...When a toothpaste commercial comes on the TV and a man dressed in a lab coat says that 9 out of 10 dentists recommend that toothpaste, is he believable? Commercials like this use appeals to persuade the audience by partaking in the use of rhetoric. These techniques are a part of rhetoric which can be defined as, “the art that humans use to process all the messages they send and receive” (Roskelly and Jolliffe 2). When looking deeper, three primary appeals of rhetoric can be found in a piece of literature, ethos, pathos, and logos. In the commercial example used above, the dentist utilizes the ethical appeal, ethos. Ethos offers evidence to prove that the presenter is credible. Ethos offers evidence to prove that he or she knows important and relevant information about the topic at hand (Roskelly and Jolliffe 11). Ethos offers evidence to prove that the presenter is well-educated, experienced, and trustworthy (Roskelly and Jolliffe 34)....
Words: 758 - Pages: 4
...A General Summary of Aristotle's Appeals . . . The goal of argumentative writing is to persuade your audience that your ideas are valid, or more valid than someone else's. The Greek philosopher Aristotle divided the means of persuasion, appeals, into three categories--Ethos, Pathos, Logos. Ethos (Credibility), or ethical appeal, means convincing by the character of the author. We tend to believe people whom we respect. One of the central problems of argumentation is to project an impression to the reader that you are someone worth listening to, in other words making yourself as author into an authority on the subject of the paper, as well as someone who is likable and worthy of respect. Pathos (Emotional) means persuading by appealing to the reader's emotions. We can look at texts ranging from classic essays to contemporary advertisements to see how pathos, emotional appeals, are used to persuade. Language choice affects the audience's emotional response, and emotional appeal can effectively be used to enhance an argument. Logos (Logical) means persuading by the use of reasoning. This will be the most important technique we will study, and Aristotle's favorite. We'll look at deductive and inductive reasoning, and discuss what makes an effective, persuasive reason to back up your claims. Giving reasons is the heart of argumentation, and cannot be emphasized enough. We'll study the types of support you can use to substantiate your thesis, and look at some of the common logical...
Words: 565 - Pages: 3
...Advertisements are meant to convince the viewer of an idea that they are trying to portray. They do this by using ethos, pathos, and logos. Ethos is an appeal to ethics, and it is a means of convincing someone of the character or credibility of the persuader. Pathos is an appeal to emotion and is a way of convincing an audience of an argument by creating an emotional response. Logos is an appeal to logic and is a way of persuading an audience by reason. These techniques are used to convince the viewer of what the author is trying to convince them of. The goal of the advertiser is to persuade the reader or viewer into participating in their cause like the World Food Programme. These programs will try to persuade and do the best they can to...
Words: 976 - Pages: 4
...donated by Dr. John and Carol Heit, fellow Aggies from the class of ’43. The Aggie Code of Honor statue seizes the attention of every Aggie that walks by it and with the use of pathos, ethos, and logos this statue is able to connect with the emotions of every single Aggie and convey Texas A&M’s six core values. The statue with the help of pathos and the purge of emotions suggests that the Aggie Ring is only attainable if you follow the path of the...
Words: 850 - Pages: 4
...and anaphora, are used to shape and build his argument, as well as an abundance of ethical, logical, and emotional appeals. The use of rhetorical devices is a key factor that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. used to help develop his letter. King is able to use rhetorical questions,...
Words: 849 - Pages: 4
...Thesis: Christopher F. Chabris and Daniel J. Simons have a large ethical appeal in their article “Why Our Memory Fails Us;” their use of ethos helps build their case on how memory fails us by providing numerous examples and quotes from credible sources. In journalism, the impact of ethos is valuable for writer’s because it establishes their credibility, which helps gain the trust of the reader. Christopher F. Chabris and Daniel J. Simons have a large ethical appeal in their article “Why Our Memory Fails Us;” their use of ethos helps build their case on how memory fails us by providing numerous examples and quotes from credible sources. This article is then backed up by the reader’s comments, that although may not use ethos, do use pathos and...
