What I Learned
Over the past quarter I have learned a lot of great and helpful things that will prepare
me for college. I have learned how to properly write essays using Jane Schafer’s Writing
Terminology and The High School Writing Process. However, the main focus of this quarter has
been learning how to identify the three parts of persuasion; Ethos, Pathos, and Logos, and how
to use the elements of persuasion in a persuasive essay.
The first element of persuasion I learned about in class is Ethos. Ethos is the credibility
of a piece of writing; that would be facts, examples, and research. In class we read tons of
different persuasive pieces that included Ethos. The book Night by Elie Wiesel is loaded with
credibility. Elie Wiesel lived through the experiences he wrote about. The things he wrote
about are too gruesome to even be fictional. Another piece of writing is “On Dumpster Diving”
by Lars Eighner. In his writing he says that he used to be wealthy but he chose to live the way
he did. He lived by finding food and other things that he needed to survive. This proves how
persuasive and how much Ethos he had. In Martin Luther King’s speech, I Have a Dream, he
talks about how blacks have been persecuted for years and how they are still being persecuted.
The fact and examples he gives makes his speech credible and persuasive. All these pieces of
writing use a lot of Ethos and are very powerful and persuasive.
The second element of persuasion I learned about is Pathos, which is the emotional
appeal to the reader. In “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell, he describes how hard his
decision was to either shoot the elephant or let it live by using Pathos. He then goes onto
describe how the elephant died, what it took to bring it down, and how long it took for the
elephant to die. When Martin Luther King gave I Have a Dream, he gave it to raise the
emotions of the civil rights supporters. Over forty years later, it is still studied and read and still
raises the emotions of its readers. Dr. King says for too long they have been persecuted. He
states what he “dreams” to happen in the future. Elie Wiesel uses Pathos in Night as well. He
describes the horrible train ride he took to Auschwitz, which makes a pit of sympathy and shock
form in a tight ball in your stomach. He describes how the Gestapo would throw the babies in
the air and use them as target practice. Reading his description would make you queasy and
sick. When Pathos is used in writing it is very effective in influencing people’s emotions.
The third element of persuasion is Logos. As Pathos, uses the emotional appeal, Logos is
the Logical appeal. In George Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant,” Orwell uses Logos by explaining
why he had to shoot the elephant. He had to shoot it because it had killed a civilian and he
would have been mocked and hated if he didn’t kill the elephant like the people wanted. In
Lars Eighner’s “On Dumpster Diving” he uses Logos in describing why it’s ok to dumpster dive
by showing that people throw out perfectly good things. He also describes what is good to eat
and what is not. “Eating from dumpsters is what separates the dilettanti from the
professionals.” In Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address he uses Logos to describe how all men
are created equal. He describes how our country is in a great turmoil and that too many people
died for it so we need to remember what happened and why. Logos used in these pieces of
writing is very effective and very persuasive.
Each element of persuasion is a very powerful tool. However, all three together is what
makes the writing convincing and will almost always convince the reader the way the author
wants. I have learned so much about Ethos, Pathos, and Logos that it makes it easy to identify
them and use them. In fact I am able to identify Ethos, Pathos, and Logos in movies and
readings outside of class without my teacher pointing them out. I have learned so much and
can’t wait to see what is in store for next quarter.