Persuasive writing - ethos, pathos, and logos

Ethos, pathos, and logos are the three elements of persuasion to convince audiences - otherwise known as rhetorical appeals. These are only effective if the audience finds it persuasive.




Ethos is making a character or authority appeal. The elements of ethos include:
- The background of the speaker/writer. E.g. profession, expertise, education.
- Writing style. E.g. word choice, sentence complexity.
- The use of expert opinions. E.g. quotes, references.
If the speaker/writer can convince the audience the he/she is credible, then ethos is persuasive.

Pathos is making emotion appeal. The elements of pathos include:
- Imagery.
- Music.
- Examples/anecdotes.
- Pathetic fallacy.
If the speaker/writer can incite emotion onto the audience, then pathos is persuasive.

Logos is making logic appeal. The elements of logos include:
- Facts/statistics/data.
- Examples.
- Evidence/proof.
If the speaker.writer can convince the audience that the argument is logical, then logos is persuasive.

Critical literacy

What does the author of the text want us to know? It wants people to understand how hard it is to keep warm and healthy in the winter when you're in a poor family so they can donate money to give them the help they need.

What kind of social realities does the text portray? It portrays the struggles of being poor. In this case, its a family with children, and in the winter. Eg. It shows that ' struggling because the fire is not lit, which means that they aren't getting warmth in the house because they cant afford it.

How are children, teenagers, young adults and adults constructed in the text? The child in this text is presented as vulnerable. Having a sleeping bag and pillow on the couch shows that she is too poor to afford a bed.