Ethos, Logos and Pathos that Rev King Used - Essay Example

Target group This book review is a letter written by Rev King targeting 8 clergymen in Alabama. The clergy men are of an average age of 50years. They all live in Birmingham city. They are all married, and most of them have children. They live in a middle class society and have a high social influence. Thesis The following document is a review of the letter of written by Rev King to the clergymen in Alabama. He responds to the letter of allegations posed by the clergymen on the chaos in Birmingham between the black and the white people. Rev King writes a letter to the clergymen when he is in jail. This document analyzes the use of Ethos, Logos and Pathos that Rev King uses in his argument. The document concludes with the essence of using these forms of argumentative writing and their application in a real life situation. Introduction An argument can be defined as a discussion in which reasons are advanced for and against some proposition or proposal. In other cases, an argument is a fact or assertion offered as evidence that something is true. Arguments are defined by the circumstances in which they fall (Ramage D John, Bean C John Bean & C Johnson 94). There are three ways of presenting an argument. These are Ethos, Pathos and Logos. Ethos refers to the impression given by an author to his or her audience. It is being based on the convincing the reader the potential of a character. Pathos is a form of argumentative based on how well the author impresses the reader’s emotions. Language of choice is of much weight since it predicts the emotional appeal of the audience which in turn can be used to develop an argument. Logos is simply the swaying of people by making use of reasoning, which can either be inductive or deductive reasoning. Its impact on the audience is referred to as argument’s logical appeal. The logos can also be termed as the details and statistics that aid in sustaining the argument. Ethos It is determined by the credibility of the authors. It is expressed through tone and by how the authors refer to various views. The authors’ character influences ethos. The writers show this by showing how one can make an argument to triumph for professional and also personal reasons fall (Ramage D John, Bean C John Bean & C Johnson 132). In the book ‘Informed argument,’ the others portray this style of writing Rev King writes a letter to the clergy men in Birmingham. In the letter, he tries to respond to the wrong accusation posed by the clergy men. The clergy referred the activities of King Luther as unwise. Rev King was unhappy about the treatment of black people in Birmingham. The bombing of negreus in Birmingham city was a sign of racial segregation that annoyed Rev King. He influenced the reaction of people in opposition to racism. The clergy men accuse him of taking this course and refraining from solving the problem diplomatically. He argues that dialogue cannot occur with only one party involve in the decision making. This was in reference to the white people. He farther insists that people in Birmingham live in monologue rather than dialogue. Ethos is present in this argument as the authors try to create an impression on why the black people resisted oppression. Rev King argues that the black people did not opt for chaos but were forced to react after their hope of negotiation with the white failed to produce results. Rev King tries to convince the clergymen that he was not wrong when he indirectly convinced the people to rebel. He argues by creating an impression that the situation was out of hand due to the bombing in Birmingham and the failure of dialogue to make peace. Ethos can simply be referred to as a convincing language. Pathos This is motivational or rather the emotional appeals. It applies in all contexts: political blobs, community service announcements and newspaper editorials. No argument lacks motivational appeal fall (Ramage D John, Bean C John Bean & C Johnson 132). The emotional response varies from the author to the reader. Consider an argument such as anger, sadness, capital punishment, relief, pity, fear. The readers respond emotionally to specific points which can be frightening. A writer will try to inspire people by raising a call to loyalty in a dispute concerning action to take in opposition to terrorism. On the other hand, it is impossible to tell what response he or she will bring out. One can only expect reactions on the base of his or her own experience, familiarity of the book lovers and the identity with the rhetorical background. In the book ‘Informed argument’, Rev King acts as a reformist motivated by his emotions. He says that word tension does not threaten him. He continues to argue that in order for the mayor to act, there must be massive resistance to desegregation from devotees of civil rights (Yagelski Robert & Miller k Robert 576). He uses the notion of good motives to create a resistance force. He is threatened as he is being thrown into prison and faces confrontation from clergymen. He uses his emotional to argue in his defense that he is indeed not wrong in his actions. Logos The judgment and logic is used to sustain a claim which can either be deduction or induction as well as figures and facts in other cases. Aristotle, a classical rhetorician, gave much consideration to how to think logically and make use of logic to sway an audience. Logos also entails having an excellent command of language and information. Logic is mainly related with objectivity thus does not rely on emotions as pathos does. In the letter to the clergymen, the authors portray Logos in Rev King’s argument that the new elected mayor cannot end segregation. The clergy had decided to leave the matter into the hand of the city administration in which Rev King did not consider being logical. Mr. Albert Boutwell the new elected mayor was not different from Mr. Connor who was at that time the former mayor. Yagelski Robert & Miller k Robert 577). They were both segregationist and could not be relied on to bring an end racial segregation. Rev King was using the aspect of logic to convince the clergymen that he did not trust in the administration to facilitate change. Conclusion According to Logos form of writing, arguments do not depend on logic alone though its use is extremely useful. This is because people view reason more powerful than emotion in regard to argumentation. Pathos forms of writing consider emotions as quite effective when used carefully as well as ethically. The power of motivation or emotion regarding an argument is dependent on how well one can evaluate the impact on the audience. The author should also make sure that the reader’s emotions are well evoked. Ethos form of writing is based on the importance of a convincing power in an argument. The notion of Ethos can apply to various human activities for instance when seeking for employment. It is necessary to use the convincing terms when seeking for a job. It is unlikely for people to acquire a job opportunity if they fail to convince the employer that they are eligible for the job. Therefore by demonstrating excellent credibility, it is possible to present one as a professional as well as a respectful person seeking to gain more experience. Work cited Yagelski Robert, Miller k Robert. The Informed Argument. 8th ed: New York. Oxford Pub. 2012. Print. Ramage D John, Bean C John Bean, C Johnson. Writing Arguments. 4th ed: New York. John Willy and Sons. 1998. Print. Read More