Ethos, also known as ethical appeal, uses credibility to convince readers of the author's words. Ethos is a way of persuading people of the character/credibility of the author. People are more likely to trust and believe those they respect. The author must prove to the reader they are someone worth listening to and show the reader that they are a reliable authority on the topic of the essay. However, the reputation of an author outside of the piece of literature also influences the reader's likeliness to believe and listen to the author's words. Ethos is conveyed through the tone and the way the author presents their piece. By using reliable sources, proper grammar, and presenting both sides of an argument, an author conveys good character and gains credibility.
>Examples
*From the book Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void, Mary Roach says, "The most stressful part of being an astronaut, Tachibana told me, is not getting to be an astronaut-not knowing whether or when you'll get a flight assignment." This quote represents an appeal to ethos because Tachibana's opinion is more valued due to his expertise in dealing with astronauts. By using a reliable and notable source, Mary Roach receives credibility.
*""He was a mean one," Fineg recalled when we spoke." This quote, from Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach, adds to the credibility of the author and her arguments. Fineg is referring to Enos in this quote, who was one of the famous space chimps to complete practice orbits in space. Fineg is an expert on the topic of Enos due to the fact that he was the chimp's veterinarian.
*""He was a mean one," Fineg recalled when we spoke." This quote, from Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach, adds to the credibility of the author and her arguments. Fineg is referring to Enos in this quote, who was one of the famous space chimps to complete practice orbits in space. Fineg is an expert on the topic of Enos due to the fact that he was the chimp's veterinarian.
Pathos
Pathos, also known as emotional appeal, relies on appealing to the audience's emotions, sympathies, and imagination for persuasion. An author's language choice, or diction, affects the audience's emotional response, especially through the use of sensory details. Using anecdotes, or personal stories, an author causes their audience not only to react emotionally, but to connect to the material and identify with the writer's point of view--feeling what the author feels. Tools such as interviews and individual stories, like anecdotes, help to either create a more legitimate and moving image of reality or illuminate the truth. However, emotional appeals should only be used if they truly support the claims the author is making. They should not be used to distract from the real issues at hand, misrepresent the topic, or frighten people.
>Examples
*"According to more than one astronaut memoir, one of the most beautiful sights in is that of a sun-illumined flurry of flash-frozen waste-water droplets. Space doesn't just encompass the sublime and the ridiculous. It erases the line between." This quote from Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach, uses humor to appeal to the audience's emotions. While also gaining credibility and appealing to ethos through the use of a reliable source, the blatantly honest tone and shocking, absurd topic referred to in this statement appeals to pathos.
*From Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void Mary Roach shares an excerpt from the Apollo 10 mission transcript as an example for the struggles astronauts face with waste and zero gravity: "CERNAN: ...You know once you get out of lunar orbit, you can do a lot of things. You can power down...And what's happening is-
STAFFORD: Oh-who did it?
YOUNG: Who did what?
CERNAN: What?
STAFFORD: Who did it? [laughter]
CERNAN: Where did that come from?
STAFFORD: Give me a napkin quick. There's a turd floating through the air.
YOUNG: I didn't do it. It ain't one of mine.
CERNAN: I don't think it's one of mine.
STAFFORD: Mine was a little more sticky than that. Throw that away.
YOUNG: God almighty.
[And again eight minutes later, while discussing the timing of a waste-water dump.]
YOUNG: Did they say we could do it anytime?
CERNAN: They said on 135. They told us that-Here's another goddam turd. What's the matter with you guys? Here, give me a-
YOUNG/STAFFORD: [laughter]...
STAFFORD: It was just floating around?
CERNAN: Yes.
STAFFORD: [laughter] Mine was stickier than that.
YOUNG: Mine was too. It hit that bag-
CERNAN: [laughter] I don't know whose that is. I can neither claim it nor disclaim it. [laughter]
YOUNG: What the hell is going on here?" ...I think this quote speaks for itself.
*Appealing to pathos also involves making connections with the reader and helping them relate to your argument. Mary Roach makes a reference to a syfy character in order to allow the audience to relate to her experience through the quote, "He spoke in a flat, quiet manner that reminded me of Agent Mulder from The X-Files."
