ShmoopTube

Where Monty Python meets your 10th grade teacher.

Search Thousands of Shmoop Videos

Ethos, Pathos, Logos 25021 Views

Share It!

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

Subjects:

Essay Writing / Writing Elements and Process

Common Core Standards:

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.
Full Transcript