Ethos, Pathos and Logos

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Ethos, Pathos and Logos

• Notes 2

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What is rhetoric?

• Rhetoric is the art of persuasion.
• The goal of persuasion is to change others point
  of view or to move others to take action.

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There are several ways to appeal to an audience. 
Among them are appeals to ethos, pathos and
logos. 
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ETHOS

• Ethos is a persons credibility with a given
  audience. It can mean sincerity, authority,
  expertise, faithfulness, or any adjective that
  describes someone you can trust to do the right
  thing.

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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.
• 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.

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Example

• George Foreman and his Grilling Machine
• Boxer
• Fitness
• Preacher, too!

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PATHOS

• Pathos appeals rely on emotions and feelings to
  persuade the audience
• They are often direct, simple, and very powerful

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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-
  emotions love, fear, patriotism, guilt, hate,
  joy etc.
•  

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•    
• 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.
• Pathos Commercial

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• America's older citizens have rightly been
  called the "greatest generation." It is morally
  unacceptable that the people that built this
  country -- our senior citizens -- should suffer
  hunger in a land of plenty, which they helped to
  create.
• -from Americas Second Harvest program

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LOGOS

• Logos appeals rely on the audiences intelligence
  to persuade them.
• Education causes audiences to be more skeptical
  of emotional arguments and more receptive to
  logos

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Logos

• The Greek word logos is the basis for the English
  word logic.   
• 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 there will be logical chains of reasoning
  supporting all claims.
• Logos Commercial

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• ASSIGNMENT 2
• Annotate the text as you read.
• Write comments, questions etc.
• --------------------------------------------------
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• Assignment to practice noticing persuasion
• Read I Want a Wife Judy Brady
• Find, copy (exact quote) and label an example of
  logos, pathos and ethos in the text. (3 QUOTES)
• Explain for logos- whether the quote uses
  examples, anecdotes (stories), cause effect
  and/ or problems solutions
• Explain for ethos Why is this writer
  credible?
• Explain for pathos- What emotion is targeted ?
• 3. Write down the persuasive strategy the text
  uses the most (logos, pathos or ethos) and
  explain why you think this author choose that
  appeal.