Words: 468 - Pages: 2
...pertaining to ADHD, such as the signs and symptoms, the different types of ADHD, and some of the causes of ADHD just to name a few. The CDC website can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/facts.html and the layout is well structured, with all the quick links easily assessable. Before going straight into the rhetorical tools, one must know what they are. Ethos is the ethical appeal, pathos the emotional appeal and logos is the logical appeal. Using these rhetorical tools, the CDC developed an effective website, by giving their audience the factual information on ADHD. The ethical appeal, ethos, the CDC uses would be most present within the signs and symptoms, causes and treatments section of the article. The author is persuading the audience by showing us that they are credible and that they actually are knowledgeable on this topic of ADHD. For example, under the signs and symptoms section, the author gives a brief but detailed list on what concerned parents should look out for. COME BACK TO THIS PARAGRAPH Once the author feels like they have captured the audience’s attention, they move on to their emotional appeal, pathos. Which is most visible under the...
Words: 420 - Pages: 2
...Human history has always been tainted with crime and wrongdoing. Thus being said, the severity of crime has varied and likewise, the punishments for crime have varied. In the case of murder, there has always been the question of the morality of capital punishment and whether or not the criminals who committed the murder have been sound of mind. In his novel In Cold Blood, Truman Capote uses diction, imagery, and tone to convey his central message that criminals such as Dick and Perry belong in a mental hospital, not on the Death Row. Truman Capote utilizes diction to persuade his audience to share the same view that he has on capital punishment. Capote’s target audience, particularly during the trial, is those who work in the judicial system...
Words: 368 - Pages: 2
...More Doctors Smoke Camels Than Any Other Cigarette! An Unbelievable Slogan! For many centuries tobacco mass-produced cigarette has been identified with the New World of the United States as the virtual international symbol of American modernity. However, the last half of the twentieth century saw the U.S. tobacco industry come under pressure from the demonstrated health hazards of smoking and the subsequent steady decline in smoking in the United States. In response, the industry aggressively pursued expanding their markets, and initiated major new advertising campaign targeted to appease the rising public anxiety about the health risks of cigarette smoking. One of the most used strategies in the early 1950s, is to use the doctor’s image to assure the consumer that their respective brands were safe. For the purpose of a rhetoric analysis I picked an ad about “Camels cigarette “made by The RJ REYNOLDS Tobacco Company. In 1946 this company launched a campaign with a slogan, “More doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette“. The ad I picked has this slogan centered in bold capital letters, on top of it a big picture of a middle-aged doctor in bed wearing his pajamas. He appears to be waking up in the middle of the night to answer an emergency phone call .On top of the night stand next to him is his doctor’s black bag showing that he was ready for any emergency .Above that picture to the right an expression of the doctor in bold saying: I’ll be right over “and to the right...
Words: 1585 - Pages: 7
...I made a commercial about the weight loss product “Weight Watchers.” I used all three appeals, ethos, logos, and pathos. The appeal that I really wanted to stand out was ethos. Ethos involves celebrity endorsements to convince the target audience that "so and so uses this product so it must be good!" by appealing to familiarity. Ethos is the appeal to emotions and feelings. When Michael Jordan became the spokesperson for Nike, it was an ethical appeal because it implied that if a person wore that sneaker, they could be as good an athlete as Michael Jordan. When I but the celebrities in mine it makes you think “If I try weight watchers I could be as pretty and look as good as them.” In todays media Pathos is the most commonly used appeal. Normally having little, to no relevance to the topic or item trying to be sold, Pathos stimulates the brain to feel good or excited or pumped up. This is normally done by showing pictures or videos of stimuli, things such as fast cars or skinner people. I used this right in the beginning of advertisement. I first showed a bigger person and said “Do you look like this?” then a skinner person that said “But want to look like this?” This really makes people think that they need to be skinner and want to see more about what the product is. For logos I used the Josh Peck picture at the end to show this. At first he was bigger and was alone, but once he used weight watchers then he was attracting the opposite sex. I also used the Josh Peck to...
Words: 522 - Pages: 3
...Forgotten Amanda Collier ENG/215 September 3, 2012 Bruce Massis In this writing the classical principles of argumentation – Ethos, Pathos, and Logos will be observed as it is used in “Reminders of Poverty, Soon Forgotten by Alexander Keyssar.” These arguments are used to persuade the reader to think that the writer’s ideas are the best ideas. Before going into whether or not Keyssar used these principles in his writing, it is important to understand what each of the three principles mean. In the principle of Ethos, or ethical appeal, it is used to persuade the audience or reader of the authors creditability. The Merriam-Webster dictionary describes Ethos as “the distinguishing character, sentiment, moral nature, or guiding beliefs of a person, group, or institution”. Ethos is using language that appeals to the topic and to the readers by using the correct vocabulary. This makes the author more crediable and evenhanded so that the readers believe the writers point of view. Pathos principle, emotion, is used to win over a reader by using their emotional convictions. Merriam-Webster describes this one as using pity or compassion. The author tries to persuade the reader emotionally to feel the same way they do and to identify with the author’s opinion. The principle of Logos is logical; this appeals the reader’s logic and reasoning. The author uses ways to make the reader think of the explanation and agree because of the reader understanding...
