Logos are appeals based on logic. A person can use a premise and fact to tie into one’s logical reason.  A good example of this would be arguing that all dogs are canines, and because of that fact, your German Shepard is also a canine, because he is a dog. Pathos are appeals based on emotions.  A person uses emotion and imagery to convince the audience.  A good example of pathos would be using personal experience with cancer to convince the audience that research in cancer is vital. Ethos are appeals based on credibility or character.   A person will use a combination of research or personal experience to appeal to the audience.  A good example of using ethos would be to write an argumentative paper against gun control, and using a personal situation where a gun saved your life and facts to back up your ideas.

Logos, pathos and ethos are important in writing an argumentative paper.  A writer will use one or a combination of these to convince the reader of your viewpoint. It is also important to know as a reader.  Knowing each of these will help one better analyze a point of view and understand why the writer is using a particular point or idea to convince the audience.  Knowing how to effectively use logos, pathos and ethos will be a great advantage to writing a persuasive paper.

We all speak and write different to different groups of people. For example, I yell at my kids all day long, but I would not speak that way to my aunt.  I might not worry about offending my friends with my point of views or disgraceful language, but I would speak with respect and courtesy to my classmates.  I would address any elder as sir or ma’am, and would be respectful to them, but I might address a person younger than me as “hey kid!”  A person’s speech and writing varies depending on how comfortable they are with their audience.

Thesis statements are important to have in academic papers.  The thesis statement will give the audience an idea of what to expect in the paper, and which standpoint you are taking on the issue or topic.  I had never heard of the PEE structure before, but I think it will be a great tool.  P- Point in the paragraph, E-evidence to back your point and E-explanation to prove your thesis statement.  This is a great simple structure that writers can follow to make readers understand their paper better.  I think the thesis and structure are both very important to maintaining and convincing your audience, and for writing an excellent academic paper.

Writing Process

I can sum up my usual writing process in one word-procrastination. I am terrible about waiting to even start on a paper until the last minute, and then I will brainstorm, collect and analyze sources, and write my paper as I go, usually starting on it hours before it is due.  I know this is definitely not the best way to write a paper, I should brainstorm and map out my ideas, find sources and begin by writing a rough draft.  I should then use my rough draft to work off of and prepare my final paper.

I made myself a goal this semester that I was not going to be the procrastinator when it came to homework or writing papers, and that I would look ahead and work on things before they are due. It’s only the second week in, and I am not doing too well so far, but I am working on this. Life gets hectic with three young children around me all the time, and actually sitting down to do homework is a challenge. I am glad that this class has assignments to submit just the rough draft, if this wasn’t due, I probably would have never done a rough draft. I would wait until the last minute again to even start my papers.  Knowing this, I will actually work on my paper before the final draft is due, and it will make for a better paper.