This document discusses the three rhetorical appeals of ethos, pathos, and logos. Ethos appeals to credibility through authority, reputation, and values. Pathos appeals to emotions, values, and beliefs. Logos appeals to reasoning and numbers through well-organized arguments and consistency. These appeals can work together to create an effective persuasive message. The document provides examples of how each appeal is used in advertisements and PSAs. It concludes with instructions for a rhetorical analysis assignment requiring students to examine the use of appeals in a persuasive text with both visual and written components.

1. Ethos, Pathos, and
Logos
The Rhetorical Appeals

2.  What is rhetoric?
 We often associate rhetoric with politicians;
for example, “He uses empty rhetoric.”
Rhetoric
 However, we will be working with
rhetoric as the study and practice of
strategic communication:
 “The strategic use of the various
modes of language (spoken, written,
body, visual, etc.) to create meaning
and/or argument” (GFC, 2013, 747).

3. Other
Definitions of
Rhetoric
 “Rhetoric is the use of words—either
spoken or written—as well as visuals to
achieve some goal” (Roen, Glau, &
Maid,2012, p. 1).
 “The faculty of observing, in a given
case, the available means of
persuasion.”
 Aristotle

4.  Acts of persuasion can be
classified into the following three
rhetorical appeals:
Rhetorical
Appeals
 Ethos: Appeal to credibility
 Pathos: Appeal to emotions
 Logos: Appeal to logic

5.  Ethos appeals to credibility using:
 Authority
 Reputation
 Values
Ethos
 Ethos represents the overall persona of the
speaker/writer and his/her attempt to be
authoritative.
 The following Nike commercial employs
ethos by fitting its message to the celebrity
(a form of authority) who endorses it:
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmc8Slg
1VIQ

6. Ethos

7.  Pathos appeals to the emotions,
values, and beliefs of the audience.
Pathos
 In this clip from Mad Men, Dom Draper
evokes a nostalgic emotion of longing
through a combination of images and
words.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s
uRDUFpsHus

8. Pathos

9.  Logos appeals to reasoning and
numbers. It is also represented by wellorganized argumentation and internal
consistency.
Logos
 This anti-tobacco PSA is based on a
single powerful statistic:
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_56BQmY_e8

10. Logos

11. Rhetorical
Appeals
 Note that, although the rhetorical
appeals have different focuses, they can
work together, sometimes
simultaneously, to create an effective
message. For example, the creation of a
logical, well-organized argument is most
clearly an example of logos, but it can
also promote the writer’s ethos by
making him/her look well-informed and
professional.

12.  The Rhetorical and Visual Analysis is
worth 100 points, or 10% of your overall
grade.
Rhetorical/
Visual
Analysis
 3-5 pages
 APA format
 Should following academic writing
conventions
 Examine the instructions and rubric on
Blackboard for more information.

13. For the Rhetorical and Visual Analysis, you are
supposed to do the following:
1.
Assignment
Checklist
Choose a persuasive document with visual and
textual characteristics to analyze.
2.
Analyze its audience.
3.
Analyze the writer/artist’s use of the rhetorical
appeals (ethos, pathos, and logos).
4.
Examine whether or not the rhetorical appeals
are effective for the intended audience.

14. The document you are going to analyze needs to
meet certain criteria:
1.
Rhetorical/
Visual
Analysis
The speaker/writer must be trying to persuade
his/her audience.
2.
You need to pick a text with a visual (that is, it
needs to have both words and a visual such as
pictures or a video).
3.
The text and visual need to have enough
substance to carry you through a 3-5 page
analysis.

15. Rhetorical/
Visual
Analysis
You need to choose an object of analysis that has both
written/spoken text and visuals. For example:
 Lyrics and a professional/official music video
 A political cartoon
 An opinion piece with a visual
 An advertisement or poster with a substantial
amount of text
 A commercial (analyze the visuals separate from
the spoken text)