Explanation
Ethos, Pathos, and Logos are three strategies commonly used when attempting to persuade a reader.
Pathos, or the appeal to emotion, with the purpose of persuading an audience by purposely evoking certain emotions to make them feel the way the author wants them to feel.
Logos, or the appeal to logic, means to appeal the audiences’ sense of reason or logic. To use logos, the author makes clear, logical connections between ideas, and includes the use of facts and statistics.
Ethos is used to convey the writer’s credibility and authority. When evaluating a piece of writing, the reader must know if the writer is qualified to comment on this issue.
Sample Paragraph
A small dog sits in a dark, cold garage. His hair is matted and dirty; he is skinny and weak from going days without food. There is no water for him to drink, no person to give him love and no blanket to keep him warm at night. While this might be a hard scenario to imagine, it is not an uncommon one in America today. According to the Humane Society of the United States, nearly 1,000,000 animals are abused or die from abuse every year. As a veterinarian with 30 years of experience, I have seen how even one incident of abuse can affect an animal for the rest of its life. As a society, we need to be more aware of this terrible problem and address this issue before it gets worse.
1st highlight: Pathos: the author paints a vivid picture to evoke a feeling from the reader—sadness, and pity for the abused animal.
2nd highlight: Logos: the author uses statistics to appeal to our intellect. These 3 strategies often overlap with each others. This sentence qualifies as both Logos and Ethos because it cites a reputable organization.
3rd highlight: Ethos: the author presents their own credibility by stating their occupation and experience.