Aim: How can an analysis of Aristotle’s techniques
of Rhetoric reveal continued relevance in today’s
world?
We left off yesterday discussing Ethos, so today we briefly went over what it was and a Do Now question which was:
Based on the previous lesson, create an argument using
ETHOS, for the following topic:
Should parents be able to access student grades online?
My group discussed that our parents should be able to access our grades because they are our guardians and they need to know what we are excelling in and what we are struggling in. The whole class agreed and a classmate added how they are important to that student’s life and they should know if there is any trouble or if they need to give guidance about a certain subject.
Ethos: refers to the trustworthiness of the speaker or writer about a certain topic.
After answering the Do Now, we then started to talk about Pathos.
Pathos: refers to using the audience’s emotions, sympathies and imagination to prove your point.
Words aren't the only way to achieve this appeal. Videos, pictures or visuals can capture the audience emotionally and draw them in to your side of an argument or advertisement.
Here in this picture, we see that Haitian children are
digging for water since the Haitian people don’t have
access to any water. This picture draws the reader
emotionally since we take this (having access to
water) for granted and we feel sympathy. This is an
example of using Pathos.
Here we are given this advertisement for a car that shows the use of Pathos. 2014 Chevy Commercial - Maddie
In the beginning of this advertisement, it draws the audience emotionally by having sad music playing, the life problems us humans go through and the moment when the girl first gets her dog. Then at the very end, it shows an advertisement for a car, which no one expected. The purpose of having these sad moments in the beginning is so that the audience is drawn into the ad and seeing these moments will make them think that they should buy the car. This is another example of how Pathos is used.
After Pathos, we learned about Logos.
Logos: appealing or persuading the reader by using reasoning and statistics.
This method of persuasion is Aristotle’s favorite of the three we learned. The use of logos pulls the audience because some may rely on reasonings and facts to make a decision about the writer’s point of view.
In the lesson, we are given this video that shows an example of Logos.
Dramatic and eye opening anti smoking ad Sponge by ANPHA
In this video, it shows the consequences of smoking cigarettes and what it may do to your body. Using these statistics and information about what smoking can do, this is a way to persuade people and rightfully inform people about what is right.
Review of the lesson:
Ethos: an ethical or moral argument
Pathos: an emotional argument
Logos: a logical argument
Next we were given a video that has all three techniques and we were supposed to identify all three.
For logos: In the video, we were given the statistics about Coca-Cola such as it being the number one leading soda brand in the United States and how much it costs.
For Pathos: It's stated in the video that most of the funds go to St. Jude Hospital, which is a place where doctors do research about cancer and other illnesses. This may touch many people and make them start buying this product.
For Ethos: The video shows that many famous people and organizations recommend Coca-Cola, which may get the audience to believe those people and buy it.
Conclusion:
What did I learn?
During the past few days, we learned about the three different techniques that Aristotle used to persuade people. We learned the difference between ethos, pathos, logos, and that they are different and effective ways to persuade people today. Ethos is using ethical, or moral judgement in an argument, Pathos is using emotions to sway the people into believing their statement, and Logos is using logical reasoning and statistics to persuade people.
Why did I learn this?
The aim of this lesson was to understand how Aristotle’s techniques of Rhetoric reveal continued relevance in today’s world. We know that there are different ways to persuade people as shown from Aristotle’s techniques. Knowing these techniques we can identify where it is being used and how to use them. For example, if someone is testifying at a court, they may show emotion and try to sway the jury into believing them. If that works is up to them and their decision whether to go with it or not. This is an example of Pathos. Another example could be health doctors around the world. Right now, we are in a pandemic where a virus has killed many people. These health professionals will use statistics to try and get people to be safe and get vaccinated. This is an example of Logos.
How will I use what I learned?
From this lesson, I can make reasonable arguments and use one of these techniques to support my argument and make it stronger. I will also be able to identify these techniques that are being used everyday by different people and in texts written by different writers.
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