The art of writing and speaking effectively and persuasively The Art of rhetoric The art of writing and speaking effectively and persuasively

According to Aristotle… There are three main forms of rhetoric: Ethos: The persuasive appeal of one's character. Logos: The appeal to reason or logic. Pathos: The appeal to emotion. In order to be a more effective writer, you must understand these three terms. For the purposes of this PowerPoint, I will primarily use advertisements to demonstrate these appeals.

Ethos Ethos is appeal based on the character of the speaker. An ethos-driven document relies on the authority or reputation of the author or speaker.

More Ethos- Based Ads

logos Logos is appeal based on logic or reason. Corporate documents and advertisements are often logos- driven.

Logos-based ads often have a lot of text, like these advertisements for Crest and a pharmaceutical company.

Pathos Pathos is appeal based on emotion. Many advertisements are pathos-driven, including those for fashion (desire to fit in), for toothpaste (fear of stained teeth), and for beauty products (feel better about yourself), to name a few. Oftentimes pathos-driven ads simply invoke an “awwww” feeling.

Pathos can play on our fears Pathos can play on our desire to look a certain way or to fit in.

Since pathos-driven advertisements appeal so strongly to our emotions, it is imperative that we use our reasoning (and research) skills. For example, the above organization was given an “F” rating by at least two large “charity watch” organizations. Note: this does NOT mean it is not a valid charity; it means as a consumer I would look into these concerns further before contributing to the charity.

Some advertisements appeal to our pathos (emotions) and logos (reasoning)

Homework Find 2-3 advertisements in a magazine or a newspaper that demonstrate ethos, pathos, and/or logos. Cut out the advertisements and paste them to a piece of paper. Write a brief explanation where you indicate the type of rhetorical device used, whether it is ethos, pathos, logos, or some combination, and give evidence (How do you know that the ad is using that device?)