The Rhetorical Triangle
LOGOS (idea, message)
PATHOS (force, emotion) ETHOS (form, manner)

Every communication is essentially a trilateral relationship.  Each point of the triangle influences the others, and all are influenced by the context of the communication. Each point of the triangle bears some responsibility for the success of the communication, and each point of the triangle corresponds with one of Aristotle's three appeals (i.e., general means of persuasion).

 

Rational Appeals (logos)

Emotional Appeals (pathos)

Ethical Appeals (ethos)

Appeal to logical reasoning ability of readers:

  • facts
  • case studies
  • statistics
  • experiments
  • logical reasoning
  • analogies
  • anecdotes
  • authority voices

 

IN ACADEMIC WRITING:

Logos derives from the intellectual understanding shared by the arguer and the audience. This is clearly your most valuable tool for academic writing, and is the direct link between objectivity and persuasion. If you (or an academic text you are reading) can persuade your audience to acknowledge the logos of your argument - which includes all facts, statistics, definitions, analogies, quotations from authorities, and other evidence offered in support of your claims - then you have truly learned to balance objectivity and persuasion.

Appeal to beliefs and feelings/higher emotions

 

·                     belief in fairness

·                     love

·                     pity

·                     greed

·                     lust

·                     revenge

·                     avarice

 

IN ACADEMIC WRITING:

Pathos is rare in academic writing, which is mostly based on textual evidence and analysis. Pathos will probably be your least used appeal in your academic writing, if indeed you use it at all. Outside of academia, a pathos appeal can be highly effective - or a total disaster. Use sparingly and handle with care.

Sense you (author) gives as being competent/fair/authority

·                   trustworthiness

·                   credibility

·                   reliablity

·                   expert testimony

·                   reliable sources/fairness

·         IN ACADEMIC WRITING:
Ethos focuses on the writer (or speaker), presenting him or her as a person worthy of the reader's trust. You are trying, in other words, to create an appropriate image for yourself in the text. Much of your success will depend upon the audience to whom you are appealing, although it's safe to say that for academic purposes, your audiences will vary from other students to other researchers in a field. Ethos is fundamentally a writer's attempt to adjust to the tastes of the audience in question. In writing, you must depend upon your choice of words and their arrangement, as well as tone, to convey your ethos. Think of the form, style and language you use in your writing. Would spelling errors hurt your ethos in an academic essay? Would slang? Does a Phd help a scholar’s ethos? Does 20 years on the job as a researcher? Why?