The Core of an Argument

Pathos is used in the rhetorical triangle because it is associated with emotional appeal. By having pathos, you are able to capture the audience’s “imaginative sympathies”. (p.75) It is what the reader feels and sees. “Thus, when we turn the abstractions of logical discourse into a palpable and immediate story, we are making a pathetic appeal.” (p. 75) That’s a big sentence. To break it down, what I think Ramage, Bean, and Johnson (the author’s of Writing Arguments) are saying is that when we use logos, we’re using reasoning in an argument and when we use ethos, we are focusing on the credibility and the evidence we’re given. Using pathos hits home with a reader because of the emotional appeal. That is why it is such a “powerful rhetorical device”. (LaMags)