Rhetorical appeals: ethos, pathos, and logos
Writers and speakers persuade through three classic rhetorical appeals, first described by Aristotle. Ethos appeals to credibility and character: the audience trusts the speaker because of expertise, experience, or fairness, as when a doctor cites years of treating patients. Pathos appeals to emotion: a story, image, or vivid word choice makes the audience feel fear, hope, anger, or sympathy. Logos appeals to logic and reason: facts, statistics, examples, and a clear chain of reasoning. Many rhetoricians add kairos, choosing the right moment and occasion. Strong arguments usually blend the appeals and fit them to the rhetorical situation, the speaker, audience, purpose, and context. When analyzing a text, the goal is to explain how each appeal works on its specific audience, not just to label it.
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