Rhetorical Appeals
ETHOS, PATHOS, and LOGOS
Rhetoric:
(1)The art of speaking and writing
effectively.
(2) Art of persuasion through
language.
Aristotle
O Came up with three ways in which a speaker
can appeal to his or her audience:
O ETHOS
O PATHOS
O LOGOS
O (appeal (v) (n): to make a serious or urgent
request, typically to the public)
ETHOS
O An appeal to ETHICS (Ethos = Ethics)
O A means of convincing someone of the
character or credibility of the speaker.
O Why should the audience trust the speaker?
O What makes the speaker someone whom I
should listen to regarding this topic?
Ethos Continued…
O
The Greek word ethos is related to our word ethics or
ethical, but a more accurate modern translation might be
“image.”
O
Aristotle uses ethos to refer to the speaker’s character as it
appears to the audience. Aristotle says that if we believe
that a speaker has good sense, good moral character, and
goodwill, we are inclined to believe what that speaker says.
Today we might add that a speaker should also appear to
have the appropriate expertise or authority to speak
knowledgeably about the subject matter.
O
Ethos is often the first thing we notice, so it creates the
first impression that influences how we perceive the rest.
PATHOS
O An appeal to EMOTION
O A way of convincing an audience of an argument
by creating an emotional response.
(Pathos=Passion)
O In what ways is the speaker trying to get at the
emotions of his or her audience?
O In what parts of the speech do I FEEL something?
O TTTPNTY: What might someone use within a
speech in order to create pathos?
Pathos Continued…
O Aristotle points out that emotions such as
anger, pity, fear, and their opposites,
powerfully influence our rational judgments.
Due to this fact, much of our political
discourse and much of the advertising we
experience is directed toward moving our
emotions.
LOGOS
O An appeal to LOGIC (Logos= Logic)
O A way of persuading an audience by reason
O Where is logic and reasoning being used to
support the argument?
O How can ideas be set up in a way that uses
logic and reasoning to persuade?
O TTTPNTY: What are ways in which authors
can use logos?
Logos Continued
O In our society, logic and rationality are
highly valued and this type of persuasive
strategy is usually privileged over appeals to
the character of the speaker or to the
emotions of the audience. However, formal
logic and scientific reasoning are usually not
appropriate for general audiences, so we
must rely on a more rhetorical type of
reasoning.
To consider…
O Your Message:
O
Based on the message within your speech, you will
want to use the appeals differently.
O Ask yourself, what is my message and how can the
various appeals be used to convey my message and
persuade my audience?
O Your Audience
O Based on who you are speaking to within your
speech, you will want to use the appeals differently.
O Ex: You would not speak to a group of Kindergarteners
in the same way you would speak to a group of CEOs.
O (Your speech should be aimed at your tenth grade
peers!)