Transcript Ethos, Pathos, and Logos

Ethos, Pathos, and Logos
Our learning targets/objectives…
1) Define and understand the rhetorical devices:
ethos, pathos, and logos
2) Appropriately use ethos, pathos, and logos in a
speech similar to that of Old Major in Animal
Farm
Ethos (Ethical Appeal)…
• Means convincing by the character/credibility of the author –
The writer/speaker’s reputation or expertise in the field
• Making yourself someone who is likable and worthy of
respect… (Because we tend to believe people whom we
respect)
• Example:
"I will end this war in Iraq responsibly, and finish the fight
against al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan. I will build
new partnerships to defeat the threats of the 21st century:
terrorism and nuclear proliferation; poverty and genocide;
climate change and disease. And I will restore our moral
standing, so that America is once again that last, best hope for
all who are called to the cause of freedom, who long for lives of
peace, and who yearn for a better future.” -- Democratic
Presidential Candidate Acceptance Speech by Barack Obama (Aug
2008)
Pathos (Emotional)…
• Persuading by appealing to the reader's emotions,
sympathies, and imagination
• Example:
"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…. 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.” – “I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King Jr.
(August 28th, 1963)
Logos (Logical)…
• Persuading by the use of clear reasoning
• Involves facts, statistics, and other supporting evidence
• Example:
“Two major studies from military intelligence experts have
warned our leaders about the dangerous national security
implications of the climate crisis, including the possibility of
hundreds of millions of climate refugees destabilizing
nations around the world. Just two days ago, 27 senior
statesmen and retired military leaders warned of the national
security threat from an “energy tsunami” that would be
triggered by a loss of our access to foreign oil. Meanwhile,
the war in Iraq continues, and now the war in Afghanistan
appears to be getting worse.” -- Al Gore "A Generational
Challenge to Repower America" July 17th 2008