Understanding Ethos, Pathos, Logos - The Rhetorical Appeals

Argumentative essay writing is mainly assigned to the student of every academic level. Here, the rhetorical analysis essay reflects the writer’s skills to form an opinion. It will also help to know how well the audience understands it.

The central element of making the argumentative paper successful is the persuasion of the readers. The purpose of writing an essay is served if you persuade the audience to your viewpoint.

The writer needs to convince an audience to use different strategies. These strategies may include three major rhetorical appeals: ethos, pathos, and logos. Read on this blog to understand the structure and correct usage of these appeals.

Ethos, Pathos, and Logos Definition

It is quite challenging to persuade the target audience towards your point of view. It is because persuading them may require the writer to use different persuasive appeals. All persuasive and argumentative writings, including rhetorical analysis, advertising, and speech writing, require convincing the audience using various strategies.

Aristotle mainly came up with these modes of persuasion, including three major techniques. These are ethos, pathos, and logos. Let us have a look at the definition of each of these logical appeals.

• Ethos

  The ethos appeal is also known as an appeal to ethics. It is an important mode of persuasion that a writer uses to convince the audience. It uses authority, credibility, and the character of the speaker to make people believe in the specific idea or theme.

  Here, the writer mainly uses a character’s strength to present his idea and make people understand and believe it. This kind of rhetorical appeal is very helpful while writing any type of persuasive or argumentative content.

  Throughout history, many writers from every field have been using this approach to persuade the readers. It can be seen from Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ to John Steinbeck’s ‘East of Eden.

• Pathos

  The pathos appeal aims to trigger the audience’s emotional response. The writers believe the best way to persuade people from their writing is through their emotions. People will naturally listen and read anything that can be emotionally charged.

  It requires the writer to form an argument and defends it by using interesting experiences and stories. William Shakespeare uses this technique in some of his writing pieces. The famous examples are Romeo and Juliet, Pride and Prejudice, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

• Logos

  Logos is a Greek word that means ‘plan’ or ‘reason.’ The logos appeal contains the logic to convince the audience through facts and other reliable data. It requires the writer to form a standpoint and prove it using a logical fallacy, facts, and reasoning.

  While using this approach in essays and papers, strong supporting evidence will be required. The literary work that used this appeal are:

  • 1984 by George Orwell
  • The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare

Usage of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos

Using rhetorical appeals can be difficult in essay writing, but everything can be learned through practice. If you are assigned to write an argumentative essay, always use ethos and pathos to get an emotional response. However, you can use logos to present your point of view logically.

Keep in mind, choosing the right strategy depends on the theme of the assignment. It is because not every topic allows the writer to engage the audience emotionally. Instead, some subjects only require to be discussed factually and logically.

It is important to understand and learn the usage of these rhetorical approaches. Below are examples to examine how writers used them to prove their perspectives.

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Usage of Ethos

Here are some examples of the usage of ethos in the content for you to get an idea. It can be shown in your writing or speech to demonstrate your expertise.

• "As a doctor, I am qualified to tell you that this course of treatment will likely generate the best results."
• "If my age doesn't convince you that I know what I'm talking about. At least consider that I am your grandfather, and I only want the best for you."
• "If you're still unsure, please consider that my advanced degree and fieldwork speak for themselves."

Usage of Pathos

Refer to the following examples to understand the concept of using pathos. It can be seen in a language that usually explains the feelings of pity and anger in the audience.

"There's no price that can be placed on peace of mind. Our advanced security systems will protect the well-being of your family so that you can sleep soundly at night."

"I'm not just invested in this community - I love every building, every business, every hard-working member of this town."

"If we don't move soon, we're all going to die! Can't you see how dangerous it would be to stay?"

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Usage of Logos

Check out the following examples of logos to understand this logical appeal. It provides reasoning with the audience in the form of facts or statistics.

"It's a matter of common sense that people deserve to be treated equally. The Constitution calls it 'self-evident.' Why, then, should I have been denied a seat because of my disability?"

"History has shown time and again that absolute power corrupts absolutely."

"You won't find any deer along this road. In 25 years of driving the same route, I haven't seen a single one."

Examples of Ethos, Logos, and Pathos

The following are some ethos, logos, and pathos examples to help you make your content convincing.

Using the strategies of logos, pathos, and ethos is essential to strengthening the writer’s viewpoint. Without using these appeals, the audience will not understand the writer’s frame of mind.

However, if you are still unsure about choosing the correct appeal, we can help. Hire the professionals at CollegeEssay.org to get the most reliable writing help online to get your college essay done.

They will help you understand the structure of these rhetorical appeals and their correct usage. Just provide them with the specifications and leave the rest to the experts.

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