The rhetorical triangle........

The rhetorical triangle is the Ethos, Logos and Pathos of the writing argument. Ethos to me is the “who is the writer”, is the writer credible? WHO are they and why should I listen to them or hear them out? The Logos is the message that the writer is bringing out or what they want to get across to their audience. The Pathos is the audience, WHO is the writer trying to get their message (Logos) across to? Does the writer bring about emotions to the audience? Did the writer touch the audience?

The rhetorical triangle to me is like an argument or subject that someone is trying to get me to think about. I can write emails or texts to my friends and family and sometimes they get my slang and sometimes they do not and then I have to explain myself to them because they could totally get me wrong. You have to be aware of your tone in your writing, this would be my Pathos. My Logos is my purpose for contacting them in the first place. My Ethos is who I am, my close personal friends know me and know how I am, but you my peers do not know me and may have never met me other than in my online class.

I want to write a book about urban fiction. My only ethos is my personal experience, what I have read about or what I have seen on television or in movies. My logos are my subjects like about a girl who grew up poor could overcome that socioeconomic status or about how a middle class suburbanite could have dwindled down to the depths of the streets. This is my message to my readers about chaotic, drama filled lives if they chose that path. My pathos is the emotional spiral of a ghetto, dramatized life that some people have been born into or who have brought themselves into.  

Another analogy is how my husband is always trying to get me to see things his way, and how I am not too sure about his logic or reasoning of the subject. I have my own personal values, beliefs and morals that I have been steadfast in so far in my life. I do agree with him on some subjects and his evidence, reliability, and beliefs have made his arguments sway me to his understanding. However, he is my ying to my yang. We are total opposites and it’s a miracle we have stayed together for so long. But if he was too much like me we probably wouldn’t have made it this far either. I may be strong in one area where he is stronger in another. This has worked for us so far, knock on wood.

I could also apply this rhetorical triangle to my current job, I have to listen to my clients (ethos), they tell me their situation (logos), and I hear them out (pathos). I do not judge them or label them; my job is to determine their current eligibility. I am the ethos, their situation is the logos and the pathos is the empathy I hear in their tone of voice when they are relaying their message to me.

I love this rhetorical triangle in writing arguments; it helps to keep your morals, values, and beliefs in check when writing to your specific audience.