Pathos, logos and Ethos in Aristotle´s Rhetorical Triangle

Many writers use several diverse ways to persuade readers into believing them. Some writers may tell a story, provide facts and information, or other ideas to encourage his or her reader to agree with the argument. Aristotle’s rhetorical triangle describes three diverse appeals: logos, pathos, and ethos. Logos is based on facts and reasons explaining logical arguments that rely on information and evidence. Logos is built with enough evidence, data, statistics, and reliable information. Another type of appeal is pathos, which attracts the reader’s emotions and feelings into the work. Many writers who use pathos tend to write about their personal experience and by diction and tone. In addition to logos and pathos, ethos corresponds with character and value, which describes certain values with specific kinds of groups. Several writers tend to use the diverse appeals in a variety of ways. Two examples that rely on logos and pathos are, “One Picture is Worth a Thousand Diets,” by W. Charisse Goodman, and “The Good Death,” by .Marilyn Webb
The three diverse appeals are used in many different works of literature. Many writers use the appeal logos to explain an idea or for an effective argument. Logos is made up of facts and supporting details to back up the author’s claim. For instance, in the essay “One Picture is Worth a Thousand Diets,” Goodman uses logos to state his argument about fat women vs. thin women. Throughout the essay he uses statistics, critical numbers, and also facts with evidence. “An examination of almost 160 commercials-after that point, it was either stop or incinerate the TV set-contribute 120 ads featuring thin women exclusively, 27 ads depicting heavy males, mostly in a normal or positive light, and all of 12 heavy women, half of whom, interestingly, were either African-American, older, or both” (Goodman 408). The example illustrated above displays how Goodman used the logos appeal by providing the reader with exact numbers and information backed up with evidence. The information provided helps the reader appreciate the author in a respectable way and also builds trust in the author. The appeal allows the reader to connect with the essay and understand what the writer is trying to present. Using reliable information enables the reader the trust the writer and agrees with his or her idea. Furthermore, Goodman r...

... middle of paper ...

... their arguments. Each appeal focuses on a different subject or idea. Logos is based on facts and reason, pathos is based on emotions, and ethos is based on character. Writers tend to use the three diverse appeals to attract and encourage the reader to agree with the writer’s argument. For example, in the essay “One Picture is Worth a Thousand Diets,” Goodman uses logos to inform his audience about his ideas and research. On the other hand, in the essay “The Good Death,” Webb uses pathos for her readers to be able to interact and understand her work in detail. Furthermore, readers tend to be persuaded by writers that have a meaningful and influential essay with facts, opinions, emotions, values, and character. The diverse ideas enable the reader to interact with the writer, and help the reader understand the work to the fullest. In addition to interacting with the author, the different appeals also help the reader feel and gain trust in the author. The diverse appeals illustrate how people tend to react when the author has gained his or her trust. Many writers tend to use one of the three appeals to encourage his or her audience to understand and agree with his or her argument.