Appeals and Persuasion English II PreAP Persuasion Appeals

Appeals and Persuasion English II Pre-AP

Persuasion / Appeals These appeals are rooted in Greek ideas. They are considered fundamentally, the roots of appealing or persuading audiences. Ethos – Ethical appeals. Logos – Logical appeals. Pathos – Emotional appeals.

Ethos: Ethos is rooted in Ethics and refers to trustworthiness. Can you trust the speaker? Ethos is effective persuasion because it convinces viewers to trust the speaker. When we believe the speaker intends no hard, we are more willing to listen. Ethos is credibility with an audience.

Ethos Examples The credibility of a judge. Citizens are inclined to listen when a judge comments on legal precedent because a judge’s job description is to understand past cases. Viewers listen to celebrity chef endorsements of cooking products because those chefs are trained and education food professionals.

Logos appeals tie-in to audience intelligence. Education causes audiences to be skeptical of ethos or pathos appeals. Logos refers to attempts to appeal to intellect. Logical arguments, that following a series of proven support are Logos appeals.

Logos Example Financial discussions, especially in politics, attempt to follow a logos pattern: this spending occurred, then this tax was raised, the hiring fell, so the economy fell. OR inversely, spending occurred, this tax was cut, so the government had to borrow money, to continue spending, so the economy fell. But are these straight forward? Logos is often used to try and explain complex matters simply: this is not always the case.

Pathos appeals lean towards emotions to persuade. Appeals are often direct, simple and very powerful. The acceptance of a claim based on the feeling it evokes without fully analyzing rationale of the claim. Common pathos emotions include love, fear, patriotism, guilt, hate, joy etc.

Pathos Example SPCA Commercial