Logos
Logos, also known as logical appeal, persuades an audience through the use of reasoning. Logos refers to the internal consistency of the message including the coherency of the claim, the legitimacy of the reasons, and the effectiveness of the supporting details. The facts, data, and statistics used in an argument for support are also apart of the logical appeal and can add to the credibility of the writer (ethos). Inductive and deductive reasoning are the two broad approaches/methods of reasoning that can be used to support a claim. Inductive reasoning works by moving from specific observations to broader generalizations and theories. Deductive reasoning, the exact opposite, works by moving from the more general to the more specific.
>Examples
*From Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void, Mary Roach says, "Yes, the money could be better spent on Earth. But would it? Since when has money saved by government redlining been spent on education and cancer research? It is always squandered. Let's squander some on Mars. Let's go out and play." Not only does Mary Roach again convey her witty humor through this statement, but she also uses logical reasoning to enforce the argument that money on Mars is well spent.
*"I have come across only one project that made use of human cadavers in the past twenty-five years of aeromedical research." This quote, from Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach, creates credibility while also logically arguing the fact that NASA does not like to deal with dead people.
References
>Examples
*"According to more than one astronaut memoir, one of the most beautiful sights in is that of a sun-illumined flurry of flash-frozen waste-water droplets. Space doesn't just encompass the sublime and the ridiculous. It erases the line between." This quote from Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach, uses humor to appeal to the audience's emotions. While also gaining credibility and appealing to ethos through the use of a reliable source, the blatantly honest tone and shocking, absurd topic referred to in this statement appeals to pathos.
*From Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void Mary Roach shares an excerpt from the Apollo 10 mission transcript as an example for the struggles astronauts face with waste and zero gravity: "CERNAN: ...You know once you get out of lunar orbit, you can do a lot of things. You can power down...And what's happening is-
STAFFORD: Oh-who did it?
YOUNG: Who did what?
CERNAN: What?
STAFFORD: Who did it? [laughter]
CERNAN: Where did that come from?
STAFFORD: Give me a napkin quick. There's a turd floating through the air.
YOUNG: I didn't do it. It ain't one of mine.
CERNAN: I don't think it's one of mine.
STAFFORD: Mine was a little more sticky than that. Throw that away.
YOUNG: God almighty.
[And again eight minutes later, while discussing the timing of a waste-water dump.]
YOUNG: Did they say we could do it anytime?
CERNAN: They said on 135. They told us that-Here's another goddam turd. What's the matter with you guys? Here, give me a-
YOUNG/STAFFORD: [laughter]...
STAFFORD: It was just floating around?
CERNAN: Yes.
STAFFORD: [laughter] Mine was stickier than that.
YOUNG: Mine was too. It hit that bag-
CERNAN: [laughter] I don't know whose that is. I can neither claim it nor disclaim it. [laughter]
YOUNG: What the hell is going on here?" ...I think this quote speaks for itself.
*Appealing to pathos also involves making connections with the reader and helping them relate to your argument. Mary Roach makes a reference to a syfy character in order to allow the audience to relate to her experience through the quote, "He spoke in a flat, quiet manner that reminded me of Agent Mulder from The X-Files."
Logos
Logos, also known as logical appeal, persuades an audience through the use of reasoning. Logos refers to the internal consistency of the message including the coherency of the claim, the legitimacy of the reasons, and the effectiveness of the supporting details. The facts, data, and statistics used in an argument for support are also apart of the logical appeal and can add to the credibility of the writer (ethos). Inductive and deductive reasoning are the two broad approaches/methods of reasoning that can be used to support a claim. Inductive reasoning works by moving from specific observations to broader generalizations and theories. Deductive reasoning, the exact opposite, works by moving from the more general to the more specific.
>Examples
*From Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void, Mary Roach says, "Yes, the money could be better spent on Earth. But would it? Since when has money saved by government redlining been spent on education and cancer research? It is always squandered. Let's squander some on Mars. Let's go out and play." Not only does Mary Roach again convey her witty humor through this statement, but she also uses logical reasoning to enforce the argument that money on Mars is well spent.
*"I have come across only one project that made use of human cadavers in the past twenty-five years of aeromedical research." This quote, from Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach, creates credibility while also logically arguing the fact that NASA does not like to deal with dead people.
References
- http://courses.durhamtech.edu/perkins/aris.html
- http://quizlet.com/12286028/ethos-pathos-logos-flash-cards/
- http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-ethos-logos-and-pathos.html
- http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/dedind.php
- Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach
