Careful rhetoric, or the art of crafting arguments through tone and
presentation of evidence, can make your argument more convincing.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES [ edit ]
Demonstrate how to utilize logos, pathos, and ethos to make an argument in an academic paper
Demonstrate how to utilize logos, pathos, and ethos to make an argument in an academic paper
Differentiate between the three main strategies in classical rhetoric
Differentiate between the three main strategies in classical rhetoric
KEY POINTS [ edit ]
Rhetoric involves the "how" of making arguments – it asks you to think about what kind of writing
will make your argument most convincing to the reader.
In classical rhetoric, there are three main strategies to appeal to the reader: logos, pathos, and
ethos. Good writing will usually rely primarily on only one of these appeals; however, it will
incorporate elements of the other two as needed.
Ethos, logos and pathos are designed to affect the reader differently. When choosing which
strategy to rely on most heavily, think about what kind of argument you want to make. Once you
know what your goal for the reader is, you should be able to tell which type of appeal will be the
most useful.
TERMS [ edit ]
pathos
Pathos represents an appeal to the audience's emotions. Pathos is a communication technique
used most often in rhetoric (where it is considered one of the three modes of persuasion,
alongside ethos and logos), and in literature, film and other narrative art.
ethos
Ethos is a Greek word meaning "character." It is used to describe the guiding beliefs or ideals that
characterize a community, nation, or ideology.
Logos
Logos derives from the same verb, meaning "to count, tell, say, or speak."
EXAMPLE [ edit ]
Here are three passages that describe the same psychological study, each using a different
rhetorical tactic: Logos: Given that 84% of the subjects in six separate clinical trials reported a
statistically significant increase in feelings of guilt when they carried a picture of a deity in their
pocket, it follows that there is a correlation between guilt and religion. Pathos: If you
still question the results of these trials, take a moment for this thought experiment. Imagine
starting your day with a photo of a deity in your pocket. You see an unpaid bill in your desk
drawer. You cut someone off in traffic. You arrive at work ten minutes late. You are tempted to
steal someone else's soda from the communal fridge, but you resist the temptation. Regardless of
your religious persuasion, doesn't it make you a little bit anxious to imagine that someone might
be keeping track of every mundane little thing you say, do, and even think? Keeping a picture in
your pocket makes that possibility even more present in the mind. 84% may seem like a
surprisingly high percentage, but guilt is an emotion that afflicts all of us, and it will take root at
any excuse. Ethos: When Jones published the results of the study last year, he faced a great deal
of scrutiny from the psychological community. Susan Miller, author of the foundational book
Religion and Guilt, wrote a paper that questioned hismethodology: "Pocket Full of Questions:
Methodology andBias in Recent Scholarship. " Jones responded to her concerns in a post on his
personal blog, and Miller responded that she was satisfied. Soon afterward, Jones's paper was
selected to appear in the anthology Psychology and Religion, a strong vote of confidence for such
a recent paper.
Give us feedback on this content: FULL TEXT [ edit ]
Rhetoric, which dates back to ancient Mesopotamia, in its most primitive form can be found
in the the Akkadian writings of the princess and priestess Enheduanna (ca. 2285­2250 BC).
In ancient Greece, the earliest mention of oratorical skill occurs in Homer's Iliad, where
heroes such as Achilles, Hektor, and Odysseus were honored for their ability to advise and
exhort their peers and followers (the Laos or army) in wise and appropriate action. With the
rise of the democratic polis, speaking skill was adapted to public needs and political life in
cities, which revolved around oral appeals for making political and judicial decisions, as well
as presenting philosophical ideas.
In Western societies, rhetoric has played a pivotal role in civic participation and the art of
discourse. As a writer, the primary focus should be on the strength and delivery of
theargument. Careful rhetoric – the art of crafting arguments that use tone and evidence to
improve the capability of writers or speakers can help inform, persuade, and
motivateaudiences.
When to Use Rhetoric
Rhetoric works when writers choose a strategy best suited to persuading their audience. The
three main strategies in classical rhetoric are logos, pathos, and ethos. Introduced by the
Greek philosopher Aristotle, logos, pathos, and ethos comprise the three persuasive audience
appeals used to build a compelling argument.
Rhetorical analysis makes use of logos, pathos, and ethos to describe the social or
epistemological functions of the paper or speech. When a speech, a poem, a joke, or a
newspaper article happens to be discourse, the aim of rhetorical analysis is not simply to
describe the claims and arguments presented, but more importantly, to identify the specific
semiotic strategies employed by the speaker to accomplish specific persuasive goals.
Using Rhetorical Analysis
A rhetorical analysis calls upon readers to closely read a text and determine several
characteristics about it includingauthor, context, purpose, and emotional appeal and/or
effects. In other words, readers must take a look at the famous philosopher Aristotle's three
persuasive audience appeals: ethos, logos, and pathos.
Logos
Logos relies on the rigorous use of logic and reason. Arguments based on logos usually
employ deductive and/or inductive reasoning. Deductive, or top­down, reasoning applies a
premise or rule that is known to be true to draw aconclusion about a specific case or cases;
on the other hand, inductive, or bottom­up, reasoning constructs a premise or rule by
generalizing and extrapolating from a specific case or cases.
Pathos
In contrast to logos, pathos relies on evoking an emotional reaction from the audience. The
evidence in a pathos argument is more likely to be personal or anecdotal. Moreover, the
success of the argument depends on the author understanding the audience's values and
beliefs, and manipulating them.
Ethos
Ethos, the final persuasive appeal, works by giving the authorcredibility. By building
credibility with the audience, the speaker or writer also builds trust with his or her audience.
Ethos can be used to stress the personal credentials andreputation of the speaker/writer, or
cite reliable authors orsources. Writer and speakers who employ ethos to strengthen their
argument should avoid attacking or insulting an opponent, or opposing viewpoint. The most
effective ethos develops from what is stated, whether it is in spoken or written form.
Good writing employs primarily one, rather than two or all of these appeals. However,
writers can pull elements from any of these strategies as needed. For some topics, a logical
(logos) appeal will be more convincing to a reader than a pathetic (pathos) appeal if he or she
is dealing with a rational and reserved audience.
Capture the attention of your audience with rhetoric and argumentation
Using appropriate rhetorical tools and a well­thought out argumentative structure is a way of ensuring
the strength of your writing. In addition, rhetoric and argumentation are ways of capturing the
attention of your audience and leading them to the conclusions of your argument.