Pathos
Pathos
This week we talked and learned about forms of rhetoric. I find Pathos the most compelling. The idea of Pathos of course is to pull at the heart strings of the audience or create a feeling to support what the advertisement or propaganda is trying to sell. It truly is the most powerful form. Our brains create bias naturally and seeing something that negatively or positively affects your emotons will most defenitly create support or hate for said topic.
For example, a tire company posts a simple picture of a cute baby holding their product (a tire). With the heading "Michelin, because so much is riding on your tires." This a clear pathos, and a powerful one at that. Immediately all mothers and fathers who see the ad think of their families and think to trust Michelins tires, and even become a user of them.
It really is good business. Ethos and logos can also be powerful and of course they work as they are so commonly used. However, the power of emotion makes me state that Pathos is the most powerful form of persuasion and rhetoric.
Although I see your side, I don't think I 100% agree with you on the fact that Pathos is the most powerful form of persuasion. I believe that Pathos and Logos together are the most powerful. You can have emotion behind persuasion, but with out logic and reason, you won't go very far in persuading people to see your side.
ReplyDeleteI see what you're saying here. Anytime I see one of those commercials about dogs in shelters I always think about adopting! Pathos is a good way of getting your viewers hooked. I believe that no single one (ethos, pathos, logos, etc.) are powerful on their own. The best way to really sell your point is to have aspects of all of these. You want to sound reliable, be able to tell a story but also share facts about your cause.
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