Ethos, Logos, Pathos - Assignment Example

Ethos, Logos and Pathos Ethos, Logos and Pathos Braet (1992) asserts that whilst giving speeches, people employ the use of different argumentation theories for the purposes of developing relevant and specific concepts. On this basis, Aristotle argues that through ethos, logos, and pathos, speech creators always ensure that they appeal to audience. In a bid to establish a deeper understanding of ethos, logos, and pathos, the following paper uses speech delivered by Martin Luther King, “I have a dream”.

Notably, Braet (1992) confirms that Martin Luther King delivered powerful speeches during the ancient time. In his speech “I have a dream”, he stated firmly that all men were created equal despite other social constructions such as race or color. He swayed and captured his followers by using three devices which include ethos, logos and pathos (Braet, 1992). He represented the ethos quite well in his speech which was his credibility in the speech. Being an African-American, he and other Negroes could undergo various discriminations.

He stood firm to change people’s views by giving real examples for the people to judge their conditions of sufferings. Braet (1992) asserts that the rhetorical device of logos which refers to reasoning is another style King made excellent use of. In his speech he narrated the history of America and then used this to explain the reason why he gathered people for the speech I have a dream that day as Braet (1992) puts it. By saying that the time to open the door of opportunity to all God’s children, King uses the style of reason to make a promise that all men black or white is guaranteed the right to life, liberty and happiness.

Eventually, was the usage of pathos style which is the heart and emotion of the protest in martin’s speech. King used to go to his audience on the same level as they were on and spoke both his heart and that one of the audience (Braet, 1992). The use of emotion was demonstrated when he spoke of freedom, justice and liberty and the level of his voice and gestures would emphasize this style.ReferencesBraet, A. C. (1992). Ethos, pathos and logos in Aristotles Rhetoric: A re-examination. Argumentation, 6 (3), 307-320.