Writing about Pathos

Pathos: An Appeal to Emotion

When you notice an appeal to emotion, be sure to identify the specific emotion.

Common emotions include hope, fear, sympathy, empathy. patriotism. etc

Common emotions include hope, fear, sympathy, empathy. patriotism. etc - Common emotions include hope, fear, sympathy, empathy. patriotism. etc - Choices That Create an Emotional Appeal:

• Word choice and Tone

• Imagery

• Details

• Description

• Anecdotes

- - - Questions to Ask Yourself:

To which emotion does the writer/speaker appeal?

• How does the writer/speaker appeal to this emotion?

• Why does the writer/speaker appeal to this emotion?

• What is the desired effect/result and how does this connect to the purpose or message?

• Which words convey this emotion? What tone do these words create?

• Why does the writer/speaker appeal to this emotion at this point in the passage?

• Why does the writer/speaker appeal to this emotion at this point in the passage? - Avoid "uses pathos." Try one of these instead:

SPEAKER appeals to AUDIENCE's sense of SPECIFIC EMOTION by

SPEAKER evokes a sense of SPECIFIC EMOTION to...

By noting..., SPEAKER seeks to elicit a sense of from AUDIENCE... because...

By vividly describing..., SPEAKER conveys a sense of SPECIFIC EMOTION

EXAMPLE

Observations: Florence Kelley describes the horrific working conditions children experience.

Best evidence:

Noisy factories

Little girls barely tall enough to reach the bobbins (sewing equipment.)        

Little girls barely tall enough to reach the bobbins (sewing equipment.) - Little girls barely tall enough to reach the bobbins (sewing equipment.) - Questions:

Why does Kelley include these details in the middle of the speech?

    She previously proved child labor was a problem, but now, she needs the audience to feel sympathy for the girls in order to be invested enough to act.

Why does Kelley appeal to this emotion?

    Her audience is a group of women, presumably women who are wealthy enough not to work. Some may be mothers, so she appeals to their maternal nature and sense of female solidarity. Since these women are activists, she appeals to their sense of sympathy to rouse the women to be willing to fight for change.