Ethos Pathos Logos

Politicians and government institutions have been around for over thousands of years. Such organizations and public figures hold tremendous value to society and the individuals within those societies, usually exercising great influence in how local, state and federal government conduct business. Their role as political figures in a democracy is to represent the mass public in different issues, and in order to convince their audience to support a particular matter they use various tools such as diction, tone, and appealing to one’s ethos, pathos, and logos. A series of variables (including audience, purpose, and situation) influence the approach a politician takes in order to communicate their ideas to the public. While Hilary Clinton, Donald

Trump and Martin Luther King Jr. appeal to different audiences based on their purpose and the situation, they also share some similarities in how they carefully build their rhetoric.
Hillary Clinton, current Democratic Presidential Nominee, uses a variety of literary tools in her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention. When listening to her speech one will notice the strong development of pathos and ethos in order to appeal to her audience’s emotions. She starts her address by shortly describing her relationship with her husband: “And Bill, that conversation we started in the law library 45 years ago is still going strong. It's lasted through good times that filled us with joy, and hard times that tested us.”(Clinton) It is clear that she is trying to showcase that, like her audience, her and Bill are a couple similar to some in the audience, who may also have been through good and bad times. She appeals to the public’s patriotism multiple times as well by using phrases such as: “We have to decide whether we all will work together so we all can rise together. Our country's motto is e pluribus unum: out of many, we are one. Will we stay true to that motto?” (Clinton), “In America, if you can dream it, you should be able to build it.” (Clinton) The purpose behind these phrases is to nurture America’s patriotism and to showcase that she is also patriotic herself thereby appealing to patriotic Americans. She mentions the events of 9/11 as well with the intention to relate to those who lived in New York during the events and those were also hurt by the attacks. In addition, she talks about her mother, “We lost my mother a few years ago. I miss her every day. And I still hear her voice urging me to keep working, keep fighting for right, no matter what.” (Clinton) This appeals to her audience’s emotion and allows her to create a connection with the audience in front of her and those watching the speech at home. She also tries to build upon her credibility by mentioning her experience as a public servant, “I’ve been your First Lady. Served 8 years as a Senator from the great State of New York. I ran for President and lost. Then I represented all of you as Secretary of State.” (Clinton) and “Look at my record. I’ve worked across the aisle to pass laws and treaties and to launch new programs that help millions of people.” (Clinton) The “record” she mentions is especially intimidating compared to other presidential candidates since has had experience as a politician for several years. Another point that is worth noting is that she makes reference to being a politician that works across the aisle, giving the notion that she will not create a deadlock in government or be biased towards her party. She is confident that she has what it takes to be the next president and she ensures her audience believes the same by developing her ethos in this manner.
Similarly, Donald Trump, current Republican Presidential Nominee, also develops pathos and ethos in order to appeal to his audience and convince them that he is the better candidate.

Like Hillary Clinton, he appeals to his audience’s patriotism in his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention. Not only does he chant “USA! USA! USA!” with the crowd several times throughout the speech, but he also says: “our plan will put America First. Americanism, not globalism, will be our credo.” (Trump), We Will Make America Strong Again. We Will Make America Proud Again. We Will Make America Safe Again. And We Will Make America Great Again.” (Trump) Such attempts to promote patriotism are one of the key components of his campaign. He builds fear against those who promote the concept of globalism and the integration of other cultures within America’s border, especially as a tactic to attack his greatest opponent, Hillary Clinton. He also develops his ethos in order to express his qualification for the presidency when he states, “I have made billions of dollars in business making deals – now I’m going to make our country rich again. I am going to turn our bad trade agreements into great ones.” (Trump) Many of his supporters buy into the idea that by being a successful businessman he will make America rich like his businesses. The only sense of hope and positivity in his speech is expressed when he discusses the possibility of him being president and what he would do to “make

America great again”. Otherwise, he uses his speech to attack his rival party and to ridicule Hillary Clinton and President Obama’s current administration.
Martin Luther King Jr.

also makes use of ethos and pathos in order to appeal to his audience in his famous “I Have a Dream” speech at the March on Washington during the civil rights movement. Although his speech’s circumstance differs from the other two political figures, he also makes use of patriotism as a form of connection with the audience listening and watching him as he states: “When the architects of our Republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men –yes, black men as well as white men–would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” (King) He appeals to the audience’s sense of Americanism by mentioning the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. He also makes reference to children and God several times in order to connect with those who have kids and are religious. In addition, he makes up scenarios and gives examples of what being African-American is like in different places of the United States and how America, as a country, cannot be satisfied with the reality of these scenarios: “We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro is victim of unspeakable horrors of police brutality.” (King) He cleverly makes the distinction between the states that support the civil rights movement and those, mostly in the South, that do not: “We cannot be satisfied as long

as the Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and the Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote.” (King) He meticulously appeals to different audiences, first by using slave related words and different examples of what the black community has endured to relate to his African-American supporters, and second by referring to universally known aspects of an American worker’s life by mentioning a check that comes back marked “insufficient funds” in order to relate to those watching at home and as a strategy to convey them to join his movement, therefore touching on their sense of ethics and morals.
Despite the fact that the three speakers make use of pathos and ethos in their speeches, it is worth noting the aspects in which they use rhetoric differently from one another and for different purposes. For instance, Martin Luther King Jr. uses a lot of repetition in different parts of the speech to get his idea of “standing together against discrimination” across. In contrast Trump does not use much repetition, but his choice of diction is dark and negative. He uses words such as terrorism, threaten, danger, destruction, death, and weakness, with the intention to create a negative appearance of what the current political scenario is at the moment and to reassure his supporters that he alone is the solution to all of the problems he mentions. Hillary, on the other hand, chooses words that relate to unity, creating a tone of togetherness and hope in her speech. She uses the word “we” eighty-eight times, “family” eleven times, and “kids” or “children” at least seventeen times. It is clear that she tries to communicate that she will strive to achieve her goals with the help of those who support her, and such humbleness is also noted in the Martin Luther King speech as he also talks to his audience as if they were only going to achieve his goals if working together.
In conclusion, Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, and Martin Luther King Jr. all cleverly use different tools in order to convey their message to their audience in the best possible way. It is evident that the usage of rhetorical devices is imperative for political figures such as presidential candidates or activists. Two people may share the same message, however, the way that message is presented makes the difference. Whether it is the choice of words, the way audience is appealed to, or the tone a speaker uses, rhetoric will always be important in order to transmit political figure’s thoughts and ideas.