1. How to navigate the world of argument & persuasion.
Ethos, Pathos, Logos...
How to navigate the world of argument & persuasion.
English 111
Sept. 25, 2014

2. Logos... An Appeal to logic
See MHG pp
Logos: Convincing an audience that a viewpoint, idea, or claim is true, valid, or believable by applying…
logical organizational patterns, making a text clearer or helping to deliver a stronger conclusion or point (including transitions)
uses of language based on their meanings (definitions, metaphors, even puns!)
See also MHG p
Arguments: using evidence—such as logical reasoning, information from secondary sources, or testimony of personal experience—to deliver a logical conclusion or point or prove the truthfulness of one’s claims.

3. Logos... Appealing to Evidence
Logical Organizational Patterns
Logic of Transitions
Words, phrases, sentences, or whole paragraphs that suggest movement from one idea (or kind of idea) to another one. See MHG pp
Argument Arrangements
See, for instance, MHG chapters, where they discuss organization of essays.
MHG Chpt. 5, on Narrative, might be particularly helpful for analyzing the rhetorical effectiveness of the organization of your CORE READING

4. Logos... Appealing to Reason
Word Choice & Word Play
Defining key terminology
Metaphors & analogies
Denotation vs. Connotation
Examples: The denotation of the compared phrases below are the same. But the connotations are different. Think about what each phrase implies about the people they refer to, including whether these connotations are positive or negative.
“Undocumented Immigrant” vs. “Illegal Alien”
“Child w/ Down Syndrome” vs. “Down Syndrome Child”
Denotation: The accepted, official or dictionary definition of a word.
Connotation: The various implied meanings of a word, often with especially positive or negative implications

5. Ethos... An Appeal to Character
See also MHG p. 450
Ethos: Persuading an audience by demonstrating the author’s personal character – trustworthiness, honesty, morality, likeability, fairness, etc., through choices about tone, language, and content.
Situated Character - Reputation, or what the audience may already think of the author according to his or her current status. Although this helps persuade an audience, an author cannot significantly affect her situated character in her or his writing.
Invented Character - Persona, or the image an author creates of himself or herself, through the tone, language, content, etc.; what the author reveals about herself or himself in her or his writing as well as the stance she or he takes.

6. Ethos... An Appeal to Character
Ethos is used in compositions in a number of ways, including…
Use of effective sources (cited and attributed)
Written demonstrations of the writer’s knowledge, good will, sense of humor, and other positive personality traits
Written demonstrations the writer’s personal experience, education, and training regarding the subject.
Apt language choices that shows a writer knows the subject matter really well.
What other strategies can you think of that enhances ethos?

7. Pathos... An Appeal to Emotion
See also MHG pp. 450
Pathos: Persuading an audience by stimulating interest, concern, or specific emotions toward your ideas through tone, language, or content. You might…
cause the audience to feel pity, disgust, anger, sympathy, enjoyment or some other emotion regarding the subject matter.
carry them away by expressing the conviction or emotions you hold about the topic
lead them to feel that they are personally responsible for or affected by the topic, issue, or problem—that they’re the ones who need to deal with it.
get them thinking about their personal interests, values, beliefs, or what they stand to gain or lose.

8. Pathos... An Appeal to Emotion
Pathos is used in compositions in a number of ways, including…
Emotionally engaging narrative or description.
Written demonstrations that connect readers, their values, and their personal interests to the subject matter or writer’s viewpoint.
Written demonstrations that show readers the gains/benefits/harms/dangers associated with subject.
Apt language choices intended to affect the mood or tone of the composition as well as the mood of the audience toward the subject.
What other strategies can you think of that enhances pathos?