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Ethos, Pathos, Logos Resource and Definition Guide

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Ethos, Pathos, Logos Resource and Definition Guide March 23-27 Distance Learning 8th Grade English: Persuasive Speech Ethos, Pathos, Logos Resource and Definition Guide The goal of argumentative writing is to persuade your audience that your ideas are valid, or more valid than someone else’s. The Greek philosopher Aristotle divided the means of persuasion, appeals, into three categories–Ethos, Pathos, Logos. Ethos (Credibility), or ethical appeal, means convincing by the character of the author. We tend to believe people whom we respect. One of the central problems of argumentation is to project an impression to the reader that you are someone worth listening to, in other words making yourself as author into an authority on the subject of the paper, as well as someone who is likable and worthy of respect. Pathos (Emotional) means persuading by appealing to the reader’s emotions. We can look at texts ranging from classic essays to contemporary advertisements to see how pathos, emotional appeals, are used to persuade. Language choice affects the audience’s emotional response, and emotional appeal can effectively be used to enhance an argument. Logos (Logical) means persuading by the use of reasoning. This will be the most important technique we will study, and Aristotle’s favorite. We’ll look at deductive and inductive reasoning, and discuss what makes an effective, persuasive reason to back up your claims. Giving reasons is the heart of argumentation, and cannot be emphasized enough. We’ll study the types of support you can use to substantiate your thesis, and look at some of the common logical fallacies, in order to avoid them in your writing. In short, Ethos, Pathos and Logos each have a different meaning: ● Ethos is an appeal to ethics, and it is a means of convincing someone of the character or credibility of the persuader. ● Pathos is an appeal to emotion, and is a way of convincing an audience of an argument by creating an emotional response. ● Logos is an appeal to logic, and is a way of persuading an audience by reason. Ethos: the source’s credibility, the speaker’s/author’s authority Logos: the logic used to support a claim (induction and deduction); can also be the facts and statistics used to help support the argument. Pathos: the emotional or motivational appeals; vivid language, emotional language and numerous sensory details. Ethos or the ethical appeal, means to convince an audience of the author’s credibility or character. An author would use ethos to show to his audience that he is a credible source and is worth listening to. Ethos is the Greek word for “character.” The word “ethic” is derived from ethos. Ethos can be developed by choosing language that is appropriate for the audience and topic (also means choosing proper level of vocabulary), making yourself sound fair or unbiased, introducing your expertise or pedigree, and by using correct grammar and syntax. Pathos or the emotional appeal, means to persuade an audience by appealing to their emotions. Authors use pathos to invoke sympathy from an audience; to make the audience feel what the author wants them to feel. A common use of pathos would be to draw pity from an audience. Another use of pathos would be to inspire anger from an audience; perhaps in order to prompt action. Pathos is the Greek word for both “suffering” and “experience.” The words empathy and pathetic are derived from pathos. Pathos can be developed by using meaningful language, emotional tone, emotion evoking examples, stories of emotional events, and implied meanings. Logos or the appeal to logic, means to convince an audience by use of logic or reason. To use logos would be to cite facts and statistics, historical and literal analogies, and citing certain authorities on a subject. Logos is the Greek word for “word,” however the true definition goes beyond that, and can be most closely described as “the word or that by which the inward thought is expressed, Lat. oratio; and, the inward thought itself, Lat. Ratio. The word “logic” is derived from logos. Logos can be developed by using advanced, theoretical or abstract language, citing facts (very important), using historical and literal analogies, and by constructing logical arguments. In order to persuade your audience, proper use of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos is necessary. REFERENCE Tools of Persuasion ® THE LANGUAGE ARTS MAGAZINE Ethos, Pathos, Logos: What to Know Ethos, pathos, and logos are different methods for persuading an audience—approaches to convincing people to adopt a certain point of view or take a particular action. Ethos, pathos, and logos are called appeals. They are used in speeches, writing, and advertising. tries to convince you through the trustworthiness and believability of the author. It is an Ethos appeal to ethics. Writers and speakers who use ethos . ✔ introduce their expertise. ✔ are fair and unbiased. ✔ use reliable sources. ✔ seem like authorities and come across as people worth listening to. tries to persuade you by creating an emotional connection between you and the topic. It Pathos is an appeal to your emotions. Writers and speakers who use pathos . ✔ use powerful language to evoke sympathy. ✔ send a message that touches your values or beliefs. ✔ include compelling stories, examples, or visuals that evoke the feelings they want you to feel. tries to persuade you by using evidence such as facts and figures. It is an appeal to logic Logos and reason. Writers and speakers who use logos . ✔ rely on facts and information rather than personal opinions. ✔ use data and statistics properly. ✔ construct well-reasoned arguments that make sense. ✔ present relevant claims and evidence . ©2019 BY SCHOLASTIC INC. PERMISSION GRANTED TO TEACHERS AND SUBSCRIBERS TO PROJECT OR MAKE COPIES OF THIS PAGE TO DISTRIBUTE TO STUDENTS. Persuasive Language introduction to ethos, pathos & logos ARISTOTLE was a Greek philosopher who lived in the 4th century BCE. He was an influential thinker and wrote on many subjects – from logic and ethics, to biology and metaphysics. One area, in which Aristotle was particularly interested, was rhetoric. That is, the art of persuasive speaking or writing. He even wrote a whole book entitled ‘On Rhetoric’ in which he explains his theories of persuasive language and speech. Most significantly, in this work he expounds on the concepts of ethos, logos and pathos, as tools for persuasive language. A lot can be learned about the art of persuasion from these three concepts, and once understood, they can be easily applied to our own persuasive speaking and writing. ethos Ethos is a Greek word meaning ‘character’. In terms of persuasive language, it is an appeal to authority and credibility. Ethos is a means of convincing an audience of the reliable character or credibility of the speaker/writer, or the credibility of the argument. It is an important tool of persuasion because if you can get your audience to see you (or your argument) as credible and trustworthy, it will be much easier to persuade them. pathos Pathos is a Greek word meaning ‘suffering’ or ‘experience’, and it is used in persuasive speech as an appeal to the emotions of the audience. Pathos is the way of creating a persuasive argument by evoking an emotional response in the audience/reader. You can use pathos when trying to persuade, by appealing to an audience’s hopes and dreams, playing on their fears or worries, or appealing to their particular beliefs or ideals. logos Logos is a Greek word meaning ‘a word’ or ‘reason’. In rhetoric, it is an appeal to logic and reason. It is used to persuade an audience by logical thought, fact and rationality. Logos can be a useful tool of persuasion because if you can ‘prove’ an argument through logical and sound reasoning, your audience is more likely to 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. © Stacey Lloyd 2014 PERSUASIVE LANGUAGE For each of the following extracts from advertisements, identify how ethos, in advertising pathos or logos is being used. _________________________________________________________________ 1 _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ 2 MACARONNI CHEESE _________________________________________________________________ Just the way mom makes it _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ 3 _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ 4 _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ 5 _________________________________________________________________
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