The Birth of Persuasion
Ethos, Pathos, Logos Notes
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the rest of this power point
• What do you need to be a leader? What
characteristics?
Answer in at least 5 sentences.
What do you need to be a
leader?
• In order to LEAD, you must understand
how to work with people.
• In order to LEAD, you must understand
how people think.
• In order to LEAD, you must understand
how to have your opinion heard.
• In order to LEAD, you must understand
how to convince others to act or to believe
as you want them to.
Where did the birth of
persuasion begin?
• It began with The Dead Greeks.
• Greece—known for the birth of Western
Civilization
• Around 2,300 years ago
– Socrates taught Plato
– taught Aristotle
• Believed that argument and debate were the
highest form of discussion
• Debate revealed highest ideals or truths-would
happen throughout Greece.
• Ability to argue both sides of an issue was an
admirable trait.
Socrates
• “Invented” intangible
things—art of
philosophical discussion
• Inherited money from
father
• Spent life engaging
young people from
wealthy family in Athens
in discussions
• Questioned their
confidence in the truth of
popular opinions
• Youth—loved him;
Adults—were leery of his
influence
• Eventually convicted of
corrupting youth and
meddling with religion.
• Before being put to death
for his crime; committed
suicide
– Religion, politics
We know what these men looked
like because art of the time exists
today.
Plato
• Studied under
Pythagoras and
Socrates
• Est. own academy in
Athens to pass on
mathematical theories
and the philosophical
vision of Socrates
• Tackled questions of
morality
• “Can virtue be
taught?” “Is it ever
justified to defy the
rules of the state?”
• Discussed the virtues
of wisdom, courage,
moderation, different
forms of government,
and the idea of a
perfect society
Aristotle
• Spent 20 years at Plato’s Academy
• Became a teacher after Plato’s death and
opened own school in Athens
• Spent life examining topics of logic,
philosophy, ethics, physics, biology,
politics, and rhetoric
• Rhetoric-art of using words effectively in
speaking and writing
Use of These Ideas Today
• First Amendment—
Founders of US believed in
freedom of speech;
importance of discussion
• Congress—Before a bill is
passed, there must be
discussion, argument, and
debate. Senators and
Congressmen can change
their minds based on the
debates.
According to the Greeks, what
are the best ways to argue or
persuade?
The 3 Modes of Persuasion
(According to Aristotle)
• ALL persuasive arguments, that are good,
include all 3 (including writing and
speaking)
• Ethos
• Pathos
• Logos
What is Ethos?
•
•
•
•
Ethos—Ethics
Base of English word ‘ethics’
Principles of right and wrong
Ethos relates to the writer who must be
trustworthy and honest. Make sure your
resources are reliable and respectable.
• Writer must be believable in order for
reader to listen to an argument.
Ethos
• When writing persuasively
– Do not use overblown language or exaggeration
– Show that you have considered the other point of view (counter
argument)
– Acknowledge the good arguments that support the opposing
view and point out any flaws in the arguments or explain how
your arguments outweigh the other side.
– This makes you more believable.
– This also give you the opportunity to point out any flaws in the
arguments of the other side or to explain how your arguments
outweigh those from the other side. (Rebuttal)
Ethos
Questions to think about when using
Ethos:
• Does the audience respect you?
• Does the audience believe you are of
good character?
• Does the audience believe you are
generally trustworthy?
• Does the audience believe you are an
authority on this speech topic?
Consider the ethos of each of these people.
What are some examples of Ethos?
• Thinking questions: What are some items
that would be helped by them promoting
them? What are some that would be hurt?
– Rosa Parks
– Selena
– President Obama
– Queen Latifah
– Peyton Manning
– Lionel Messi
– Marge Simpson
Notes for your
Notebook.
Choose 2 and
write your
thoughts
What is Pathos?
• Stands for ‘emotion’
• Good arguments appeal to the emotions
• Uses images and stories to pull at our
emotions
• Soften and humanize facts and statistics
• A paper on Alzheimer’s disease would be
more effective if you include a story about
your grandfather who struggled with the
disease.
Pathos
Do your words evoke feelings of … love?
… sympathy? … fear?
Do your visuals evoke feelings of
compassion? … envy?
Does your characterization of the
competition evoke feelings of hate?
contempt?
Look at the handout: let’s think….what
exactly is pathos?
What is an example of Pathos?
