What is ethos in rhetoric

This is especially important when writing an argument to an audience who disagrees with you. You can also gain ethos through your use of sources. Layout, graphic design choices, white space, style and tone: all of these factors influence your ethos. Regardless of what appeals you use in your writing, it is important to be aware of fallacies errors in reasoning because they can reduce the impact of your message on your reader.

For more information on common fallacies, refer to these resources available from the Writing Commons:. According to Aristotle, a solid argument needed ethos, pathos and logos. Instead, ethos, pathos and logos help us do two things:. To practice your rhetorical triangle skills, see if you can identify how this vintagead for candy is using ethos, pathos and logos.

Would a candy ad for today ever have this much text? For example, many of us have seen the ASPCA commercials that use photographs of injured puppies, or sad-looking kittens, and slow, depressing music to emotionally persuade their audience to donate money. Emotions can make us vulnerable, and an author can use this vulnerability to get the audience to believe that his or her argument is a compelling one. When reading a text , try to locate when the author is trying to convince the reader using emotions because, if used to excess, pathetic appeals can indicate a lack of substance or emotional manipulation of the audience.

See the links below about fallacious pathos for more information. On the one hand, when an author makes an ethical appeal, he or she is attempting to tap into the values or ideologies that the audience holds , for example, patriotism, tradition, justice, equality, dignity for all humankind, self preservation, or other specific social, religious or philosophical values Christian values, socialism, capitalism, feminism, etc.

These values can sometimes feel very close to emotions, but they are felt on a social level rather than only on a personal level. When an author evokes the values that the audience cares about as a way to justify or support his or her argument, we classify that as ethos. Ethos that is centered on the author revolves around two concepts: the credibility of the author and his or her character. It is fair to say that, in general, the professor of physics would have more credibility to discuss the topic of physics.

To establish his or her credibility, a n author may draw attention to who he or she is or what kinds of experience he or she has with the topic being discussed as an ethical appeal i. Some authors do not have to establish their credibility because the audience already knows who they are and that they are credible.

Character is another aspect of ethos, and it is different from credibility because it involves personal history and even personality traits. A person can be credible but lack character or vice versa. For example, in politics, sometimes the most experienced candidates — those who might be the most credible candidates — fail to win elections because voters do not accept their character. Politicians take pains to shape their character as leaders who have the interests of the voters at heart.

The candidate who successfully proves to the voters the audience that he or she has the type of character that they can trust is more likely to win.

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Struggling with distance learning? Our Teacher Editions can help. Ethos Definition What is ethos? Some additional key details about ethos: Ethos shares a root with the word "ethics. The word "ethos" is also often used to refer to a community or organization's characteristic belief or spirit, as in the sentence, "We will not give you a larger bonus than your coworkers: that is against our company's ethos of fairness.

The three "modes of persuasion"— pathos , logos , and ethos —were originally defined by Aristotle. While ethos appeals to an audience's instinctive respect for authority, logos appeals to the audience's sense of reason, and pathos appeals to the audience's emotions.

Ethos is used in advertising just as often as it is used in public speaking and literature. Any commercial in which a celebrity endorses a product, for example, hopes to persuade its target audience by cultivating an aura of authority or expertise through its association with the celebrity—and is therefore an example of ethos. How to Pronounce Ethos Here's how to pronounce ethos: ee -thos Ethos Explained Aristotle the ancient Greek philosopher and scientist first defined e thos , along with logos and pathos , in his treatise on rhetoric, Ars Rhetorica.

Arete : Moral character. Eunoia : Good intentions towards the audience. A speaker or writer's credibility can be said to rely on each of the following: Authority: A speaker in a high position of authority—for example, a president, or CEO—will possess a certain level of ethos simply because he or she can claim that title. Within literature, it's interesting to notice when characters attempt to invoke their own authority and enhance their ethos by reminding other characters of the titles they possess.

Often, this can be an indication that the character citing his or her own credentials actually feels his or her authority being threatened or challenged. Trustworthiness: Often, a large part of conveying trustworthiness to an audience depends on the speaker's ability to demonstrate that he or she doesn't have a vested interest in convincing the audience of his or her views.

An audience should ideally feel that the speaker is impartial—doesn't stand to gain anything personal, like money or power, from winning listeners' favor—and that his or her opinions are therefore objective.

In literature, this form of ethos is particularly relevant with respect to narrators. Authors often have their narrators profess impartiality or objectivity at the outset of a book in order to earn the reader's trust in the narrator's reliability regarding the story he or she is about to tell. Expertise: The credentials, education, and professional specialty of a speaker all greatly contribute to his or her ethos.

For instance, a doctor's assessment of a patient or a new drug will carry more weight with an audience than the opinion of someone with no medical training whatsoever. This type of ethos translates into literature quite easily, in the sense that characters' opinions are often evaluated within the framework of their professions.

Similarity: Speakers can strengthen their ethos by pointing out things that they share with an audience. This is a common technique in American politics where, for example, a candidate for office might describe his or her modest upbringing, in an effort to demonstrate that he or she is an average American and therefore shares the same values as voters.

On the other hand, some speakers might find it more useful to convey that they are not like the audience and have a fresh, outside perspective. Either way, an important part of ethos is deciding whether to portray oneself as an insider or as an outsider to best make a point. Literary characters often use ethos to communicate similarity or likemindedness to other characters, and you can detect this by certain changes in their speech. In these situations, characters as well as real-life speakers often use a shibboleth— a specialized term or word used by a specific group of people—to show that they belong.

For example, if you knew the name of a special chemical used to make jello, and you wanted to impress the head of a jello company, the name of that chemical would count as a shibboleth and saying it would help you show the jello executive that you're "in the know. These include: Speaking in a certain manner or even with a certain accent. Demonstrating confident stage presence. Having reputable people to introduce the speaker in a positive light.

Listing their credentials and achievements. Ethos and Ad Hominem An ad hominem argument is a specific type of argument which involves attacking someone else's character or ethos, rather than attacking that person's position or point of view on the subject being discussed.

Ethos Examples Examples of Ethos in Literature Characters in novels often use ethos , as well as logos and pathos , to convince one another of certain arguments in the same way that a speaker in reality might use these techniques. Ethos in Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged In Atlas Shrugged, a group of pioneering American industrialists, financiers, and artists go on strike against a corrupt government.

He promises that the strike will end only if Americans allow him to remake the country according to his moral code, which he explains in the following lines: Just as I support my life, neither by robbery nor alms, but by my own effort, so I do not seek to derive my happiness from the injury or the favor of others, but earn it by my own achievement.

Ethos in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter opens with a chapter called "The Custom-House," in which the unnamed narrator—who has a similar biography to Hawthorne—describes his job in a Custom House, a place where taxes were paid on imports in 18th century Massachusetts. Ethos in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby In the opening lines of The Great Gatsby , the narrator, Nick Carraway, claims that he has followed one piece of his father's advice throughout his life: In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since.

Examples of Ethos in Political Speeches Every politician recognizes that a speaker must earn an audience's respect and trust if he or she expects to be listened to. Ethos in Mitt Romney's Acceptance Speech at the Republican National Convention When he accepted the Republican presidential nomination in , Romney pointed to his business success as relevant experience that would serve him well if he were to take office: I learned the real lessons about how America works from experience.

Examples of Ethos in Advertisements Advertisers often attempt to use ethos to influence people to buy their product. Why Do Writers Use Ethos? The Dictionary Definition of Ethos: A definition and etymology of the term, which comes from the Greek ethos meaning "character, custom, or habit.