According to cultural critic James Twitchell, “We are constantly exposed to texts that appeal to us on many levels. The three main classical modes of persuasion are logos, pathos, and ethos. Each of these three terms appeal to us in facts, credibility, and last but not least, emotions. These three classic terms appear in text, speeches, and television.
The term Logos refers to factual information and the use of logic. I remember writing a factual paper for one of my classes in grade school. We had a very strict teacher who was very good at catching cheaters or copywriters. Luckily, I was never either one of those. In order to get factual information, you need to either get a book from the library, or find a valid Internet site.
Pathos is a term that appeals directly to emotion. Pathos works great when writing a persuasive paper or giving a persuasive speech. Senior year of high school I gave a persuasive speech for my college credit speech class. I opened my speech with a video that was very emotional. Visually, I was able to grab my audience’s attention from the start because it appealed to them emotionally. In a persuasive speech or essay, using pathos is a great way for your audience to see your argument the way you see and feel about whatever you are speaking about.
The last classic term or appeal is ethos. Ethos not only shows credibility, but also shows your character as a writer and shows that what you are writing or saying is true. Ethos can also appeal to the persuasiveness of your argument.
From reading this chapter, I have a broader understanding of these classical terms.
(Sam Bennett- Envision Chapter 2 Journal)
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