The Rhetorical Appeals

Character, Logic, Emotion

Jeff BaxterLeavenworth High SchoolLanguage Arts Department ChairGreater Kansas City Writing Projectjeff.baxter@usd453.orgThe Rhetorical Appeals

Aristotles 3 Rules of Argument:Argument by CharacterArgument by LogicArgument by EmotionEthosLogosPathos Logos: Argument by LogicIf arguments were children:Logos is the brainy one;The one with top grades;The one who acknowledges the other ones viewsBrain

StatisticsFactsEvidenceReasonLOGICALMakes audience THINK about what is presented

Ethos: Argument by CharacterWhile logos sweats over her GPA, ethos gets elected class president;Employs the writer/speakers reputation & personality;Appeal to ethical behaviorGutCredibleTrustworthyHonestETHICALMakes audience decide right or wrong about what is presented.

Pathos: Argument by EmotionThis is the sibling the others disrespect but who gets away with everything;This one gets people out of their chairs to act;Heart PassionateSympatheticFeelingsEMOTIONALMakes an audience feel something about what is presentedCan the rules be used in the same essay?Ethos firstThen logos Then pathos Ethos, Logos or Pathos? We dont have single-sex toilets at home, and we dont need them at the office. Then theres also the small question of efficiency. I see my male colleagues waiting in line to use the mens room, when the womens toilet is unoccupied. Which is precisely why Delta Airlines doesnt label those two bathrooms at the back of the plane as being solely for men and women. It just wouldnt fly.

The University of Chicago just got the 10 single-use restrooms on campus designated gender neutral. Its time Yale followed suit. And this is not just an academic problem. There are tens of thousands of single-use toilets at workplaces and public spaces throughout the nation that are wrong-headedly designated for a single-sex. All these single-use toilets should stop discriminating. They should be open to all on a first-come, first-lock basis. Ian Ayres, Looking Out for No. 2

Ethos, Logos or Pathos? First, the matter of semantics. I am a cripple. I choose this word to name me. I choose from among several possibilities, the most common of which are handicapped and disabled. I made the choice a number of years ago, without thinking, unaware of my motives for doing so. Even now, I am not sure what those motives are, but I recognize that they are complex and not entirely flattering.

Peoplecrippled or notwince at the word cripple, as they do not at handicapped or disabled. Perhaps I want them to wince. I want them to see me as a tough customer, one to whom the fates/gods/viruses have not been kind, but who can face the brutal truth of her existence squarely. As a cripple, I swagger. Nancy Mairs, On Being a Cripple

Ethos, Logos or Pathos? We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender. Winston Churchill, speech to the House of Commons, June 4, 1940

Ethos, Logos or Pathos?

Ethos, Logos or Pathos?

Ethos, Logos or Pathos?

Ethos, Logos or Pathos?

How about in this?Classical Argument OutlineIntroduction: the ethos part.Win the goodwill of the audienceNarration of facts: the logos part. Tell the history of the matter.Insert facts and figures.Be brief, clear and plausible.Dont startle your audience with surprising facts or figuresDivision: continue logos.List points where your opponent and you agree and disagree.Present definitionsIs this a biological issue?A rights issue?A fairness issue?Proof: Present your actual argument here.Your proposalYour examplesRefutation: destroy your opponent here.Conclusion: the pathos part.Restate in a different form your pointsA call to action/ universal insight