Believe it or not, class this last Tuesday was the first time I've been introduced to the term rhetoric. Never before had I known of, let alone defined, ethos, pathos and logos. I find it somewhat amazing that I've been ignorant of these terms that describe what people are bombarded with every day as they live their lives.
No matter where you go billboards, TV screens, radio, even logos on clothing are a part of our lives. Everything from the absurd to the obtuse, yet it all boils down to one of the three persuasive argument types. Ethos, appealing to a person's character or disposition. Pathos, appealing to a person's pity or compassion. And finally logos, appealing to a person's reasoning.
While it's easy for me to recognize the pathos (Just $0.50 a day can save so many children...) and logos (Buy our product because it has x, y, z.), I have issues determining what an ethos argument looks like.
It's a couple days later since I wrote the above. After a bit more research it seems that I should change my title for this post. Ethos really is just saying "Because I said so." Normally this isn't persuasive but since the speaker or company making that statement has a reputation for their character or products it becomes an ethos argument.
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Interesting - I know what your saying... I had heard the term before but couldn't come up with a definition. I am sure I have heard Logos, Pathos, and Ethos before, but I had no idea what they meant. I too still struggle with Ethos. Personally I think anything outside of Logic is cheating.
ReplyDeletePlease speak up and remind me to talk about your post in class. Good stuff!
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