the list? All it would take to keep Anorexia from topping the list is a small course on eating disorders in a health class.

Luckily for Kristine, her parents realized something was wrong and she was able to receive the treatment she needed. Kristine is a wonderful person, full of wit and charm, and I couldn't imagine my life without her.

And what about you? Would you wish this disorder on your friend? What about a close relative? Could you live your life knowing that someone you loved died and you recognized that something was wrong, but you didn't do anything to help? Could you live with yourself? I couldn't and I think you wouldn't be able to either.

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ACTUAL STUDENT SPEECH WITH EVALUATION

Introduction:

Persuasive Speech Anorexia

Seang, Justy

Hook

Karen Carpenter, a major pop star in the 1970's and early 80's, sadly had her life cut short after suffering from a major heart attach. Most people were not familiar with the condition at the time, but doctors announced that the cause of her death was anorexia. This type of hook is very effective in gaining your audience's attention. This type of hook introduces the subject matter in a non-threatening manner, yet provides persuasive information for your listening audience. You might consider a similar style of hook for your persuasive speech.

Anorexia Nervosa is a disorder that affects women and men alike. According to Lori Smolin, Ph.D., about one percent of females from 13 to 25 years in age, in the United States, have Anorexia Nervosa and ten percent of the one percent can die as a result of this disorder. Quoting is important. This tells the audience that your argument has some credibility in that someone else feels the same way you do about the subject. Quoting startling statistics, as Justy did, shed a light on the severity of the problem. This got the audience's attention and the result was the audience's interest in what was being said.

I learned about anorexia when I met my friend Kristine. She suffered from Anorexia for about two years. She came from an all girl Catholic school that pressured her to loose weight, especially since she was on the track and cross country team.

Another important aspect of your introduction is to tell your audience how this problem has affected your life, or the life of someone you know.

Thesis: Anorexia is a dangerous illness that affects people mentally, emotionally, and physically.

This thesis statement is ambiguous. It does cover the fact that what is going to be discussed is the mental, emotional, and physical affects of anorexia. However, what makes this statement ambiguous is the broad statement "people". The use of people implies that anyone and/or everyone is affected, rather than, "those who do, or could, suffer from anorexia".

Preview and Transition: Today, I will explain what anorexia is, who it affects, why it is dangerous, and what we can do

about the problem. This is a great preview and transition. It is important that you let your audience know what you are going to cover and that you are ready to begin your speech. Think of your preview and transition as an extension of your thesis statement.

Body:

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