Introduction to Ethos Pathos and Logos

Persuasive Language ! introduction to ethos, pathos & logos ethos RISTOTLE was a Greek philosopher who lived in the 4th century BCE. He was hinker and wrote on many subjects – from logic and ethics, to biology and metaphys One area, in which Aristotle was particularly interested, was rhetoric. That i ersuasive speaking or writing. He even wrote a whole book entitled ‘On Rhetor he explains his theories of persuasive language and speech. Most significantly, in he expounds on the concepts of ethos, logos and pathos, as tools for persu anguage. A lot can be learned about the art of persuasion from these three conc nce understood, they can be easily applied to our own persuasive speaking and wr Ethos is a Greek word meaning ‘character’. In terms of persuasive lang an appeal to authority and credibility. Ethos is a means of convincing audience of the reliable character or credibility of the speaker/writer credibility of the argument. It is an important tool of persuasion because if you can get your a to see you (or your argument) as credible and trustworthy, it will be mu to persuade them. pathos Pathos is a Greek word meaning ‘suffering’ or ‘experience’, and it persuasive speech as an appeal to the emotions of the audience. Pathos is way of creating a persuasive argument by evoking an emotional respon audience/reader. You can use pathos when trying to persuade, by appealing audience’s hopes and dreams, playing on their fears or worries, or appe their particular beliefs or ideals. logos Logos is a Greek word meaning ‘a word’ or ‘reason’. In rhetoric, it is an logic and reason. It is used to persuade an audience by logical though and rationality. Logos can be a useful tool of persuasion because if you can ‘p argument through logical and sound reasoning, your audience is more l be persuaded. If you can include a combination of these three elements in your persuasive speaking and writing, you will appeal to your audience’s emotions, sense of reasoning and belief in you, and therefore your writing will be more convincing. Try to subtly weave ethos, pathos and logos into your persuasive writing and speaking. Ethos is an appeal to ethics; it is means of convincing the audience of the character or credibility of the persuader. • You can openly remind your audience who you are and why you are an authority on the subject. (‘As the leading researcher, I agree…’). • You can establish authority more subtly through the use of jargon or specialized terms (‘My quantitative research in linguistic anthropology has shown…’). • You can establish credibility by just using correct grammar and language, using solid reasoning and good arguments and therefore sounding credible and trustworthy. ethos os? Wh Why y useeth EXAMPLES: » I have been married for 58 years and I can tell you that he will not be a good husband to you. » Having written ten successful novels myself, I can tell you that this book is worth buying. » My friend, who has a PhD in nutritional science, says that we should eat fewer carbohydrates. If your audience believe you to be a qualified, authoritative figure, or an expert ! in a subject, they are more likely to be persuaded by your argument. TASK ONE: For each of the following, identify whether or not ETHOS is used, and explain your reasoning. Ethos ? 1 “You should definitely get help with debt, & I say that as somebody with 30 years experience of debt counseli “As your father, I love you and only No the best for you. Therefore when I as you not to go, please listen to me.” Yes 2 “We really should try that recipe. Someone told me that it was good.” 3 “The research – conducted by profes at Harvard University – suggests tha Yes should learn a second language. 4 “Dentists all over the world are tellin their patients the same things. You m Yes floss regularly.” 5 “I read somewhere that bicarbonate soda is really useful for cleaning. Yo No should try it.” Yes Explain The sp speaker eaker i s has refer referred red to the their ir eexten xten xtensive sive eex xp eri erience ence in area, iin n orde orderr to give ccredit redit to their oopinio pinio pinion n . Somebod Somebody y wi . years experien experience ce would surely k now what he or sshe he is talk It is not Etho's because he is using emotions, "I love you and only want the best for you." he is using Logo's It is Etho's because the person used a testimony from someone else that said it was a good recipe " someone told me that it was good." It is Etho's because the person is trying to be trustworthy/knowledgeable by stating that professors at harvard university suggest you should learn a second language. It is Etho's because the person is trying to be trustworthy by stating that dentist suggest that you should floss, "dentists all over the world". It is logo's because the person is using facts and logic by stating that he read somewhere that it is good for you. TASK TWO: For each of the following scenarios, write your own persuasive sentences using ethos: 1. You are trying to persuade your mother to let you get a tattoo. You should let me get a tattoo because I need something to recognise my self by, many people get tattoos and they __________________________________________________________________________________________ have something to mark themselves by. __________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. You are attempting to convince an audience that animal testing is morally wrong. __________________________________________________________________________________________ Animal testing is harmful