The Rhetorical Triangle

Three important elements come into play when creating any kind of argument.  These are illustrated by the rhetorical triangle:

                                            Logos (Message)

                                             Argument or

                                                   Media

Ethos (Author)                                                                   Pathos (Audience)

Logos:  Rational or Logical Appeals.  Appeal to logical reasoning ability of the audience through use of facts, case studies, statistics, experiments, logical reasoning, analogies, anecdotes, authority voices, etc.  Are writer’s claims reasonable?  Is there sufficient evidence to support those claims?  Does the speaker make logical conclusions?  Does he/she talk about counter-arguments, other opinions or points of view?

Pathos:  Emotional Appeals.  Appeal to beliefs/feelings of the audience.  An appeal of pathos can move an audience to anger or tears as a means of persuasion.  May attempt to invoke particular emotions such as fear, envy, patriotism, lust, etc.   Or, an appeal of pathos may stem from shared values between the author and the audience, or from an argument that caters to an audience’s beliefs.      

Ethos:  Ethical Appeals.    Appeal based on the character, persona, and/or position of the speaker.  This kind of appeals give the audience a sense of the author as competent/fair/an authority figure.  Such an appeal may highlight the author’s trustworthiness, credibility, reliability, expert testimony, reliable sources, fairness, celebrity, etc.