Class notes
Eng 105 - 3 Ways To Persuade Notes
- Course
- ENG 105
- Institution
- Grand Canyon University
This is a comprehensive and detailed note on 3 ways to persuade for persuasive essay. *Essential!! *Precise!! *For you!!
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Ethos, Logos, Pathos: Three Ways to Persuadeby Dr. John R. Edlund, Cal Poly Pomona
Over 2,000 years ago the Greek philosopher Aristotle argued that there were three basic ways to persuade
an audience of your position: ethos, logos, and pathos.
Ethos: The Writer’s Character or Image
The Greek word ethos is related to our word ethics or ethical, but a more accurate modern translation
might be “image.” Aristotle uses ethos to refer to the speaker’s character as it appears to the audience.
Aristotle says that if we believe that a speaker has good sense, good moral character, and goodwill, we are
inclined to believe what that speaker says. Today we might add that a speaker should also appear to have
the appropriate expertise or authority to speak knowledgeably about the subject matter. Ethos is often the
first thing we notice, so it creates the first impression that influences how we perceive the rest. Ethos is an
important factor in advertising, both for commercial products and in politics. For example, when an actor
in a pain reliever commercial puts on a doctor’s white coat, the advertisers are hoping that wearing this
coat will give the actor the authority to talk persuasively about medicines. Of course, in this particular
instance the actor’s ethos is a deceptive illusion, but the character, background, and authority of the
speaker or writer can be a legitimate factor in determining whether we find him or her credible.
A writer’s ethos is created largely by word choice and style. Student writers often have a problem with
ethos because they are asked to write research papers, reports, and other types of texts as if they have
authority to speak persuasively, when in fact they are newcomers to the subject matter and the discourse
community. Sometimes students try to create an academic image for themselves by using a thesaurus to
find difficult and unusual words to sprinkle throughout their texts. Unfortunately, this sort of effort
usually fails, because it is difficult to use a word correctly that you have not heard or read in context many
times.
Sometimes a writer or speaker will use what is called an ad hominem argument, an argument “against the
man.” In this strategy, the writer attacks the character or personality of the speaker instead of attacking the
substance of his or her position. This kind of argument is usually considered to be a logical fallacy, but it
can be very effective and is quite common in politics. This type of argument undermines a speaker or
writer’s ethos. When you are writing a paper, consider the following questions.
Questions for Discussion:
1. What kind of image do you want to project to your audience?
2. What can you do to help project this image?
3. What words or ideas do you want to avoid in order not to harm your image?
4. What effect do misspelled words and grammatical errors have on your image?
Logos: Logical Arguments
In our society, logic and rationality are highly valued and this type of persuasive strategy is usually
privileged over appeals to the character of the speaker or to the emotions of the audience. However,
formal logic and scientific reasoning are usually not appropriate for general audiences, so we must rely on
a more rhetorical type of reasoning.
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