Transcript Logos, Ethos, Pathos - Mr. Doemel's 7th Grade Language Arts

Logos, Ethos, Pathos
Aristotelian Appeals
Essential Question
O What are Rhetorical Appeals and
how can I identify and use them
in informational text and in my
writing?
The Rhetorical Triangle
O A way of thinking about what's involved
in any communication/persuasion
scenario.
O The 3 elements of The Rhetorical
Triangle are:
O a speaker or writer (who performs the rhetoric),
O an audience (the people addressed), and
O a purpose (the message communicated with the
audience)
The Rhetorical Triangle
Writer/Speaker
Purpose/Message
Audience
Aristotle’s Rhetoric Appeals
O Rhetoric (n) - the art of speaking or writing to
effectively persuade.
O 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 appeals: Ethos,
Logos, and Pathos
Appeals to the Audience
O Logos
O Ethos
O Pathos
Identifiable in almost
all arguments
Logos
O Appeals to logic, through
statistics, data, facts and
examples
O Reasoning that the author
uses
O Logical evidence is found
Types of Logos Appeals
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
Theories/scientific facts
Indicated meanings or reasons (because…)
Literal or historical analogies
Definitions
Factual data and statistics
Quotations
Citations from experts and authorities
Informed opinions
Examples (from real life)
Personal anecdotes
Effect on Audience
O Cognitive or rational response
O Readers feel: “that makes
sense”, “seems logical”, or “that
doesn’t prove anything”
Logos Example
O “Some 35 million Americans regularly buy
products that claim to be earth-friendly,
while an additional 7 million currently have
solar panels installed on their home.”
O “It may be better to keep your old tube TV
instead of buying the newest LCD screen,
because the older sets use less power than
a plasma TV.”
Logos: example
Here we see a chart showing a correlation
between the fall of pirates and rise of natural
disasters. Are you convinced by these statistics?
Ethos
O Appeals to ethics by making
the audience believe that the
author is credible and
trustworthy.
O + Character traits
O Look at how an author builds
credibility and trustworthiness
Ways to Develop Ethos
O Author’s profession/background
O Author’s publication
O Appear sincere, fair-minded, knowledgeable
O Conceding to opposition when appropriate
O Morally/ethically likeable
O Appropriate language for audience
O Appropriate vocabulary
O Correct grammar
O Professional format
Effect on Audience
O Reader sees author as reliable,
trustworthy, competent, and
credible
O Reader might respect the author
or his views
Ethos Example
O If you are a successful professional basketball player—
like Michael Jordan, for example--talking about
basketball to other pro athletes, then your ethos is
strong with that particular audience even before you
open your mouth or take pen to paper. Your audience
assumes you are knowledgeable about your subject
because of your experience. Now, if you are instead a
baseball player talking about basketball, then your
extrinsic ethos is not as strong because you haven't
been played pro basketball, but you're still a
professional athlete and know something about that
kind of life.
Ethos Example
 An officer of the law has inartistic ethos
because of the station they hold (we trust
them because of their position).
 However, that same officer can lose our trust
by their actions, as in the case of Rodney
King.
Pathos
O Appeals to emotion through
connotative language and
imagery.
O Words or passages an author
uses to activate emotions
Types of Pathos Appeals
O Emotionally loaded language
O Vivid descriptions
O Emotional examples
O Anecdotes, testimonies, narratives about
emotional experiences/events
O Figurative language
O Emotional tone (humor, sarcasm,
disappointment, excitement
Effect on Audience
O Evokes an emotional response
O Persuasion by emotion (usually
fear, sympathy, empathy, anger)
Pathos Example
During the final stretch of David Ritter’s
hourlong trip to middle school, he pulls a cell
phone from his jeans and calls his mother in
Washington Heights to say he is out of the
subway and moments from Salk Middle
School.
“It’s the one thing I can cross off my list of
things to worry about,” his mother Elizabeth
Ritter said. “It’s a required part of our
everyday life.”
Pathos Example
O "I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out
of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come
fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come
from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you
battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by
the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of
creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that
unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi,
go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to
Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and
ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this
situation can and will be changed."
O I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King Jr. August 28th,
1963.
The best arguments contain
more than one type of appeal!
O It's important to recognize that
ethos, pathos, and logos appeals
are rarely found independently of
each other, and that complex and
effective persuasion usually
involves all of them in some
combination.
Rhetorical Devices Used by Speakers and
Writers
O Rhetorical devices are the nuts and bolts of speech
and writing; the parts that make a communication
work. Separately, each part of is meaningless, but
once put together they create a powerful effect on
the listener/reader.
O Parallelism
O Repetition
O Allusion
O Varied Sentence Length
Parallelism
O Parallelism is the use of components in a sentence
that are grammatically the same; or similar in their
construction, sound, meaning or meter.
O Writing structures that are grammatically parallel
helps the reader understand the points better
because they flow more smoothly.
O If there is anyone out there who still doubts, who still
wonders, who still questions
Repetition
O Repetition is a literary device that repeats the
same words or phrases a few times to make an
idea clearer
O Repetition can be effective in creating a sense of
structure and power. In both speech and
literature, repeating small phrases can ingrain an
idea in the minds of the audience.
O Yes, we can, to opportunity and prosperity. Yes, we can
heal this nation. Yes, we can repair this world. Yes, we
can.
Allusion
O An allusion is a brief and indirect reference
to a person, place, thing or idea of historical,
cultural, literary, or political significance
O By using allusion, you not only associate
yourself with the ideas of the original text
but also create a bond with the audience by
evoking share knowledge
O The words government of the people, by
the people, and for the people are lifted
from the “Gettysburg Address”
Varied Sentence Length
O Varying the sentence length is always a good
way to strengthen any writing style, be it speech
writing or essays.
O “To the best campaign team ever
assembles in the history of politics: you
made this happen, and I am forever
grateful for what you’ve sacrificed to get
it done. But above all, I will never forget
who this victory truly belongs to. It
belongs to you. It belongs to you.”
A More Complete Rhetorical Triangle
Writer/Speaker
Appeal to Ethos
(Credibility of
Writer)
Purpose/Message
Appeal to Logos
(Facts, Research, Data)
Audience
Appeal to Pathos
(Emotions, Beliefs,
and Values)