Happiness by definition is “the state of being happy”; however for centuries people have tried to figure out what exactly it means to be “happy” and how to obtain a constant state of this so called “happiness”. The Article “There’s more to Life than Being Happy”, written by Emily Smith, strategically utilizes aspects of ethos, logos, and pathos to dig deeper into the concept of happiness and shed light on the idea that life is all about finding meaning not finding happiness. Smith’s article works to emphasize “the difference between the pursuit of meaning and the pursuit of happiness in life” within today’s society (Smith 2013). Smith effectively uses rhetoric to persuade her audience that there is a concrete side to the abstract idea of happiness and meaning.
The rhetorical device of ethos is used by Smith to create the sense of credibility throughout the article. By providing references from researchers and a study published in the Journal of Positive Psychology, the …show more content…
The statistic “Nearly a quarter of Americans do not have a strong sense of what makes their lives meaningful” works to insert the thought that having a sense of meaning in life is important (Smith 2013). The statistic is an important display of rhetoric because it targets the audience of triggers the question of whether or not meaning and happiness are the same thing. Smith also uses the ideas of Kathleen Vohs who is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania to appeal to the fact that professors and scientists believe that “meaning transcends the self while happiness is all about giving the self what it wants.” (Smith 2013). The fact that educated and invested scholars believe that there is more to life than being happy appeals to the concept that it logically makes sense to believe the ideas of both Smith and the various scholars, scientists, and psychologists that she
The rhetorical device of ethos is used by Smith to create the sense of credibility throughout the article. By providing references from researchers and a study published in the Journal of Positive Psychology, the …show more content…
The statistic “Nearly a quarter of Americans do not have a strong sense of what makes their lives meaningful” works to insert the thought that having a sense of meaning in life is important (Smith 2013). The statistic is an important display of rhetoric because it targets the audience of triggers the question of whether or not meaning and happiness are the same thing. Smith also uses the ideas of Kathleen Vohs who is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania to appeal to the fact that professors and scientists believe that “meaning transcends the self while happiness is all about giving the self what it wants.” (Smith 2013). The fact that educated and invested scholars believe that there is more to life than being happy appeals to the concept that it logically makes sense to believe the ideas of both Smith and the various scholars, scientists, and psychologists that she