envision journal chapter 2

Spencer Teeter

ENG 103

September 20, 2011

Envision Ch. 2 Logos Pathos and Ethos

This chapter focused on the different approaches to rhetorical writing authors or advertisements may make. These three different approaches are called Logos, Pathos, and Ethos. These terms are Latin and date back to 500 BCE. These terms don’t always have to be separate, they one or more of them may be in the same article of ad you encounter. Now I will explain what all three of these terms mean, how they are used, and how they appeal to different people.

Logos is the approach of rhetorical writing that would be more aimed at people who are persuaded mostly by logic and statistical evidence. Many advertisers using the Logos approach will opt to have a before and after shot of what they are advertising to show that it actually works, or they may throw out a bunch of percentage numbers at you on how they are cheaper and more economic than their competitors. Many times these techniques exaggerate the truth by not specifying how many people were interviewed for their stats or including that number in fine print quickly. People watching will think the facts include all of the U.S. and could be convinced on the spot that what is being advertised is the real deal.

Pathos is the technique utilizing the emotional factor of viewers. Advertisers and writers will try to capture their audience by attempting to draw them into a certain emotion. For example for ASPCA (animal rights) ads they play slow, sad songs and show pictures of big eyed droopy eared animals in cages who appear to be in despair. This sight will draw in most tree hugging liberals to donate money to the cause. The approach can also be happier in nature like adding humor in ads or cracking a witty joke in an article.

Lastly Ethos is a persuasion strategy that uses the speaker’s character to influence readers. This relies on the credibility and authority of the writer. Most major companies use Ethos every day with one little symbol such as the Nike swoosh, Arbys hat, or the Shell gas stations shell symbol. Just by seeing these symbols we already know all about the company who owns them and that they are a reliable source of what they sell. Ethos can also use major athlete stars and celebrities to endorse their products. If you see David Beckham using a certain pair of cleats you know they are good.