listed below is a persuasive speech argument transcript in regards to leaves along with some questions to answer in regards to the speech;
We all do our part to care for our environment, right? We recycle, we don’t litter, and we all want to do what we can to help the world. Well, I’m going to tell you the best way you personally can help the environment, and it’s the easiest thing you can do. According to the USDA, the best way to reduce greenhouse gases and benefit your garden is to leave the leaves. Leaving the leaves? Yes. Basically leaving leaves in your yard gives your soil nutrients and it keeps plastic bags full of organic material out of the landfills. I’ve been leaving the leaves in my own home since 2019 after doing a lot of research on gardening, and I’ve seen a vast improvement in my soil and my plants. My ground cover crops were even protected from a snowstorm recently. Leaving your leaves has an impact not only on your own soil, but also the world at large. According to NPR, eight million tons of leaves end up in the landfill each year. None of that needs to be there. We’re hurting our planet and spending unnecessary time and money when we remove leaves. But I’m going to show you how simple it is to make our world a better place. Every fall, millions of people and businesses start the labor intensive process of raking and bagging leaves. Removing the leaves creates unhealthy soil, allows weeds to grow, and creates unnecessary waste. Humans have decided that aesthetics are more important than the health of their yard. With human interference, leaves are removed from the ground and cannot be a natural mulch that breaks down over time to give nutrients. These leaves your soil exposed and keeps insect and small animal life from surviving. Trying to fix these problems leads to unnecessary waste of your money. According to reconnectwithnature.org, Americans spend seventy six billion dollars on lawn care each year. In 2020, a report by the Fredonia Group projected that in 2024, Americans will spend seven hundred sixty million dollars on packaged mulch and other ground coverings. So now you know the issues with removing the leaves, I’m going to tell you what you need to do to fix this problem. You’ve probably already guessed it, but the easiest way to solve this problem is to leave the leaves. You can leave the leaves exactly how they fall. If you live in an HOA or you just don’t want the look of leaves all over the lawn, NPR suggests using a lawn mower to mulch up the leaves and grass that blends into the existing lawn. You can still use your rake to gather leaves to protect fragile plants or provide nutrients to a compost pile or garden bed. So now that we know how easy it is to leave the leaves, what’s that actually going to look like in your everyday life? So what will it look like? You’ll be saving time and money. Over the years, the nutrients will help take the place of fertilizer you’ve had to have bought. You won’t have to spend time raking. However, if you still choose to rake your leaves, you’ll be choosing to spend hours of your life depriving your soil of the nutrients it needs, wasting your own time and purposefully putting organic matter directly into a landfill. So now that you know how easy it is to improve your soil, suppress weeds and keep eight million tons of leaves out of the landfill, what’s next? That’s right. Today I’m asking you to commit to leaving your leaves this fall. I just need you to do two things. First, if you’re ready to join with me, repeat after me. I promise to do what is best for my yard and my earth by leaving my leaves in my yard this year. Second, just leave your leaves. That’s it. That’s how easy it is. Now that you’ve committed to leaving your leaves. Let’s wrap things up. Today we’ve committed to leaving our leaves because it’s a waste of time and energy to rake them up, not to mention the environmental impact. Today my goal is to get you to commit to leaving your leaves. I’ve been leaving my leaves for the last four fall seasons and I’ve noticed a huge difference in the humus of the soil, and even the worms are happier, too. The health of our yards is important not just because it affects our own gardens and plants, but because it affects the earth as a whole. Leaves are not litter. They’re food and shelter for butterflies, beetles, bees, moths and more. Remember your commitment and leave the leaves.
Questions:
1. Identify the attention, the need, the satisfaction, the vizualization, and the action steps
2. Identify a use of ethos, pathos, and logos in the speech.
3. identify an audience need or value.
4. Did the structure of the speech contribute to the speaker’s credibility or ability to persuade? Explain
