*IMPROVED* How to Write About Ethos, Pathos, & Logos (The BEST Way)!

Summary

In this episode of the Garden of English, Tim Frus encourages viewers to refine their rhetorical skills by understanding and applying ethos, pathos, and logos effectively. He advises against using Greek terms in English essays, emphasizing the importance of precision and clarity. Tim provides examples to illustrate how to identify and articulate these appeals in writing, advocating for a nuanced approach that reflects the complexity of rhetoric. He also recommends resources to help viewers enhance their rhetorical analysis skills.

Takeaways

• 🌱 The video emphasizes the importance of growth in both physical stature and mental capacity, drawing parallels between learning new skills and understanding rhetorical concepts.
• 🎓 The presenter, Tim Frus, encourages viewers to reflect on their initial experiences learning new concepts, highlighting the transition from rudimentary to nuanced understanding.
• 📚 The video discusses the core concepts of ethos, pathos, and logos, which are central to rhetoric, but suggests that understanding the 'rhetorical situation' is a prerequisite.
• 🔍 The presenter advises against using Greek terms in English rhetorical analysis, advocating for clear and precise English expressions instead.
• 📖 It's noted that the College Board's AP Language course and exam description does not emphasize Greek terms, aiming to prevent over-reliance on these terms in teaching and exams.
• 👨‍🏫 Tim Frus, being part of the development team for the AP Language course and exam description, shares insider knowledge on the curriculum's intent.
• 📝 The video provides guidance on how to write precisely about rhetorical appeals, suggesting that vague terms like 'pathos' should be replaced with specific emotional appeals identified in the text.
• 🔗 Links to additional resources, including a video on the rhetorical situation and an exam prep guide, are provided in the video description for further learning.
• 🎯 The importance of precision in writing is underscored, with examples given to illustrate how to articulate specific rhetorical strategies without using Greek terms.
• 🤝 The video concludes with a call to action for viewers to improve their writing skills by avoiding Greek terms and focusing on clear, precise English.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the 'Garden of English' video presented by Tim Frus?

The main theme of the video is the exploration of core concepts in rhetoric, specifically ethos, pathos, and logos, and how to properly conceptualize and discuss them in the context of rhetorical analysis without relying on the Greek terms themselves.

Why does Tim Frus suggest that understanding the rhetorical situation is crucial before discussing ethos, pathos, and logos?

Tim Frus suggests that understanding the rhetorical situation is crucial because it provides the foundation for analyzing the function of ethos, pathos, and logos. Without comprehending the context of the speaker, audience, and message, it's difficult to accurately assess how these appeals are being used.

What is Tim Frus's stance on using Greek terms like ethos, pathos, and logos in English rhetorical analysis?

Tim Frus is against using Greek terms like ethos, pathos, and logos in English rhetorical analysis. He believes that it's more effective to use English terms and be precise in describing the rhetorical strategies being employed.

Why does Tim Frus believe that the use of Greek terms in AP Language exams should be avoided?

Tim Frus believes that Greek terms should be avoided in AP Language exams because the College Board's course and exam description does not include these terms, aiming to prevent teachers from overemphasizing them and students from feeling obligated to use them.

What is the connection between the English word 'ethics' and the Greek term 'ethos'?

The English word 'ethics' shares the same root as the Greek term 'ethos', which refers to an appeal to a speaker's character or authority.

How does Tim Frus suggest improving the precision of writing about pathos in rhetorical analysis?

Tim Frus suggests improving the precision of writing about pathos by identifying the specific emotions being evoked, the speaker making the appeal, and the choice made by the speaker to elicit those emotions.

What is the advice given for writing about ethos in a rhetorical analysis essay?

The advice for writing about ethos is to pinpoint the speaker, articulate the actual choice made by the speaker to build character, and describe the specific character being built, rather than using vague terms.

Can ethos and logos overlap in their effects according to Tim Frus?

Yes, according to Tim Frus, ethos and logos can overlap in their effects. He gives an example of a toothpaste advertisement where the recommendation by dental professionals serves both to build the company's character as trustworthy and to highlight the logical choice for consumers.

What is the importance of precision in writing about emotional appeals, as emphasized by Tim Frus?

