Ethos, Pathos, and Logos

Pathos is the appeal to the audience’s ______?

Emotions

What are some ways that pathos work?

• Emotional appeals make logical claims stronger and more memorable

• Humor is an emotional appeal that puts the reader at ease

• Writers sometimes choose to present arguments in explicit, emotional terms

• Making people aware of how much they owe to others (guilt) is a common emotional appeal

How to appeal to pathos in your writing:

• Using emotion to show readers you understand their experiences

• Write about sensitive issues in a sensitive tone

• Use your personal experiences to connect to readers

Ethos

• Ethos is an appeal to ethics, credibility or character

• Every speaker brings a different ethos to their argument

• Ethos becomes evident through the language, evidence and images a speaker utilizes

When receiving an argument, the reader wants to know a few things about the speaker…

• What do they know about the subject?

• What experiences make them credible?

• Why should I pay attention to this person?

Some ways speakers create authority for themselves…

• Boldly claiming they are experts

• Referencing academic titles, well-known explorers and their number of years of experience

Some ways speakers establish for themselves…

• Showing a sense of humor

• Connecting their own beliefs to widely held or respected principles

• Treating the reader with respect

• Acknowledging any exceptions or weaknesses (showing that they’re human)

• Being upfront about their motivs

Logos

• Logos is the appeal to a reader’s logic and reason

• These arguments are based on facts, evidence, reasoning and cultural values

What are some hard evidence examples of Logos?

• Facts

• Statistics

• Surveys and pools

What are facts in logos

• Facts make string arguments

• Always check out the source of your facts, and show your reader you’ve done this

What are statistics in Logos?

Readers often point out that statistics can be manipulated to look a certain way

What are surveys and polls in Logos?

• These are good for showing the popularity of an idea

• Being with the “majority opinion” on something is very persuasive

What are narrative and reasoning examples in Logos?

• Human experiences

• Personal experiences

• Formal logic

What are some cultural assumptions and values examples in Logos?

• Shared values

• Culture, society, and history

• Fairness and equity