Pathos

Pathos is a term derived from the Greek word for "suffering" or "experience". It is one of the three modes of persuasion in rhetoric (along with ethos and logos) that refers to an appeal to the audience's emotions. Pathos is a method of convincing people with an argument drawn out through an emotional response.

Overview

Aristotle identified pathos as one of the three essential modes of proof in his work on rhetoric, alongside ethos and logos. Pathos represents an appeal to the emotions of the audience, and elicits feelings that already reside in them. Pathos is often associated with emotional appeal. But a better equivalent might be 'appeal to the audience's sympathies and imagination'. An appeal to pathos causes an audience not just to respond emotionally but to identify with the writer's point of view—to feel what the writer feels. In this sense, pathos evokes a meaning implicit in the verb 'to suffer'—to feel pain imaginatively.

Usage in Rhetoric

Pathos can be particularly powerful if used well, but most speeches do not solely rely on pathos. Pathos is most effective when the author or speaker demonstrates shared experiences or values with the audience. It is often used in speeches and can also be used in personal and formal essays.

See Also

• Ethos
• Logos
• Rhetoric
• Aristotle

References

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