The importance of precision in writing about emotional appeals is to clearly identify the specific emotion being targeted, as opposed to using broad terms that do not convey the intended effect or analysis accurately.

What resources does Tim Frus recommend for further understanding of burying ethos, pathos, and logos?

Tim Frus recommends graphic resources created by his friend Katie Storms, which are linked in the video description, to help viewers understand how to effectively write about these concepts without using the Greek terms.

Outlines

00:00

🌱 Introduction to Rhetorical Growth and Concepts

Tim Frus from the Garden of English introduces the video by reflecting on human growth, both physical and mental. He draws a parallel between learning new concepts and developing skills over time, such as playing a sport or an instrument. Tim emphasizes the journey from beginner to mastery and encourages viewers to embrace the learning process. He sets the stage for discussing core concepts in rhetoric: ethos, pathos, and logos. However, he argues that understanding the 'rhetorical situation' is more fundamental. Tim suggests that viewers watch another video for an introduction to rhetorical situations before diving into the Greek terms. He also promotes his exam prep guide for AP English students and encourages viewers to engage with the video by liking, subscribing, and accessing the description for more resources.

05:01

📚 The Importance of Precision in Rhetorical Analysis

In this section, Tim addresses the common mistake of using Greek terms like ethos, pathos, and logos in English rhetorical analysis. He argues against this practice, suggesting that using English terms is more appropriate and clearer for understanding. Tim provides insights from the AP Language course and exam description, noting that these terms are not emphasized in the official curriculum. He shares his experience from the development of the course and exam description, explaining the intentional exclusion of Greek terms to avoid overemphasis. Tim then moves on to discuss the overlap and complexity of rhetorical appeals, using examples to illustrate how ethos, pathos, and logos can be intertwined in real-world scenarios. He critiques vague writing and provides guidance on how to write more precisely about these appeals, emphasizing the need to identify the speaker, the choice made, and the intended effect on the audience.

10:02

📝 Writing Precisely About Ethos, Pathos, and Logos

Tim continues his discussion on the proper approach to writing about ethos, pathos, and logos without using the Greek terms directly. He provides examples of how to articulate the concepts clearly and effectively in English. For ethos, he uses a toothpaste advertisement as an example, showing how the brand builds its character as reliable and effective without stating the term 'ethos'. Similarly, for logos, he demonstrates how the advertisement's claim of being recommended by dental professionals can be tied to both ethos and logos, showcasing the overlap between the appeals. Tim stresses the importance of precision in writing to convey a clear understanding of the rhetorical strategies used. He also mentions resources by Katie Storms that help visualize these concepts and encourages viewers to access these for free in the video description.

Keywords

💡Rhetoric

Rhetoric refers to the art of persuasive speaking or writing. In the video, rhetoric is the central theme as the speaker discusses how to analyze and understand different rhetorical strategies. The script mentions 'rhetorical Enlightenment' and the use of rhetorical terms like ethos, pathos, and logos, which are essential tools in rhetoric for persuasion.

💡Ethos

Ethos in rhetoric is an appeal to the character or credibility of the speaker. The video script explains that ethos is about demonstrating the speaker's authority or trustworthiness. An example from the script is the use of dental professionals' recommendations to build the character of a toothpaste brand as reliable and effective.

💡Pathos

Pathos is an appeal to the audience's emotions. The video emphasizes the importance of being precise when writing about pathos, suggesting that identifying specific emotions is crucial. An example given is an ASPCA commercial meant to evoke sorrow and pity for abused animals.

💡Logos

Logos is an appeal to logic or reason. The script discusses how logos is used to show the reasonableness of an argument. An example is a toothpaste ad that uses the recommendation of dental professionals to highlight the logical choice for consumers.

💡Rhetorical Situation

The rhetorical situation encompasses the context in which a message is conveyed, including the speaker, audience, and message itself. The video script suggests that understanding the rhetorical situation is fundamental to analyzing ethos, pathos, and logos effectively.

💡AP English

AP English refers to the Advanced Placement English course and exam. The video script mentions that the use of Greek terms like ethos, pathos, and logos is discouraged in AP English exams, emphasizing the need for precise English over technical jargon.

💡Precision

Precision in writing is highlighted as critical in the video. It is mentioned that instead of using vague terms, one should be specific about the rhetorical appeals being made. For instance, rather than saying 'the author uses pathos,' one should describe what specific emotional response is being targeted.