• As we review a sample speech that
contains pathos, write down 2 examples in
your notebook.
• Make sure you can explain why they are
examples of pathos.
Using Pathos to Build Bridges
• Use emotions to connect with readers, to
assure them that you understand their
experiences, or to “feel their pain”
• The following is an example of an
anecdote by Steve Jobs, Apple’s founder,
at a 2005 commencement ceremony. He
begins by telling the audience that he
doesn’t have a fancy speech, just three
stories from his life. Here is one…
My second story is about love and loss. I
was lucky. I found what I loved to do early
in life. Woz and I started apple in my
parents’ garage when I was twenty. We
worked hard and in ten years, Apple had
grown from just the two of us in a garage
into a $2 billion company with over 4,000
employees. We’d just released our fines
creating, the Macintosh, a year earlier, and
I’d just turned thirty, and then I got fired.
How can you get fired from a company
EXAMPLE OF PATHOS SPEECH.
you started?
THINK: Why is this pathos?
Well, Apple grew, we hired someone who I
thought was very talented to run the
company with me, and for the first year or
so, things went well. But then our visions
of the future began to diverge, and
eventually we ad a falling out. When we
did, our board of directors sided with him,
and so at thirty, I was out, and very
EXAMPLE OF PATHOS SPEECH.
publically out.
THINK: Why is this pathos?
I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that
getting fired from Apple was the best thing
that could have ever happened to me.
The heaviness of being successful was
replaced by the lightness of being a beginner
again, less sure about everything. It freed
me to enter one of the most creative periods
in my life. During the next five years, I
started a company named NeXT, another
company named Pixar and fell in love with
an amazing woman who would become my
wife. Pixar went on to create the world’s first
computer-animated feature film, “Toy Story,”
and is now the most successful animation
studio in the world.
EXAMPLE OF PATHOS SPEECH.
THINK: Why is this pathos?
What is Logos?
• Stands for ‘logic’
• Part of the argument based on
reason, facts, and sound
information
• Foundation of a good
argument
• Can’t have ethos without the
logos
• Keeps the pathos from being
too sentimental
Example of Logos?
• If you are trying to get your parents to let
you spend the night at a friends house,
and your parents do not know or like your
friend. What Logos could you use to
convince them to let you spend the night?
• Write your answer on your notes in 3
sentences or in a bulleted list.
Find examples of ethos, pathos, and logos
Dear Santa,
Last year you made my Christmas very happy by bringing me an adorable,
fluffy white kitty. As I am sure you know, because you can see
everything, I named my kitty Pancho. Pancho and I were the best of
friends, especially since I don’t have too many people friends. She and
I did everything together, or at least until mean old Brady Pilber from
down the street ran over Pancho while speeding in his truck with
monster wheels.
As I’m sure you already know, I am a good person. Dr. Berry, my physics
teacher, always says, “Crystal is such a good kid. I wish there were
more like her.” I also was a loving friend to Pancho. I hope that this
year for Christmas you can bring me another fluffy white kitty, since I
know that Pancho will never come back.
Besides wanting a new friend, I am a responsible cat owner. I walked
Pancho every day and will do the same with any new kitty. I also
believe in cleaning litter boxes every day and feeding cats healthy wet
food from Science Diet. I will brush any new kitty’s fur every single day
and keep her claws neatly trimmed. Santa, I think you can clearly see
that I would be an excellent candidate for a new kitty.
Extra Notes! What are some
Important things you need to
remember about persuasion?
• When persuading
– Have THREE strong reasons why to back up
your point of view
– Back up the reason by including some of the
following
•
•
•
•
•
Facts
Expert Opinions
Statistics
Examples
Anecdotes
Get out your Graphic Organizer
Ethos
Field of Dreams
The American
President
Jerry McGuire
Pathos
Logos
Ethos, Logos, and Pathos in
Movies
• Now we are going to watch 3 movie clips
from The American President, Jerry
MaGuire, and Field of Dreams.
• You are going to try to identify uses of
Ethos, Pathos, and Logos.
• Field of Dreams
*Miracle on Ice
• The American President
• Jerry McGuire
• Remember the Titans
Let’s share and Review
Ethos
Field of Dreams
The American
President
Jerry McGuire
Pathos
Logos
Summary: Final Thoughts
• Create your own example of:
– Ethos
– Pathos
– Logs
• Answer:
– Summarize your notes.
– Think: what did I learn about persuasion?