Last week we discussed the speaker/ writer and their character — which is the rhetorical appeal, ethos. This week we will discuss pathos, which is the emotional pull on the audience. Whereas ethos was akin to the speaker or writer, pathos is the audience. You want to appeal to your audience’s emotions with your speech or writing, perhaps by telling stories or using descriptive language. When you connect emotionally with your audience, the listener or reader sympathizes with you. When analyzing songs, for example, lyrical content, intonation, and melody all create a desired emotion that the musician wants their listeners to feel. We see directors and screenwriters use pathos to pull the audience into the plot and connect emotionally with the characters on screen.
Next week we will discuss the final rhetorical appeal logos to conclude this series.
