Rhetorical Triangle and Appeals

8/20/26

Speaker

The voice that speaks behind the scene/writing.

Audience

The person for whom a writer writes, or composer composes. A writer uses a particular style of language, tone, and content according to what he knows about his audience.

Message

Idea put across by author.

Exigence

The catalyst for the writing.

Ethos

Appeal to credibility of the speaker; involves persuasion based on the writer/speaker involved (not an appeal to the ethics of an argument itself).

Pathos

Appeal to emotion; a quality that evokes pity or sadness, or emotion.

Logos

Appeal to logic, means to convince an audience by use of logic or reason.