Ethos, Logos, Pathos, and Kairos Review of Rhetorical Appeals

What is Rhetoric? Rhetoric (n) - the art of speaking or writing effectively (Webster's Definition). According to Aristotle, rhetoric is "the ability, in each particular case, to see the available means of persuasion." He described four main forms of rhetoric: Ethos, Logos, Pathos, and Kairos. In order to be a more effective writer, you must understand these terms. When you better understand their meanings, your writing becomes more persuasive.

Ethos (Greek for “character”) Ethos: the source's credibility / authority Is the source trustworthy, educated, reliable, credible, honest, fair, and respectable? Examples: Client testimonials Success stories Celebrity endorsements Personal anecdotes

Why is George Foreman credible? Ethos Example: Product: George Foreman Grill Repertoire: boxing champion and a preacher Why is George Foreman credible?

Logos (Greek for “word”) Logos: the logic/reasoning used to support a claim; the facts and statistics used to help support the argument Examples: Case studies Cause and effect reasoning Facts and statistics Analogies

Logos Example: Product: Cheerios Logic: “Lower your cholesterol 4% in 6 weeks!”

Pathos (Greek for “suffering” or “experience”) Pathos: appeals to the audience’s capacity for empathy; wants you to care about the subject matter Typical Emotional Appeals: Love Pity Patriotism Hope Jealousy Anger Fear

Pathos Example: Product: Dorothy Gray Salon Emotional Appeal: jealousy / fear

Kairos (Greek for “right time,” “season,” or “opportunity”) Kairos: establishes the timeliness of the issue; appeals to the viewer’s or reader’s sense of urgency (“it’s the right time to say or do the right thing”) Kairos Factors: Setting Time Place

Kairos Example: Speech: “I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King Jr. Historical Context and Importance: Together, the “where” (the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.), the “why” (the culmination of a march on Washington by thousands of members of the civil rights movement), and the “when” (during the centennial celebration of the Emancipation Proclamation, at a time of day when broadcast networks could carry the speech live, and during a march which had drawn more than 250,000 people to the capital) created the perfect moment for King’s message to reach the largest number of receptive listeners.

What appeals are being used in the ad above?

What appeals are being used in the ad What appeals are being used in the ad? Is there one that is a stronger approach than the others?

Elements of an Argument Rhetorical Appeals The hook is an opening that grabs the reader’s attention and establishes a connection between the reader and the writer. The claim is a clear and straightforward statement of the writer’s belief and what is being argued. Concessions and refutations are restatements of arguments made by the other side (concessions) and the writer’s arguments against those opposing viewpoints (refutations) and why the writer’s arguments are more valid. Support is the reasoning behind the argument. Support can include evidence as well as logical and emotional appeals (logos and pathos). It may also anticipate objections and provide reasoning to overcome those objections. Summary/Call to action, which is a closing statement with a final plea for action. Pathos, or emotional appeals, attempt to persuade the reader or listener by appealing to the senses and emotions. Ethos are ethical appeals that attempt to persuade the reader or listener by focusing on the qualifications or the character of the speaker or by claiming that “it” is the ethical “thing” to do. Logos, or logical appeals, attempt to persuade readers or listeners by leading them down the road of logic and causing them to come to their own conclusions. Logical appeals state the facts and show how the facts are interrelated. Kairos is the attempt to convince the audience that the issue is so important that they must act now.

Other Rhetorical Strategies: Repetition: using the same words frequently to emphasize a message or point Parallelism: is repetition of the same pattern of words/phrases and grammatical structure within a sentence or passage to show that two or more ideas have the same level of importance; may create a sense of rhythm and momentum **All parallelism is repetition, but not all repetition is parallelism!** Analogy: a comparison in which the subject is compared point by point to something far different, usually with the idea of clarifying the subject by comparing it to something familiar