Comic book articles

English 124 Martin |1 Ethos, Pathos, Logos Whenever you read an argument you must ask yourself, “is this persuasive? And if so, to whom?” There are several ways to appeal to an audience. Among them are appealing to logos, ethos, and pathos. These appeals are prevalent in almost all arguments. To Develop or Appeal to ETHOS (character, ethics) How an author builds credibility & trustworthiness. To Appeal to PATHOS (emotion) Words or passages an author uses to activate emotions. Ways to Develop ETHOS • • • • • • • • • Author’s profession / background Author’s publication Appears sincere, fair minded, knowledgeable Concedes to the opposition Morally / ethically likeable Appropriate language for audience and subject Appropriate vocabulary Correct grammar Professional format Effect on Audience Helps reader to see the author as reliable, trustworthy, competent, and credible. The reader might respect the author or his/her views. How to Talk About It Through his use of scientific terminology, the author builds his ethos by appearing knowledgeable. The author’s ethos is effectively developed as readers see that he is sympathetic to the struggles minorities face. To Appeal to LOGOS (logic, reasoning) The argument itself; the reasoning the author uses. Types of Pathos Appeals • • • • • • Emotionally loaded language Vivid descriptions Emotional examples Anecdotes, testimonies, or Narratives about emotional experiences or events Figurative language Emotional tone (humor, sarcasm, disappointment, excitement, etc.) Effect on Audience Evokes an emotional response. Persuasion by emotion. (usually evoking fear, sympathy, empathy, anger,) How to Talk About It Types of LOGOS Appeals • • • • • • • • • • Theories / scientific facts Indicated meanings or reasons (because…) Analogies Definitions Factual data & statistics Quotations Citations from experts & authorities Informed opinions Examples (real life examples) Personal anecdotes Effect on Audience Evokes a cognitive, rational response. Readers get a sense of, “Oh, that makes sense,” or “Hmm, that really doesn’t prove anything.” How to Talk About It When referencing 9/11, the author is appealing to pathos. Here, he is eliciting both sadness and anger from his readers. The author appeals to logos by defining relevant terms and then supports his claim with numerous citations from authorities. The author’s description of the child with cancer was a very persuasive pathos appeal. The author’s logos appeals of statistics and expert testimony are very convincing. English 124 Martin |2 T-GAP T ONE , G ENRE , A UDI ENCE , & P URPOSE *Being able to identify the following elements when reading an article, book, etc. is a useful skill to have in college classes and for critical reading outside the college classroom. I. DETERMI NI NG TONE *Here are just some examples of the kinds of tone an author can take. Pay close attention to the language (word choice) of an author. Tone Angry Biased Candid Casual Challenging Humorous Intellectual Neutral Personable Sad Sarcastic II .