to the animal. It is stated by many scientists around the globe that testing animals could be harmful. __________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. You are trying to persuade your teacher not to give you homework. Please do not give us homework for today, because my mother said that i will be busy today, You ask her. __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ • You can use descriptive language and imagery, which evokes emotions. (‘This life-saving dishwasher will enhance your life and lighten your load.’) • You can identify values / emotions which relate particularly to your audience, and play on them. (‘I know you care for your family, so…’) • You can use personal stories to appeal to the sympathies and emotions of your audience. (‘When I lost my job, I knew how important it was to…) pathos thos? Wh Why y usepa EXAMPLES: » If you don’t go on this holiday you will regret it. You don’t want to live with regrets, do you? » You love your dog; so buy this dog food, as it will help him to get all his nutrients. » You have been poorly treated. You have been taken advantage of. Now is the time to take action. Pathos is an appeal to emotion; it is a means of convincing the audience by creating an emotional response. If your audience is emotionally invested and engaged with your cause or argument, they are more likely to be persuaded.! TASK ONE: For each of the following, explain how pathos is used (you must identify the emotional appeal). Explain 1 “Don’t be the last person to get on Here the speaker is appealing to the audience’s sense of pride by pointing out t You don’t want to be the laughing laughed at if they don’t get the product. This would make the listener/reader fe of your school!” it, in order to maintain their dignity and not hurt their pride. “If you don’t purchase this life insurance, and something happens you, how will your family survive? 2 “We have been mistreated, abused oppressed. They have benefited fro our suffering and we must act now 3 “We live in a great democracy. So donate now and support the troops who are protecting our freedom.” 4 “Just eat and don’t complain. Child in Africa are starving and would gi anything to have that plate of food 5 “Caring for the environment may n change your life, but it will change lives of your children.” TASK TWO: For each of the following scenarios, write your own persuasive sentences using pathos: 1. You are trying to persuade members of your class to volunteer to tutor underprivileged children. __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. You are attempting to convince a friend to join your sports team. __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. You are trying to persuade an audience that they should buy a particular brand of cereal. __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ logic; it is a means of convincing the audience through rational thought and reason. • You can use research and statistics to backup your arguments. (‘87% of students benefit from textbooks, so...’) • You can use logical processes to explain your point – ‘if this… then that...’ (‘If you don’t want gum disease, then you should brush regularly.’) • You must give convincing, solid evidence and reasons to support your claims. (‘I need a car: it would make me more independent; save me money; improve my life.) Wh Why y uselo logos gos? EXAMPLES: » I‘ve not eaten meat for 8 years, and I’m fit and healthy; you can’t argue that vegetarianism is always unhealthy. » We have conducted the experiment 57 times and we get the same results every single time. » That is not my wallet. My wallet has a tear in it. This wallet has no tear in it. Therefore, it cannot be mine. If you can present a logical, rational argument to your audience, which engages their intellect and sense of reason, they are more likely to be persuaded.! TASK ONE: For each of the following, explain whether or not you think that logos is being used effectively. Explain “I need new jeans. Everyone in my class has new jeans.” 1 2 3 4 5 This isn’t an effective use of logos as the reasoning is not logical and ✓ it’s highly unlikely every everyone that onehas new jeans (hyperbole). Secondly, just b other people have new jeans, it doesn’t logically follow that the them. speak needs “All men and women will die. You man. Therefore, you will die one d “Everyone has children. Therefore everyone needs to think about the schooling of his or her children.” “You don’t need to jump in front o train to know it’s a bad idea; so wh you need to try drugs to know if th damaging?” “Cigarette smoke contains over 4,8 chemicals, 69 of which are known cause cancer. So why start smokin “Every morning the rooster crows, the sun rises. Therefore the rooster causes the sun to rise.” TASK TWO: For each of the following scenarios, write your own persuasive sentences using logos: 1. You are trying to persuade your brother to stop eating chocolate. __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. You are attempting to convince your class that they shouldn’t drink and drive. __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. You are trying to persuade an audience that they should exercise more often. __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ PERSUASIVE LANGUAGE 3 out of 4 peopl peoplee ssurveyed urveyed sai said d that tthey hey prefe preferr our br brand and to any othe otherr . If you care about yo your ur te teee th, m ake tthe he wis wisee choi choice ce and bu buy y be beff ore it it’s ’s ttoo oo llate ate ate.. Shin ShinyWhite yWhite Pathos and Logos