Interpreting Ethos, Logos, and Pathos

What's in an Ad?

You may not know it, but advertisements use particular techniques to target their consumers: you! That's right: psychologists, authors, politicians, and even people around you use persuasive techniques. If you have ever heard a compelling speech, argument, or poem, then you have experienced the power of rhetorical devices. 😵

Photo courtesy of Penn State

A rhetorical device is a tool used by writers to make or support an argument. People use rhetoric in multiple settings, not just debate. We see rhetoric in magazines, newspapers, and advertisements! 🗣️

Why does all of this matter? By learning about rhetorical devices, you get to improve your argumentative skills and strengthen your writing. We can split rhetorical devices into three broad categories: Ethos, Logos, and Pathos. Identifying each rhetorical device is essential when trying to support or refute an argument. ✏️

Ethos

Ethos is a rhetorical device that appeals to the audience’s or listener’s ethics or ethical responsibilities. Classical authors during the Renaissance used ethos to describe moral character, a natural disposition, or philosophy. 😃

Can you think of a time when your morality or ethics prompted or persuaded you to take a certain action? If so, then you have experienced ethos. This is an effective rhetorical effect because most people abide by their conscience to help the greater good. 👍

Examples:

• An environmental agency sends you an email to contribute to their cause. You open the email and see how human activity has affected the animal habitat. This appeals to your ethics because you know that deforestation is wrong. 🌲

• A politician refers to the fact that his opponent has supported legislation that has caused cut educational funding in minority areas. In this case, the politician uses ethos to appeal to the audience’s ethical responsibility to vote for someone who can help the children. 🧒

Logos

Logos is a rhetorical device that appeals to the audience’s logic and critical thinking. By using logos, a writer or speaker provides logical proof or appeal to strengthen their argument. An excellent example of this is the use of statistics and facts to enhance a view. For instance, if your mother tells you that she saw a bear, you may not believe her. However, if she shows you a picture of the bear, she now has logical proof to support the argument. 🐻

Examples:

• Your teacher explains that you need to study more since you received an F on your last exam. Therefore, your teacher supports the argument that you need to study more by using your past grade as proof. 🧑‍🏫

• A competitor in a debate tournament supports the argument that the Dominican Republic is the best country in the world. They support this argument by providing a statistic that shows that the citizens of the Dominican Republic are statistically happier than any other country in the world. 🧮

Pathos

Pathos is a rhetorical device that uses emotions to persuade a listener to see their point of view. Pathos is the root word of "pathetic." Pathos uses music, images, speech, and writing to evoke a particular emotion. The emotions that pathos vary depending on the objective of the persuader. For example, if a dog shelter wants to elicit sympathy from their viewers, they might add melancholic music and sad images. 🐕😢

Examples:

• A politician persuades an audience to re-elect him by saying that he is a hard-working, family-oriented, and kind man. 🙏

• A good friend encourages you to quit your job by recalling all the times that your boss has been verbally abusive and disrespectful towards you. 😠

• A friend persuades you to give them money by telling you about their financial struggles. 💰

Practice Examples of Rhetorical Devices

Practice is key to mastering any skill! Read each example carefully below. After analyzing each scenario, choose the applicable rhetorical device. Then, look at the correct answer and see if you were right. 🔑

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1. “This company has produced over $5 billion in sales in the last ten years. You should invest your stocks in this profitable company, and the company's projected to only increase in sales.”

1. Logos

2. Ethos

3. Pathos

2. “You should never buy clothes from companies that do not fairly pay their workers. Many workers in foreign countries do not make enough money to feed their families despite working for more than 12 hours a day.”

1. Pathos

2. Ethos

3. Logos

3. “My cat recently died and I have no motivation to do my homework. I cry myself to sleep each night. Would you mind doing my math homework for me?”

1. Ethos

2. Logos

3. Pathos

4. “You are six times more likely to crash your car by talking on the phone. Hang up or pull over!”

1. Pathos

2. Logos

3. Ethos

5. “Please donate to our cause to save animals from the pound. Five thousand animals are put down yearly. Please help us to save their poor, innocent lives.”

1. Pathos

2. Logos

3. Ethos

Answer Key: 1. A, 2. B, 3. C, 4. B, 5. A 😌

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