The Art of Argumentation and Advertisement

Ethos, Logos, and Pathos

Is it persuasive?

• There are several ways to appeal to an audience. Among the ways to appeal to an audience are appealing to logos, ethos, and pathos.

• These appeals are prevalent in almost all arguments and advertisements.

Rhetoric

• The art of influencing the thought and conduct of an audience. (How they think and what they do or how they act.)

• The ability to use language effectively.

The Rhetorical Triangle• Aristotle: Greek philosopher (384 BC – 322 BC)

• Believed that a speaker's ability to persuade is based on how well the speaker appeals to his or her audience in three different areas: ethos (ethical appeals), pathos (emotional appeals), and logos (logical appeals).

• These areas form something that later rhetoricians have called The Rhetorical Triangle.

The Rhetorical Triangle

Logos• Logos: an appeal to logic or reason.NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH BRAND SPECIFIC

IMAGES OR INSIGNIA REFERRED TO AS A LOGO.

• An advertisement using logos will give you the evidence and statistics you need to fully understand what the product does.

• The logos of an advertisement will be the "straight facts" about the product

Logos

Example: One glass of Florida orange juice contains 75% of your daily Vitamin C needs.

Facts, numbers, and information can be very convincing.

Copyright 2006 IRA/NCTE. All rights reserved. ReadWriteThink.org materials may be reproduced for educational purposes.Images ©2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

The Effect of Logos

• Evokes a cognitive, rationale response

Pathos

• Pathos: an appeal to emotion.An advertisement using pathos will attempt

to evoke an emotional response in the consumer.

PathosSometimes, it is a positive emotion such as

happiness: an image of people enjoying themselves while drinking Pepsi.

Other times, advertisers will use negative emotions such as pain: a person having back problems after buying the “wrong” mattress.

Pathos can also include emotions such as fear and guilt: images of a starving child persuade you to send money.

Pathos

Example: Your donation might just get this puppy off the street and into a good home.

Getting people to feel happy, sad, or angry can help your argument.

Copyright 2006 IRA/NCTE. All rights reserved. ReadWriteThink.org materials may be reproduced for educational purposes.Images ©2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

The Effect of Pathos

• Evokes an emotional response

Ethos

• Ethos: an appeal to credibility or character.

• An advertisement using ethos will try to convince you that the company is more reliable, honest, and credible; therefore, you should buy its product.

Ethos

• Ethos often involves statistics from reliable experts, such as nine out of ten dentists agree that Crest is the better than any other brand or Americas dieters choose Lean Cuisine.

• Often, a celebrity endorses a product to lend it more credibility: Catherine Zeta-Jones makes us want to switch to T-Mobile.

Ethos

Example: Believe me! I’ve been there before. I’m just like you.

If people believe and trust in you, you’re more likely to persuade them.

Copyright 2006 IRA/NCTE. All rights reserved. ReadWriteThink.org materials may be reproduced for educational purposes.Images ©2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

The Effect of Ethos

• Demonstrates author’s reliability, competence, and respect for the audience’s ideas and values through reliable and appropriate use of support and general accuracy