What are Aristotle's Appeals?
The goal of persuasive/argumentative writing is to convince your audience that your claims are valid or more valid than someone else’s. Aristotle divided the methods of persuasion into three appeals: Ethos, Pathos and Logos
Ethos: Greek for “character”, ethos refers to the trustworthiness of the or credibility of the writer or speaker. Most people are going to believe figures that they look up to and seem knowledgeable. This can be affected by the character’s reputation independent of the message, their knowledge in the field and other characteristics.
Pathos: Greek for “experience”, pathos refers to the emotional appeal of the message being conveyed. Pathos causes the intended audience to respond emotionally, and to identify with the writer’s point of view. The purpose is to make the audience feel the feelings that the writer is trying to convey and therefore more likely to agree with the writer and be convinced to do something.
Logos: Greek for “word”, logos refers to the “logic” of the claim, the clarity of the message and the effectiveness of the evidence. To be convinced, most audiences will need some sort of logical reasoning to be convinced. In most commercials, this is in a form of text, giving solid facts and statistics about their product.
The goal of persuasive/argumentative writing is to convince your audience that your claims are valid or more valid than someone else’s. Aristotle divided the methods of persuasion into three appeals: Ethos, Pathos and Logos
Ethos: Greek for “character”, ethos refers to the trustworthiness of the or credibility of the writer or speaker. Most people are going to believe figures that they look up to and seem knowledgeable. This can be affected by the character’s reputation independent of the message, their knowledge in the field and other characteristics.
Pathos: Greek for “experience”, pathos refers to the emotional appeal of the message being conveyed. Pathos causes the intended audience to respond emotionally, and to identify with the writer’s point of view. The purpose is to make the audience feel the feelings that the writer is trying to convey and therefore more likely to agree with the writer and be convinced to do something.
Logos: Greek for “word”, logos refers to the “logic” of the claim, the clarity of the message and the effectiveness of the evidence. To be convinced, most audiences will need some sort of logical reasoning to be convinced. In most commercials, this is in a form of text, giving solid facts and statistics about their product.