Rhetorichandout

Rhetoric:MeansofPersuasion
Materialsforthishandoutweretakenfrom
http://www.public.asu.edu/~macalla/logosethospathos.htmland
http://www.rpi.edu/dept/llc/webclass/web/project1/group4/
Logos,Ethos,Pathos
According to Aristotle, rhetoric is the ability, in each particular case, to see the available means
of persuasion. He described three main forms of rhetoric: Ethos,Logos,andPathos. Whenever
you read an argument you must ask yourself, is this persuasive? And if so, to whom? Most
documents will rely primarily on one means of persuasion, though effective arguments often
make use of all three.
Definitions
Logos: The Greek word logos is the basis for the English word logic. Logos is a broader idea
than formal logic--the highly symbolic and mathematical logic that you might study in a
philosophy course. Logos refers to any attempt to appeal to the intellect, the general meaning of
logical argument. Everyday arguments rely heavily on ethos and pathos, but academic
arguments rely more on logos. Yes, these arguments will call upon the writers credibility and try
to touch the audiences emotions, but there will more often than not be logical chains of
reasoning supporting all claims.
Ethos: Ethos is related to the English word ethics and refers to the trustworthiness of the
speaker/writer. Ethos is an effective persuasive strategy because when we believe that the
speaker does not intend to do us harm, we are more willing to listen to what s/he has to say. For
example, when a trusted doctor gives you advice, you may not understand all of the medical
reasoning behind the advice, but you nonetheless follow the directions because you believe that
the doctor knows what s/he is talking about. Likewise, when a judge comments on legal
precedent audiences tend to listen because it is the job of a judge to know the nature of past legal
cases.
Pathos: Pathos is related to the words pathetic, sympathy and empathy. Whenever you accept a
claim based on how it makes you feel without fully analyzing the rationale behind the claim, you
are acting on pathos. They may be any emotions: love, fear, patriotism, guilt, hate or joy. A
majority of arguments in the popular press are heavily dependent on pathetic appeals. The more
people react without full consideration for the WHY, the more effective an argument can be.
Although the pathetic appeal can be manipulative, it is the cornerstone of moving people to
action. Many arguments are able to persuade people logically, but the apathetic audience may
not follow through on the call to action. Appeals to pathos touch a nerve and compel people to
not only listen, but to also take the next step and act in the world.
Examples of Logos, Ethos and Pathos

Logos
Let us begin with a simple proposition: What democracy requires is public debate, not
information. Of course it needs information too, but the kind of information it needs can be
generated only by vigorous popular debate. We do not know what we need to know until we ask
the right questions, and we can identify the right questions only by subjecting our ideas about the
world to the test of public controversy. Information, usually seen as the precondition of debate,
is better understood as its by product. When we get into arguments that focus and fully engage
our attention, we become avid seekers of relevant information. Otherwise, we take in
information passivelyif we take it in at all.
Christopher Lasch, The Lost Art of Political Argument
Ethos
My Dear Fellow Clergymen:
While confined here in Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent statement calling
my present activities unwise and untimely....Since I feel that you are men of genuine good will
and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I want to try to answer your statement in what I
hope will be patient and reasonable in terms.
I think I should indicate why I am here in Birmingham, since you have been influenced
by the view which argues against outsiders coming in....I, along with several members of my
staff, am here because I was invited here. I am here because I have organizational ties here.
But more basically, I am in Birmingham because injustice is here. Just as the prophets of
the eighth century B.C. left their villages and carried their thus saith the Lord far beyond the
boundaries of their home towns, and just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried
the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco-Roman world, so am I compelled to
carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town. Like Paul, I must constantly respond to
the Macedonian call for aid.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Letter from Birmingham Jail
Pathos
For me, commentary on war zones at home and abroad begins and ends with personal
reflections. A few years ago, while watching the news in Chicago, a local news story made a
personal connection with me. The report concerned a teenager who had been shot because he
had angered a group of his male peers. This act of violence caused me to recapture a memory
from my own adolescence because of an instructive parallel in my own life with this boy who
had been shot. When I was a teenager some thirty-five years ago in the New York metropolitan
area, I wrote a regular column for my high school newspaper. One week, I wrote a colunm in
which I made fun of the fraternities in my high school. As a result, I elicited the anger of some
of the most aggressive teenagers in my high school. A couple of nights later, a car pulled up in
front of my house, and the angry teenagers in the car dumped garbage on the lawn of my house
as an act of revenge and intimidation.
James Garbarino Children in a Violent World: A Metaphysical Perspective

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Rhetoric:MeansofPersuasion

Examples of Logos, Ethos and Pathos

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