January 25, 2005

By hristova

Ethos, pathos, logos

Please look at the 3 passages and think of the rhetorical appeals: ethos, pathos, and logos. Each quote might have more than one appeal used in it. Please try to tell us what appeals are used and which is the dominant one in each passage. You can discuss all the passages in your response or just one or two of them.

Passage 1:
"...it is well for us to remember that, in an age of increasing literacy, 60 percent of world's illiterate are women. Between 1960 and 1970, the number of illiterate men in the world rose by 8 million, while the number of illiterate women rose by 40 million. And the number of illiterate women is increasing."
-- from Adrienne Rich, "What does a woman need to know?"

Passage 2:
"The Asian culture, as it happens, is something I know a bit about, having spent five years at Harvard striving for a Ph.D. in a joint program called History and East Asian Languages and, after that, living either as a student (for one year) or a journalist (six years) in China and Southeast Asia. At least I know enough to know there is no such thing as the 'Asian culture'."
-- from Richard Bernstein, The Dictatorship of Virtue

Passage 3:
"And what, exactly, do I mean by 'guys'? I don't know. I haven't thought much about it. One of the major characteristics about guyhood is that guys don't spend a lot of time pondering our innermost feelings..."
-- from Dave Barry, "Guys vs. Men"

Comments

In passage #1 Adrienne Rich uses the logos apple to argue how the number of illiterate women was growing from 1960 to 1970.
in passage #2 Richard Bernstein uses the ethos approach to argue that he can be trusted when he talks about the "Asian Culture" by telling us how he earned his PhD. in a "joint program called History and East Asian Languages and, after that, living either as a student (for one year) or a journalist (six years) in China and Southeast Asia"

Posted by baldemar on January 25, 2005 09:54 PM

Passage One is very logistical, with lots of numbers so it is logos. The author of Passage Two tells why they know what they are talking about to disprove an attitude, so he is using ethos. Dave Berry uses humor to relate/connect/get the attention of the audience, so he is using a form of ethos in Passage Three.

Posted by Karen on January 25, 2005 11:01 PM

In passage one she does use logos, but i also think that she uses pathos in the sense that she could be (depending on her audience) appealing to the fact that women have been "put behind" by society in the world. You combine that with a feminist attitude and you probly will turn some heads.

In passage 3 his tone seemed very colloquial which is probably why it is so effective when talking to men. His word choice and short sentence structure contributes to the ethos in this passage. This is his main way of connecting to his targeted audience.

Posted by Mike on January 25, 2005 11:41 PM

In passage one Adrienne Rich seems to be using logos as the rhetorical appeal becuase she is using numerical data to prove her point. The last line ,"And the number of illiterate women is increasing" kind of stands out. The author might be using parthos here by connecting to her audience emotionally.
Passage two seems to be written in ethos. The writer is being honest and authoritive in his argument.
Passage three uses ethos also. It is a humorous argument and seems like the writer is directly talking to the reader.

Posted by Rubina on January 26, 2005 12:48 AM

In the 1st passage Adrienne Rich is very statistical and conveys her argument through the usage of numbers and calculations, which in turn seem to convey the message for her.That in mind, the argument is established with Logos because it just makes sense. Within passage two Bernstein sets up a trust threshold with the reader by stating his credentials, and knowledge aboutthe subject at hand. Since the audience buys into his sincere tone the argument is conveyed using ethos. The third passage is to presented using ethos because the author sets up a laid back relationship with the reader, which lets one know that he is just a guy.

Posted by Kevin Jack on January 26, 2005 02:04 AM

I noticed immediately in passage 2 that ethos is used. Richard Bernstein makes it quite clear that he is well educated in his field and talks about his experience in China and Southeast Asia. I think logos is also used in his last statement; he provided the facts and experiences to come to a logical and reasonable conclusion.

Posted by Neeraj on January 26, 2005 02:19 AM

In the first passage, it is very obvious that Adrienne Rich uses logical arguements in order to convey her message. She uses statistics and numbers to back up her message that something needs to be done in order for more women to become literate. In addition, I think she also uses pathos because one can feel for women who may not have the chance to express their feelings and be heard.

Posted by eric on January 26, 2005 10:36 AM

In passage 1, the author uses logos because there are statistical figures that proves the logic behind illiteracy in men and women.

In passage 2, there is a mixture of pathos and egos. The author has the credibility of knowing that "there is no such thing as the 'Asian culture'" because he lived there as a student. I also include pathos because the author values the tradition he endured in China and Southeast Asia.

In passage 3, I believe that the author is using pathos. The emotions that the author let out in the last part of the phrase - "pondering our innermost feelings" - lets us know that her emotions towards 'guys' are not that great.

Posted by Maradona on January 26, 2005 11:22 AM

In passage three, David Barry is using humor and sarcasm to state an argument based on his character. He is trying to make a point that guys don't think too much about their "innermost feelings" that is why he hasn't much about the meaning of "guys". This gives him credibility because he is showing his guyhood, in a sense. This is why I think this is a statement based on ethos.

Posted by Van on January 26, 2005 12:50 PM