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.