The Rhetorical Appeals

Writers of text use various strategies to appeal to their audiences. The three means by which writers persuade their audience are pathos, ethos, and logos:

Pathos: appeals to emotions, seen through:

Sensory description of a scene

Honorific and pejorative words (often adjectives and adverbs, but also similes/metaphors and labels that characterize something as “good” and “bad”)

Examples or anecdotes

Objects of emotion (people, pets, ideas, symbols, etc. that have emotional connotations

Ethos: appeals to audience’s view of the speaker and subject. A writer uses the persuasive value of his/her character. He/she creates the impression that he/she is a person of sound sense, high moral character, and benevolence/good will.

Exhibit good sense:

Have an adequate, if not professionally erudite, grasp of the subject being talked about

Know and observe the principles of valid reasoning

View a situation in the socially acceptable and audience sensitive perspective

Read extensively about the issue (and other related issues)

Demonstrate good taste and use discriminating judgment

High moral character:

Display an abhorrence of unscrupulous tactics and specious reasoning

Respect commonly acknowledged virtues

Integrity must be adamant

Good will

Display a sincere interest in the welfare of the audience

Sacrifice any self-aggrandizement that conflicts with the benefit of others

Logos: appeals to reason. A writer uses logical reasoning such as inductive and deductive reasoning (refer to rhetorical analysis hand out), definition, evidence from other sources, expert testimony, etc. to appeal to the readers.

Definition: defines or classifies the subject

Deductive reasoning: can either be a syllogism or an enthymeme

Syllogism: consists of major premise (all humans are mortal beings), minor premise (Eminem is human), and a conclusion (Eminem is a mortal being)

Enthymeme: a syllogism in which one of the premises is suppressed or assumed. The enthymeme shows that tentative conclusions lead from probable premises.