Ethos is about convincing others of credibility:
- Trustworthiness - Expertise - Character (a "good" person) - Someone worth listening to - Someone who knows what they are talking about (A doctor talking about medicine, or a lawyer talking about law) Ethos can also be about: - Being famous - Being likeable - Being respected. - Doing the “right” thing, being a “good” person. (We believe people we like and respect) |
According to Aristotle, 3 things are important to look credible:
1. Competence – being good at what you do 2. Good Intention – being nice 3. Empathy – understanding other people’s feelings You can appeal to Ethos by: - Convincing people you are worth listening to - Choosing language & vocabulary appropriate for the audience and topic - Making yourself sound fair or unbiased - Introducing your expertise and accomplishments - Using correct grammar |
Ethos: This toothbrush advertisement uses a dentist as a credible expert. (We think dentist will give us correct information about our teeth!)
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Ethos: Martin Luther King Jr "I have a dream" speech: Martin Luther King Jr fought for justice and equality. He wanted to stop the racism in America.
He is now a very famous man, so use of his speech today is also about fame. |
Ethos: Michael Jordan is a famous sports player. If he sells us shoes, we trust that they will be good because he is famous, and because we know basketball players need good shoes to play.
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Pathos causes the audience to feel strong emotions:
- Using emotional words – horrific, awful, amazing, wonderful, peaceful - Talking about emotional topics or ideas - Helping the audience understand the speaker’s point of view The goal of each speech is to persuade the audience. Aristotle said it’s important that the speaker knows: What emotions exist (e.g. happiness, sadness, anger etc.) How to make someone feel those emotions when you want them to |
Example: A parent talking to other parents, mentioning their children, and saying things such as “What if this happened to your child?”
Developed by: - Using emotional language and examples - Stories of emotional events - Using examples, stories and language to make people feel emotions |
Pathos plays on fear. (If you don't have good tires, your baby might die in an accident.)
Pathos plays on humour. (The clown from McDonalds is sneaking into Burger King in disguise to buy hamburgers there.)
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Pathos plays on sadness. (It's sad that this child is upset and needs help.)
Pathos plays on affection. (The Burger King hamburgers are "cuter" than the puppy. They think because people like puppies, they will sell more hamburgers.)
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Pathos plays on disgust. (The idea of eating insects can be disgusting to someone.)
Pathos plays on shock. (In America, a Kinder Surprise chocolate is banned, but a gun is allowed. It is also very shocking to see a young child holding a gun.)
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To convince an audience by:
- Logic – ideas that make sense - Reason – telling people why - Statistics – "99% of people say…" - Facts - Examples - Expert opinion - Anecdotes |
We need appeals to logos:
- when facts are important to persuade the audience: - when the speaker wants to present a strong argument. - when listing the main arguments in a speech. Developed by: - Using technical and sophisticated language - Using facts and referencing - Using historical and real-life examples - Making logical arguments (that make sense) |