Wednesday, September 11, 2013


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.

2 comments:

  1. I agree that knowing logos, pathos, and ethos are equally important to the writer and reader. Most times we think of things like this as the responsibility of only the writer. If the reader is aware of and recognizes all three they may be able to better analyze the article they are reading.

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  2. Steven, good examples and analysis. Notice, however, that your example of pathos also has a lot of ethos in it. This shows that logos, pathos, and ethos are often interrelated and expressed simultaneously. Well done!

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