Words: 794 - Pages: 4
...Malcolm Gladwell, in his captivating New Yorker article “None of the above: What IQ doesn’t Tell You about Race” analyzes a book written by James Flynn, a famous psychologist who posits that “IQ is as much a barometer of society and education as it is a measure of intelligence.” In the article, Gladwell aims at showing his readers the meaning of IQ and its relationship to race, class, and culture. Gladwell achieves this goal by constructing a trustworthy ethos and by incorporating rhetorical devices, which make the essay more effective at convincing its audience. Gladwell’s appeal to extrinsic and intrinsic ethos is very strong as he successfully establishes himself as a credible and reliable writer....
Words: 521 - Pages: 3
...Shakespeare uses Aristotle's three appeals; ethos, pathos, and logos, to help the audience with the literature. Etho or ethical appeal gives the audience a sense of credibility and lets them know. Ethos is a way to convince the audience that whomever is talking is worth listening to. Pathos is the way the author/character appeals emotionally to the audience. By showing and relating to emotion the audience is easier persuaded. Logos is a logic appeal which convinces the audience through logic or reasonable facts. Caesar’s funeral scene when Brutus and Antony give a speech give plenty of appeal to the audience. When Brutus starts his speech he tells the listeners, “believe me for mine honor, and have respect to mine honor, that you may believe…” By using the word ‘believe’ Brutus is giving credit to himself, which is ethos. In other words he is telling the audience, “I am a believable man, so trust what I am saying.” By using starting the speech like this is makes the audience listen right of the bat. Another time when Brutus uses the emotional appeal is when he is speaking of Caesar. Brutus’ main point is that he loved Caesar but he loves Rome more. He goes on to explain, “as he was fortunate, I rejoice at it; as he was valiant, I honor him.” This quote is showing both...
Words: 934 - Pages: 4
...Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh—has written this among many other articles posted in the NY Daily News and others. Presenting her thesis early in her article, Weiss creates a foundation for the six arguments she establishes in defense for her claim that colleges lied to her; however, due to her lack of specific examples, statistics, and false claims, she fails to support her argument sufficiently. In her article, Weiss strengthens her ethos and logos drawing in on her very own feelings and thoughts for the varied audience of wsj.com. With her supporting evidence, she entreats the viewers to realize the devastation caused by Ivy League colleges telling applicants to “Just be yourself”. She goes on to claim this is excellent advice only if that the applicant withholds an extensive list of accomplishments that are used to determine one’s acceptance and if not, there is no need to even bother applying. Although Weiss reinforces her use of logos and ethos through her dedication of upholding the truth about college admissions, her appeals disintegrates throughout starting right after the thesis with...
Words: 1247 - Pages: 5
...persuasion are ethos, meaning disposition or character; pathos, which emotion or passion; and logos, meaning argument or discourse. Ethos has to do with who you are, how you present yourself, the way in which you speak and your individual character or integrity. He said that “We believe good men more fully and more readily than others.” An example of this appeal is a speaker who says “I’ve served in the Senate for 24 years…,” an appeal from the speaker’s experience. Pathos involves stirring up people’s emotions and includes appeals to people’s pity, anger, fear, hope, and the like. An example of an emotional appeal is the anti-gun advocate who says, “We must outlaw guns if our children are to be kept safe,” an appeal to the listener’s fears and values. Finally, logos is argumentation and includes arguments, data, statistics, and all types of reasoning. An example of a logical appeal is the statement “Research data demonstrates that commuters have a much higher stress factor than those who work at home,” an appeal to statistics. In considering which of the three is the most powerful, we should be aware that Aristotle didn’t think much of the emotional appeal. He wrote, “The arousing of prejudice, pity, anger, and similar emotions has nothing to do with the essential facts, but is merely a personal appeal to the man who is judging the case.” At the same time he did not give much credence to the ethical appeal. His preference was that the logical appeal was the most...
Words: 565 - Pages: 3
