English Language: Issues and Ethics, Article Review Example

Introduction

The purpose of argumentative writing is to try persuading the audience that the ideas being presented are valid and real or even more valid than someone else’s. Aristotle, the Greek philosopher divided the forms of persuasion, appeals into three different groups namely Ethos, Pathos and Logos. According to him, our perception of a speaker or even writers characters has great influence on how convincing or believable we find what that the individual has to say. This projected character is referred to as the writer’s ethos or speaker. Of course we are more likely to be convinced by a person who we believe has individual warmth, a good mind, solid learning and good mind.

We always know something of the character of the writers and speakers ahead of time. That is, they come with extrinsic ethos or a reputation. Individuals whose experience, previous performance and education give them the qualification to speak about certain things obtain the special extrinsic ethos of the authority. According to Jori (p142), however, whether we get to know anything about the writer or speaker ahead of time or not, the actual passage or book we read or hear, how it is spoken or written and what it contains, always expresses an impression of the character of the author. This impression brought about by the passage itself is the intrinsic ethos.

Ethos (Credibility)

This is also known as ethical appeal and refers to convincing by the author’s character. We tend to believe the individuals whom we have respect for. The major problem of argumentation is the projection of an impression to the reader that you are someone who should be listened to,  or making yourself as a writer into an authority on the topic of the paper, and also someone who is worthy of respect and pleasant. Nevertheless, persuasion from ethos created the author’s or speaker’s good character. As seen in the opening of Plato’s Phaedrus, the Greeks created a sense of ethos by a family’s reputation in the society.

The present culture in several ways denies many people the use of the family ethos as daughters and sons should move out of the society in order to find jobs or parents feel that they have to disposes the family home by selling to join a retirement society apart from the society of the work of their lives (Rose, p43).

The appeal from an individual’s recognized life contributions within a society has actually moved from the family hearth stability to the mobility of the gleaming car. However, without the ethos of the fine name and grip, the present forms of cultural ethos normally fall to puffed-up documents or resumes and other papers.

Pathos (Emotional)

This means persuasion by appealing to the emotions of the reader. When we consider the texts that range from classic essays to contemporary advertisements we can be able to see how Pathos or emotional appeals are used in persuasion. The choice of language affects the emotional response of the audience, and emotional appeal can be used effectively in the enhancement of an argument. Moreover, the persuasive appeal of pathos is a demand of sense of identity, emotions and self-interest of the audience.

Most rhetoricians over the past centuries have perceived or regarded pathos as the strongest among all the appeals, although this persuasion view is not often mentioned without complain about the power of emotion to affect the mind. The emotions also help greatly, probably sometimes by determining persuasion (Boche?ski, p67). If, for instance, an author wants a reader to analyze something in a negative way, he or she may try to arouse the anger of the reader, or produce an action that benefits someone else, such as persuasion towards making a charitable donation, anger may work on the audience’s pity.

Logos (Logical)

This refers to persuasion by the use of reasoning. This is actually Aristotle’s favorite and also the one that has been studied most. Here, the arguer gives clear reasons that support his or her position. There are several ways of describing the back-up or support that is given in an argument. The simplest way of starting is by considering all the premise that the writer seems to use. These can be spread throughout the argument and also expressed in an indirect way, thus, identification of the premises is actually a judgment call in itself.

The writer can also use inductive logic by giving his or her readers several similar examples and then drawing a general proposition from them. This logic is somehow easy given this, that together with the other thing-proof and then make a conclusion. The author can also use the deductive enthymeme by providing his or her readers with few common propositions and then drawing a specific truth from them.

Work cited

Boche?ski, M. Ancient Formal Logic. Amsterdam: North-Holland Publishing Company. 1989, p67

Rose, E. Aristotle’s Syllogistic. Springfield: Charles C Thomas Publisher. 1998, p43

Jori, A. Aristotle. Milano: Bruno Mondadori Editore. 2003, p142