Monday, September 1, 2008

Ethos/Pathos

There is no doubt that just about everything in our world meant to be an argument has at least a little bit of ethos and pathos. Pathos is used in argument to the capture the attention of its audience with emotional appeal. Ethos is used to capture the attention of the audience by using ethics. Sometimes there is more of one and sometimes they are about even.

A good example of the use of both ethos and pathos is the propaganda for the War on Terrorism such as the one on the link at the bottom. The picture of "Uncle Sam" gives the picture an patriot feel for Americans. By adding the words, "To support the War on Terrorism", it brings in a very strong emotional appeal to the audience. The reason for this is because the War on Terrorism was started because the war began due to the events of 9/11, which is a very emotional moment for the American people. Combining both the ethos and very strong pathos appeal to the argument makes a strong argument to gain the support of the American people for the war.

http://www.jessemichaelbarr.com/uploaded_images/war-on-terror-711779.jpg

The opinions expressed on this blog do not represent those of Texas Christian University or of its administration.

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