Engl 101 Logos, Ethos, Pathos, Kairos

Logos

Focuses attention on the message

Logos

Often called a “logical appeal,” or an “appeal to reason.”

Logos

Points out internal consistency and clarity within its argument

Logos

Frequently uses data to support its claim.

Ethos

Focuses attention on the writer’s or speaker’s trustworthiness.

Ethos

Takes one of two forms: “appeal to character” or “appeal to credibility.”

Ethos

A writer may show “___” through her tone, such as taking care to show morethan one side of an issue before arguing for her side. When you use a counterargument to show an opposing side to an issue before explaining why your thesis is still correct, you use ___.

Ethos

Other times, the author may rely on his reputation for honesty or his experience in a particular field. Advertising that relies on doctors’ statements or political records often use an appeal to ___.

Pathos

Focuses attention on the values and beliefs of the intended audience.

Pathos

Appeals to the audience’s capacity for empathy, often by using an imaginable story to exemplify logical appeals.

Pathos

Whereas logos and ethos appeal to our mental capacities for logic, ___ appeals to our imaginations and feelings, helping the audience grasp an argument’s significance in terms of how it would help or harm the tangible world around them.

Kairos

Refers to the “timeliness” of an argument.

Kairos

Often, for an ad or an argument to be successful, it needs appropriate tone and structure and come at the right time. For example, an ad featuring Avril Lavigne would be more effective for a teen magazine in 2002 than in 2012. A Sears ad featuring Kim Kardashian would be more appropriate in TeenVogue than it would be in AARP magazine.

Kairos

___ is also the reason you might send a different kind of complaint email to your boss than you would to your mom or to a close friend. You may want similar results from all three of these recipients, but depending on who will read it, you may adjust the timing, tone and level of formality within the email itself.