Rhetorical Appeals Courtesy of Aristotle

What are the Rhetorical Appeals? ETHOS: appeal to character PATHOS: appeal to emotion LOGOS: appeal to reason

ETHOS Effective persuasion depends on the rhetor’s ability to establish credibility & gain the audience’s confidence.

But ETHOS is more than just being (or seeming!) authoritative…

ETHOS is about trust. Trust is about connection. The rhetor must make a connection with the audience. Remember: in the rhetorical situation, the rhetor, audience, and message are bound together. ETHOS is about trust. Trust is about connection.

Rhetors must show they understand their audience’s perspective. They observe the audience and situation. Rhetoric is the art of observing in a given situation the available means of persuasion… They adapt to the audience and situation. They identify similarities with the audience.

In Greek, ETHOS has two meanings. CHARACTER: who you are HABIT: what you do Actions speak louder than words. In Greek, ETHOS has two meanings.

Establishing Character: Good Will Showing respect for others’ values (even if they differ from the rhetor’s). Valuing the welfare of others. Treating the audience as equals. Demonstrating open-mindedness. Using humor (when appropriate). Note: sarcasm is a tricky kind of humor for a rhetor. Why?

Establishing Character: Credibility Showing good judgement. Displaying knowledge of the subject. Or showing significant expertise or being an authority on a subject. Citing others who are authorities. Using a “genuine” voice (being themselves).

Establishing Character: Actions Reminding the audience of their accomplishments. Pointing to their history of truthfulness. Informing the audience of their education and experience. Showing the audience that they live/work “just like you!”

What are some ways that a rhetor could jeopardize their ETHOS?

Logos is any appeals to logic or reason.

But LOGOS is more than just data or equations…

LOGOS is about a desire for proof. The rhetor must convince the audience that their message is rational. There are many ways a rhetor can provide “proof.” Remember: Proof is not necessarily the truth. Or rather, there can be more than one truth. LOGOS is about a desire for proof.

There are two basic kinds of LOGOS. An appeal to our desire for “hard evidence.” An appeal to general reason. There are two basic kinds of LOGOS.

Presenting “Hard Evidence” Statistics Law Science

Using Reason Analogies or metaphors. Comparing or contrasting. Examples (real or hypothetical). Precedents.

Inductive and Deductive Reasoning Inductive Reasoning Moves from generalized principles that are known to be true to a specific conclusion. Moves from specific instances to a generalized conclusion.

A gentleman does some explaining… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mw8enYCKDaU (apologies for the ugly link)

PATHOS Pathos is the emotional state of the audience brought on by the rhetor.

PATHOS is about the audience’s state of mind. The audience enters the rhetorical situation in a particular state of mind about the situation. The rhetor’s job is to align the audience’s state of mind with the argument they’re making. PATHOS is about the audience’s state of mind.

PATHOS appeals to… Shared Values Emotion The rhetor considers values that they believe the audience holds and then emphasizes those values. The rhetor draws on emotion that they believe will make the audience open to their argument.

Remember that PATHOS can refer to many different states of mind, not just the obvious.

Strategies for appealing to PATHOS: Using description. Telling stories. Using emotion-laden language. Repeating words or phrases. Rhythmic syntax. Using examples.

What are some ways that appeals to emotion/values might fall flat?

It is important to remember: Most appeals work best when they are combined and most often ETHOS/LOGOS/PATHOS overlap. The rhetorical appeals aren’t an easy formula.

Now try it out! How does the commercial establish ETHOS? In what ways does the commercial appeal to logic and reasoning? Describe the strategies the rhetor uses to align the audience’s emotions and values with the argument they’re making. Strengths? Weaknesses?