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Ethos, Pathos, Logos 24306 Views


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Description:

There are some tricks of the trade you can use when trying to bring readers around to your point of view. And none of them involve dangling a watch in front of their eyes or asking them to stare into a spinning, spiraling wheel.

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:00

Ethos/Logos/Pathos, a la Shmoop. We all hate losing arguments.

00:17

It feels good to be right...

00:19

...but it feels even better to convince someone else that you're right. And then maybe rub

00:23

their face in it a little bit.

00:28

What if you had a bag of tricks that you could go to any time you felt someone needed a little...

00:35

persuading? Thanks to Aristotle, the great thinker from

00:38

ancient Greece...

00:39

...we have three such tricks that will often get the job done.

00:45

They're not foolproof. In other words, they won't usually get you out of mowing the lawn

00:49

or doing the dishes...

00:50

...but if you're writing an argument essay and want a reader to see, understand and agree

00:55

with your point...

00:56

...these tricks are the bee's knees. Collectively, they are referred to as rhetorical

01:02

devices.

01:03

You want to know what they are?

01:06

Sorry... rhetorical question.

01:08

The three devices are called ethos, pathos and logos.

01:14

Once you've mastered these tools, you'll be able to write a stellar essay...

01:18

...win political debates...

01:19

...and sell just about anything on late-night television.

01:22

Let's start with ethos. Ethos means moral character.

01:27

When the speaker uses ethos, he's trying to persuade his audience by convincing them that

01:32

he's a good guy. So if you pin someone up against a wall and

01:36

demand that they prefer Coke to Pepsi...

01:38

...it's probably not the most effective means of persuasion.

01:42

But if that same person gets the sense that you're a decent human being...

01:45

...who just wants to discuss the subject in a calm manner...

01:48

...he may be more willing to see another side of the issue.

01:52

But moral character alone isn't going to get 'er done.

01:56

Enter... pathos.

01:57

Pathos means emotion. As a rhetorical device, pathos gets us to stop thinking and start

02:04

feeling.

02:06

Something political pundits seem to have down to a science.

02:15

Ugh... feelings? Does this mean we have to get all lovey-dovey and mushy-wushy?

02:19

Well... no. But sometimes appealing to someone's softer side can do the trick.

02:28

If you're trying to convince a reader that crude oil is bad for the environment...

02:32

...don't just cite figures and fill up the pages with a bunch of charts and graphs.

02:38

Talk about the animals that are affected... and often killed... when there's a spill.

02:44

It will only help your case if you can get your reader to cry over spilt oil.

02:49

And then there's the third and final rhetorical device... logos.

02:53

Logos means reason. Here is where all those aforementioned charts,

02:59

graphs and figures come into play.

03:02

But it's also about explaining to your reader, in clear and concise terms...

03:06

...why they should logically agree with your point of view.

03:10

It's about providing concrete evidence to support your claims.

03:16

If you can make them feel stupid for daring to think differently, all the better.

03:23

But watch the name-calling. So when writing an argument essay, don't set

03:30

pen to paper without the big three in your corner...

03:32

...Ethos, meaning moral character...

03:34

...Pathos, meaning emotion...

03:36

...and logos, meaning reason. You may also want to use Oreos...

03:41

...which won't add anything

03:54

to your argument, but they sure are delicious.

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