💡Appeal

An appeal in rhetoric is a strategy used to persuade an audience. The video discusses three types of appeals: ethical (ethos), emotional (pathos), and logical (logos). Understanding and identifying these appeals is key to analyzing rhetoric, as illustrated through various examples in the script.

💡Character Judgments

Character judgments are assessments made about a speaker's or brand's credibility. The video script uses the example of a toothpaste brand building its character as trustworthy by associating itself with dental professionals' recommendations.

💡Modes of Persuasion

Modes of persuasion are strategies used to influence an audience, which include ethos, pathos, and logos. The video script explains that these modes are not used in the official AP English course description, but students are expected to understand them as part of persuasive communication.

💡Emotional Spectrum

The emotional spectrum refers to the wide range of emotions that can be evoked. The video script points out the importance of specifying which emotion is being targeted in an appeal to pathos, as different emotions can have different impacts on an audience.

Highlights

Emphasizes the importance of understanding rhetoric as a human growth process.

Introduces the concept of applying new concepts in a rudimentary form and growing to see complexity.

Advocates for the understanding of rhetorical situation before delving into ethos, pathos, and logos.

Suggests that the rhetorical situation is foundational to the study of rhetoric.

Provides a link to a video that explains the rhetorical situation in detail.

Recommends avoiding the use of Greek terms in English rhetorical analysis.

Points out that the College Board's AP Language course description avoids Greek terms.

Shares personal involvement in the development of the AP Language course and exam description.

Advises against using vague language when discussing rhetorical appeals.

Explains the English equivalents of ethos, pathos, and logos and their relevance.

Stresses the need for precision in writing about rhetorical appeals.

Provides examples of how to write precisely about pathos in rhetorical analysis.

Discusses the overlap of rhetorical appeals and the importance of recognizing this in analysis.

Gives a detailed example of how to write about ethos without using the term.

Demonstrates how to write about logos by connecting it with ethos in a toothpaste advertisement example.

Encourages the use of precise English over Greek terms for a clearer rhetorical analysis.

Offers resources from Katie Storms for further understanding of burying ethos, pathos, and logos.

Ends with an encouragement to learn to write effective rhetorical analysis essays.

