Rhetoric Appeals at Work

Pathos: Arguments from the Heart Emotional Appeals are powerful tools for influencing how people think and believe and therefore need to be used with caution A good argument will be more than just pathos--it needs to include solid reasons and credibility behind those reasons

Use Pathos to: Build Bridges with the audience Keep an audience on edge emotionally Create an emotional tug to pull audience into an argument (politicians sitting with “regular people”--using a specific example to speak to a general issue {i.e. health care, unemployment})

When to use Pathos After establishing sound logic (logos), to help discover a truth, consider using an emotional appeal (pathos) to get an audience to DO SOMETHING

Ethos--Arguments based on Character Ethos--the presentation of self that a writer or speaker brings to an argument Audiences pay attention to ethos. “Before we’ll listen to others, we usually must respect their respect their authority (Cartman), admire their integrity, and motives, or at least acknowledge what they stand for” (61).

Audiences trust “experts” In your writing, if you present an argument in a clear, academic fashion, including the appropriate format and spelling, you are, on one level, “claiming authority.” In other words, if you respect your own work enough to present it well, the audience is more likely to believe you

Some Tips about Establishing Credibility Admitting what you don’t know can be a powerful way to connect with the audience. “Coming clean” admitting your own slant/bias/conflict of interest (i.e. “As the owner of a fine car stereo system,” or “As a non-smoker, I... “) Use non-loaded language (i.e. “Only hussies want to show their breasts in public,” or “Stupid parents who smoke with their children in the car...”)