Rhetorical Appeals in your Huck Finn essay Logos, Ethos, and Pathos
Definitions and Uses: Logos – Logic and Reason (e.g., if then statements) Pathos – Emotional Appeal (e.g., Starving kids commercial) Ethos – Credibility of author/speaker (e.g., Proactive infomercial with eye-witness accounts)
Now You Try! 1) A student comes crying to her teacher because she needs her grade changed. 2) A lawyer mentions his credentials during a closing argument. 3) A child lists different reasons why his curfew should be changed from 10:00 to 12:00.
What credentials or specialized knowledge do you bring to this topic? Appealing to ethos: What credentials or specialized knowledge do you bring to this topic?
Appealing to pathos: How can you arouse respect or admiration for the two motifs you’ve chosen? What do they add to the text?
Appealing to logos: How can you make your two motifs seem like reasonable choices to have on the bookmark?
The Bottom Line: You need to include at least one rhetorical appeal in your essay, but using more appeals would strengthen the persuasiveness of your writing.