Transcripts

welcome folks this is the garden of

English and I'm Tim frus I want to take

a moment and reflect on being a human

with you all as humans we not only grow

in our stature but also in Our Minds

when we first learn new Concepts we

typically apply them in a rudimentary

form but as we practice them we begin to

see greater complexity and Nuance think

about the first time that you ever

learned to play a sport or an instrument

you started with the basics but through

practice and application you learn to

fluidly blend techniques what seemed to

be so hard but became significantly

easier over time and I'm willing to bet

that if you look back on the times when

you were a beginner you might even be

embarrassed to think of how you were but

I want you to picture today's video like

these times in your life when you learn

something new and I want to talk about

some Core Concepts that you must

understand when it comes to discussing

rhetoric but I also want to give you

some advice about how to start building

your skill set so that by the end of

this video you'll be able to cast off

your old rhetorical self and put on the

new one today we're going to explore how

you can properly conceptualize ethos

posos and logos while on your journey to

rhetorical Enlightenment often when

rhetoric is introduced people start with

these three terms I don't really support

this position here's why in order to

really understand these Concepts it's

actually more important to know how to

analyze What's called the rhetorical

situation first without understanding

what the rhetorical situation is or what

comprises it it's incredibly hard to

analyze the function of the three Greek

terms that I've previously mentioned

mentioned now this video is not about

the rhetorical situation so if you want

to gain some introductory experience

with what should be the foundation of

your rhetorical studies you'll want to

check out my video that does that and it

looks like this it's also linked in the

description right below this video of

course as you trk down to the

description you can feel free to hit

that like button and the Subscribe

button and the channel member button and

the super thanks button clicking any of

those while you're venturing to access

the description will not only help us as

we work to reach our goal of 10 million

subscribers are you serious but it will

also get Garden of English content out

to others just like you by the way in

the description you'll also find a link

to my exam prep guide that will help you

earn high marks in your AP English class

and a qualifying score on your exam

since it covers all of the content that

you need to know for the course and it

includes plenty of multiple choice

practice and practice exams and other

self-study materials it even includes

content that aligns with AP US History

units anyway let's say that you've

already taken care of learning about the

rhetorical situation and the content

that's involved with that I know I got

it I got the concept now it's time to

address the major problem with using

these three classical Greek terms in

your writing when you write a rhetorical

analysis I want you to think about what

class you are learning all of these

terms in English class here's the issue

why would you want to use Greek when you

can use English I don't know or if

you're an AP L student do you think it

would be best to use Greek on your

English test yeah no but I'm not just

just saying all of this because I'm

trying to be discriminatory I'm actually

giving you this advice for two reasons

first in the AP Lan course and exam

description which is the guide that the

College Board provides teachers so they

can prepare you for the course and the

APL exam you will never find any of

these Greek terms that I've listed the

only illusion to ethos pathos and logos

you will find shows up in unit 2 in the

Essential Knowledge portion where the

CED recognizes that students need to

know that arguments seek to persuade or

motivate actions through appeals the

modes of persuasion those modes of

persuasion are ethos pathos and logos

notice how those words are not used in

the actual guiding document for the

course these words purposefully were not

included when the curriculum Frameworks

were being built this was so that

teachers wouldn't harp on such terms in

their classrooms and so that students

wouldn't feel obligated to write these

words when completing a rhetorical

analysis essay especially on their exams

you may be wondering how I would know

this information I what

I'll tell you see how my name is in the

acknowledgements at the front of the

College Board issued course and exam

description for this class I was

involved in parts of its development and

I know some of the conversations that

happened around not including those

Greek terms wait did I just make an

appeal to Authority that would logically

support my claim so does that mean that

I used ethos and logos right there well

technically yes but I'd never ever want

to word like that no especially in a

rhetorical analysis essay whether it's

on exam day or otherwise so let's figure

out what we should do when writing about

ethos posos and logos ethos in English

means an appeal to a speaker's character

or authority our English word ethics

shares the same root of the word ethos

and when you consider if a person is

ethical you often make character

judgments posos means an appeal to an

audience's emotions our word pathetic

shares the same root as posos and if you

think of how many times you've ever used

the word pathetic even if you thought

you were using it to mean simple or

stupid the event you were considering

pathetic was probably highly emotional

in nature man you are one pathetic

loser now logos means an appeal to logic

and the reasonability of a speaker's

message logic logos I think that's

reasonable enough I agree now I provided

these definitions because inside of them

you'll need to notice that elements of

the rhetorical situation are included

speaker audience and message must be

intrinsically understood in order to

even conceptualize how these terms

relate to what you are rhetorically

analyzing thus as I've already mentioned

it's important to make sure that you can

identify and describe elements of the

rhetorical situation before jumping into

the Greek what's also important is that

you know that while you experience

varied readings speeches advertisements

and conversations and you begin to

recognize these Concepts in action these

Greek appeals often overlap with one

another so I'm thrilled that you may

notice an appeal to character or an

appeal to emotions or an appeal to the

reasonability of something but you'll

have to expand your mind and realize

that these appeals are seldom isolated

English is like nesting dolls not

individualized boxes what I mean is that

something can be an ethical appeal an

