The Power of Stories

Stories have been found to be on average twice as effective at persuasion as

direct argument.
Effective storytelling can serve anyone in leadership who seeks to persuade others
to his or her point of view. Opinion-based rhetoric is often more polarizing than
persuasive, while statistics are often go in one ear and out the other. But a careful
blending of rhetoric and facts, woven into the right story, can change minds. -
Harvard Business Review
Douglass was one of the first to figure this out, but it has been used many
times since
 Douglasss Arguments
Douglass realized that the best way to argue against slavery was to imbed messages into his
life story. His observation proved correct and his stories, laden with messages, had a
massive impact in winning hearts and minds.
He imbedded a lot of arguments, but the main ones were:
The religious argument: This is where Douglass showed that slavery was actually an
anti-Christian institution.
The intelligence argument: This is where Douglass demonstrated through his words
and actions that he and others of African descent, despite the surface difference of their
skin color were equally as intelligent, complex, and human as Europeans were.
The family values argument: This is where Douglass suggests that slavery damages
both African and European families and family values.
The emotional argument: This is where Douglass strives to get his audience to have a
negative emotional reaction to slavery.
Using the highlighters, go through and highlight the different arguments in different colors.
What Did You Notice?
What similarities/allusions
(references) to Douglass did you
find? These can be in terms of
structure, tone, content, or
argument.