We are learning: about Pathos, Ethos and Logos, the ingredients of persuasion.
This shows my learning by: I have found the definition of each word, explained what it means and given an example.
I am wondering: how the English language adopted these words.
Pathos:
Pathos is a quality of something which can stir up emotions, more specifically, sympathy, sorrow and pity. Pathos is used to pull the strings of the audience's hearts to get your point across or set a scene.
An amazing example of the use of pathos is in Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
The free bird thinks of another breeze
and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn bright lawn
and he names the sky his own
But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.
Maya uses Pathos to get our sympathy and helps explain how two things that seem the same can be different eg a free bird and a caged bird. I know they don't sound exactly the same but the word ' bird' is what I'm referencing.
Ethos:
The word Ethos comes from the Greek language and means character when directly translated. Ethos uses the main narrator or author as credibility eg. Luke sees Darth Vader as a bad guy and hes the main character so Darth Vader must be a bad guy. Ethos uses a trusted voice as credibility to get a point or idea across. An example of ethos is something you will hear many times, something along the lines of ' 9/10 dentists recommend Colgate toothpaste'.
Logos:
Logos is the ingredient of persuasion which uses logic and reasoning. Logos is present when we use facts and statistics in our arguments. Using words like data, numbers and basic common sense that people can agree with will strengthen your argument using Logos. Eg.
"You won't find any deer along this road. In 25 years of driving the same route, I haven't seen a single one."
