Rhetorical triangle examples in literature

Aristotle rhetorical triangle
Rhetorical theory
Aristotle ethos, pathos, logos

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The Rhetorical Triangle: Ethos, Pathos and Logos

Thousands of years ago, Aristotle provided us with three ways to appeal to an audience, and they’re called logos, pathos, and ethos. You’ll learn more about each appeal in the discussion below, but the relationship between these three appeals is also often called the rhetorical triangle as shown in Figure 8.2. The idea is a persuasive message has all 3 of the points of a triangle. (As you can see, this is a very triangle-heavy chapter).

Pathos

Latin for emotion, pathos is the fastest way to get your audience’s attention. People tend to have emotional responses before their brains kick in and tell them to knock it off. Be careful though. Too much pathos can make your audience feel emotionally manipulated or angry because they’re also looking for the facts to support whatever emotional claims you might be making so they know they can trust you.

Many donations campaigns draw on pathos, such as this classic ASPCA ad:

Logos

Latin for logic, logos is where those facts come in. Your audience will

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The Persuasion Triad — Aristotle Still Teaches

The Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 b.c.e.) classified properties of items and concepts in the known universe. One of his most fundamental discoveries was the composition of persuasive speaking. Although Aristotle identified the “three appeals” that make it up 23 centuries ago, when the known universe was smaller, they are timeless. Persuaders of all types have been relying on them since, including we who appeal to users through UX design.

The Trinity of Persuasion

Looking at any act where a speaker tries convincing another person or group, we might first see someone arguing a point. From debating in school to selling merchandise on TV, persuaders state a case to win over an audience in order for the latter to do something. The persuader needs a) an objective, b) an audience, and c) to reach that audience with a message. Specifically, he/she has to persuade them, as opposed to an authority figure ordering them to do something. Aristotle identified that the art of persuasion consisted of three parts:

1) Logos — Appealing to

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Aristotle's Rhetorical Situation

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Rhetorical Concepts

Many people have heard of the rhetorical concepts of logos, ethos, and pathos even if they do not necessarily know what they fully mean. These three terms, along with kairos and telos, were used by Aristotle to help explain how rhetoric functions. In ancient Greece, these terms corresponded with basic components that all rhetorical situations have.

Logos

Logos is frequently translated as some variation of “logic or reasoning,” but it originally referred to the actual content of a speech and how it was organized. Today, many people may discuss the logos qualities of a te