emotional appeal and a logical appeal

all at the same time or they can be

entirely separate I know that this may

seem complex but this is the growing

process that I mentioned at the

beginning of the video when you learn

something new so let's look at some

examples where we can identify some of

the appeals and then let's learn how to

more precisely write about them even at

the AP reading in May and June after

students have taken a full year of AP

laying I often read sentences like the

following in rhetorical analysis essays

check these out the author uses posos to

appeal to the audience's emotions or the

author uses posos to pull on the heart

strings of the audience unfortunately

although students think they are

actually writing something they're not

what the prior sentences actually say is

that the author uses emotions to appeal

to the audience's emotions thank you

Captain obvious congratulations you've

said

nothing now I get it if you've ever

written a sentence like this I'm

thrilled that you may have noticed that

the speaker was trying to get the

audience to be emotional but you need to

be more precise good writing is

precision writing so here's what you're

going to want to do in order to make

this sentence significantly better first

you want to ditch the word use because

that's a terrible verb for a rhetorical

choice you can also find out more about

rhetorical choices in the unit 2 videos

in my exam prep guide and second you

want to actually identify every vague

element of your sentence and make it

more precise and concrete so let's

pretend that we had just watched an

ASPCA commercial you know those

commercials about animal rights imagine

we've just heard the song in the minor

key and we've seen all the mangled dogs

and cats and all those things like that

well sure the commercial was meant to

make people emotional but you need to be

precise and identifying what in the

commercial actually happens and what

emotion is meant to be evoked instead of

using the generic the author uses pathos

to appeal to emotions you'd want to

precisely identify the speaker who

happens to be the ASPCA you want to

precisely identify the choice of the

speaker which would be consistently

including pictures of abused animals and

then you'd want to precisely identify

the emotion or emotions that these

pictures should be evoking in the viewer

in this case these emotions would be

sorrow and pity so to write about posos

which is an umbrella term we want to

actually articulate this the ASPCA

consistently includes pictures of abused

animals which moves those viewing the

commercial to feel sorrow and pity good

work did I say posos in that sentence

absolutely not did I just write about it

really well you bet by the way if you

want to see the ASPCA commercial that

I'm referring to it's linked in the

description now one last thing here it's

important that you realize why you need

to be precise when writing about

emotional appeals think about the broad

spectrum of emotions that exist you have

the positive ones like love and joy and

the negative ones like hatred and fear

and you have everything in between even

more neutral ones like in we when you

just say POS or the word emotional how

am I supposed to know which emotion

you're actually talking about on such a

wide spectrum now why would I know that

I can't so you have to actually write

about what you mean okay let's move on

to ethos at the AP reading I often see

sentences that read like this the

speaker uses ethos to build his or her

character okay so once again what this

really means is that the speaker appeals

to his or her character to build his or

her character yeah this sounds so so

stupid get ready everybody he's about to

do something stupid and because you're

not stupid I don't want you to sound

that way to make this more precise I

need to pinpoint a speaker articulate

the actual Choice the speaker makes to

build his or her character and I need to

actually articulate what the character

is that's being built let's think about

a toothpaste advertisement if nine out

of 10 dentists recommend a particular

brand in this case sedine is sedine

building its character as the best fast

food chain absolutely not is sadine

building its character as a company

that's a trustworthy babysitter no the

character that sensed is building is

based on being the best most reliable

toothpaste on the market so to precisely

write about ethos here it would look

like this sadine promotes how highly

recommended the brand is amongst Dental

Professionals in order to Showcase that

they produce the most reliable and

effective toothpaste on the market yeah

that sentence rocks it's about the

concept of ethos but I never said the

term okay let's move on to logos now

when I see students writing imprecisely

about logos I often see sentences like

this the speaker uses logos in order to

show how reasonable his or her argument

is okay this is incredibly vague I don't

get it I need to identify the speaker

the choice and the actual claim of the

speaker in order to write about this as

precisely as I need to I'm going to

actually shoot back to the toothpaste ad

I just referenced in my ethos discussion

to model this one I'm doing this because

I need you to realize that these appeals

of often overlap and so do their effects

I can actually use the same choice but

tie it not only to a character-based

effect but also a logical one look at

this sadine promotes how highly

recommended the brand is amongst Dental

Professionals in order to highlight how

reasonable it is for individuals to

choose their toothpaste over all other

options The Logical most reasonable

choice for people who care about their

teeth is for them to use sadine assuming

that N9 out of 10 Dental professionals

do actually recommend it like the ad

says notice here that there's an overlap

between the data and how it functions in

relation to the umbrella concepts of

ethos and logos so in order to

accurately showcase my understanding of

the concepts and the Nuance between them

I'll need to bury using those Greek

terms and I'll have to write out what I

really mean in precise English my

brilliant friend Katie storms has some

excellent graphic resources about

burying ethos pathos and logos and you

can find these images and tips linked up

for free in the description of this

video I appreciate not not only her work

but her willingness to share these

Resources with you all I'm not telling

you not to know what ethos pathos and

logos are but I am telling you that you

need to adjust how you think about these

Concepts and how you write about them

and once you get used to this you can

learn to write incredibly effective full

rhetorical analysis essays by checking

out what's about to pop up right on your

screen

[Applause]

[Music]

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