The Rhetorical Triangle:Ethos, Pathos, Logos

Aristotle’s Rhetorical Triangle

• Aristotle taught that persuasive speaking is based on how well a speaker appeals to audience in three areas: logos, ethos, pathos.

• Logos, ethos, and pathos are methods of persuasion.

• Triangle represents the balanced interaction between logos (text/subject), ethos (speaker/writer), and pathos (audience), which creates effective writing.

Aristotle’s Rhetorical Triangle

• Logos:– Appeal to reason– Text of an argument; how well writer argues

his/her point.– Includes: Facts, statistics, surveys and polls,

testimony and narrative; common sense.• Ethos:– Appeal to writer’s character; credibility– Role of the writer in the argument; how

credible his/her argument is; writer’s persona.– Includes admitting limitations, exceptions or

weaknesses; honesty about motives.

Aristotle’s Rhetorical Triangle

• Pathos:– Appeal to emotion and sympathetic

imagination, as well as beliefs and values.

– Role of audience in the argument. – Includes humor.

Overlap

• Often a particular aspect of a text will represent more than one appeal.

• Example:– Use of credible sources can be

considered both logos and ethos.– Credible sources support the logic and

reasoning of a text and portray the writer as thoughtful and engaged with the subject.