President Bush, the night of the September 11th attacks, addressed the nation in order to comfort, reassure, and install hope within the lives of the American people. Bush, conscious of his audience, used Aristotle’s Three Ways to Persuade, to aide him in his goal to influence the nation on several levels. The use of logos, ethos and pathos, enabled him to convey a sense of security and confidence throughout America and the rest of the world.
ARISTOTLE’S MODES OF PERSUASION Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle was born in 384 B.C., Stagira, Greece. When he turned 17, he enrolled in Plato’s Academy. In 335, Aristotle founded his own school, the Lyceum, in Athens, where he spent most of the rest of his life studying, teaching …show more content…
Using logos means appealing to the readers’ sense of what is logical. Logos is the use of logic and facts to persuade the audience. Ethos is the personal character of the speaker. Ethos is an argument based on character. Using ethos means the writer or speaker appeals to the audience’s sense of ethical behavior. The writer or speaker presents him or herself to the audience as credible, trustworthy, honest and ethical. Pathos is the emotional influence of the speaker on the audience. The goal of the speech is to persuade the audience; therefore, it is necessary to put the audience in the proper emotional state. Aristotle noted that is of importance that each speaker knew, which emotions exists, how and under which circumstances the can be elicited. The public speaker has several possibilities to elicit emotions in the audience. Yet, it is crucial that there is a basic knowledge about the audience. Typical high emotional topics are value and belief systems, since these topics can vary from audience to audience, it is crucial to know the audience. There are also certain techniques and presentation styles that create or enhance emotions, which reduces the ability of the audience to be
ARISTOTLE’S MODES OF PERSUASION Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle was born in 384 B.C., Stagira, Greece. When he turned 17, he enrolled in Plato’s Academy. In 335, Aristotle founded his own school, the Lyceum, in Athens, where he spent most of the rest of his life studying, teaching …show more content…
Using logos means appealing to the readers’ sense of what is logical. Logos is the use of logic and facts to persuade the audience. Ethos is the personal character of the speaker. Ethos is an argument based on character. Using ethos means the writer or speaker appeals to the audience’s sense of ethical behavior. The writer or speaker presents him or herself to the audience as credible, trustworthy, honest and ethical. Pathos is the emotional influence of the speaker on the audience. The goal of the speech is to persuade the audience; therefore, it is necessary to put the audience in the proper emotional state. Aristotle noted that is of importance that each speaker knew, which emotions exists, how and under which circumstances the can be elicited. The public speaker has several possibilities to elicit emotions in the audience. Yet, it is crucial that there is a basic knowledge about the audience. Typical high emotional topics are value and belief systems, since these topics can vary from audience to audience, it is crucial to know the audience. There are also certain techniques and presentation styles that create or enhance emotions, which reduces the ability of the audience to be