To establish his or her credibility, a n author may draw attention to who he or she is or what kinds of experience he or she has with the topic being discussed as an ethical appeal i. Some authors do not have to establish their credibility because the audience already knows who they are and that they are credible. Character is another aspect of ethos, and it is different from credibility because it involves personal history and even personality traits.
A person can be credible but lack character or vice versa. For example, in politics, sometimes the most experienced candidates — those who might be the most credible candidates — fail to win elections because voters do not accept their character. Politicians take pains to shape their character as leaders who have the interests of the voters at heart. The candidate who successfully proves to the voters the audience that he or she has the type of character that they can trust is more likely to win.
Thus, ethos comes down to trust. How can the author get the audience to trust him or her so that they will accept his or her argument? How can the the author make him or herself appear as a credible speaker who embodies the character traits that the audience values? Here is an example of a rhetorical move that connects with ethos: when reading an article about abortion, the author mentions that she has had an abortion.
That is an example of an ethical move because the author is creating credibility via anecdotal evidence and first person narrative. Trustworthiness: Often, a large part of conveying trustworthiness to an audience depends on the speaker's ability to demonstrate that he or she doesn't have a vested interest in convincing the audience of his or her views.
An audience should ideally feel that the speaker is impartial—doesn't stand to gain anything personal, like money or power, from winning listeners' favor—and that his or her opinions are therefore objective. In literature, this form of ethos is particularly relevant with respect to narrators.
Authors often have their narrators profess impartiality or objectivity at the outset of a book in order to earn the reader's trust in the narrator's reliability regarding the story he or she is about to tell. Expertise: The credentials, education, and professional specialty of a speaker all greatly contribute to his or her ethos. For instance, a doctor's assessment of a patient or a new drug will carry more weight with an audience than the opinion of someone with no medical training whatsoever.
This type of ethos translates into literature quite easily, in the sense that characters' opinions are often evaluated within the framework of their professions.
Similarity: Speakers can strengthen their ethos by pointing out things that they share with an audience. This is a common technique in American politics where, for example, a candidate for office might describe his or her modest upbringing, in an effort to demonstrate that he or she is an average American and therefore shares the same values as voters.
On the other hand, some speakers might find it more useful to convey that they are not like the audience and have a fresh, outside perspective. Either way, an important part of ethos is deciding whether to portray oneself as an insider or as an outsider to best make a point. Literary characters often use ethos to communicate similarity or likemindedness to other characters, and you can detect this by certain changes in their speech. In these situations, characters as well as real-life speakers often use a shibboleth— a specialized term or word used by a specific group of people—to show that they belong.
For example, if you knew the name of a special chemical used to make jello, and you wanted to impress the head of a jello company, the name of that chemical would count as a shibboleth and saying it would help you show the jello executive that you're "in the know. These include: Speaking in a certain manner or even with a certain accent. Demonstrating confident stage presence. Having reputable people to introduce the speaker in a positive light. Listing their credentials and achievements.
Ethos and Ad Hominem An ad hominem argument is a specific type of argument which involves attacking someone else's character or ethos, rather than attacking that person's position or point of view on the subject being discussed.
Ethos Examples Examples of Ethos in Literature Characters in novels often use ethos , as well as logos and pathos , to convince one another of certain arguments in the same way that a speaker in reality might use these techniques. Ethos in Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged In Atlas Shrugged, a group of pioneering American industrialists, financiers, and artists go on strike against a corrupt government. He promises that the strike will end only if Americans allow him to remake the country according to his moral code, which he explains in the following lines: Just as I support my life, neither by robbery nor alms, but by my own effort, so I do not seek to derive my happiness from the injury or the favor of others, but earn it by my own achievement.
Ethos in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter opens with a chapter called "The Custom-House," in which the unnamed narrator—who has a similar biography to Hawthorne—describes his job in a Custom House, a place where taxes were paid on imports in 18th century Massachusetts. Ethos in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby In the opening lines of The Great Gatsby , the narrator, Nick Carraway, claims that he has followed one piece of his father's advice throughout his life: In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since.
Examples of Ethos in Political Speeches Every politician recognizes that a speaker must earn an audience's respect and trust if he or she expects to be listened to. Ethos in Mitt Romney's Acceptance Speech at the Republican National Convention When he accepted the Republican presidential nomination in , Romney pointed to his business success as relevant experience that would serve him well if he were to take office: I learned the real lessons about how America works from experience.
Examples of Ethos in Advertisements Advertisers often attempt to use ethos to influence people to buy their product. Why Do Writers Use Ethos? The Dictionary Definition of Ethos: A definition and etymology of the term, which comes from the Greek ethos meaning "character, custom, or habit. Cite This Page. Sign up. Literary Terms Related to Ethos. See all Literary Terms Sign up! PDF downloads of all LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish.
Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all titles we cover. Figure 8. The rhetorical triangle [Image Description]. If your Powerpoint presentation is boring, you can think about how pathos could be used to help your audience take your message seriously. Identify how others are trying to persuade us: Ethos, pathos and logos can be useful tools for information literacy.
Is it all pathos with very few facts to back it up? Practicing Ethos, Pathos and Logos To practice your rhetorical triangle skills, see if you can identify how this vintagead for candy is using ethos, pathos and logos.
Our advanced security systems will protect the well-being of your family so that you can sleep soundly at night. Ever since our forefathers landed at Plymouth Rock, we've celebrated Thanksgiving without fail, making more than cherished recipes.
We've made memories. Make no mistake, they're the enemy, and they won't stop until we're all destroyed. I heard that that street is far more dangerous and ominous at night than during the daytime. Now is our turn to return the favor.
For God and country, gentlemen! Do you want to live the rest of your years yearning to know what would have happened if you just jumped when you had the chance?
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