Ethos, Pathos and Logos

Ethos, Pathos, and Logos are three very effective rhetorical tools that can be found within every piece of writing. Fannie Lou Hamer and Stokely Carmichael both use these tools in their speeches to capture and convince their audience. Fannie Lou Hamer touches on each of these rhetorical strategies, however she appeals to pathos the most. In her relatively short speech (compared to Stokely Charmichael’s), she mainly describes her brutal experience in jail, and gives a detailed account of everything that happened. The vivid imagery that she depicts appeals to our pathos, for it creates a scene in our minds and makes it seem as if we are there watching this wickedness occur. While this appeals to our emotions, she also uses direct quotes and writes her speech as if it were a testimony in order to appeal to our logical capacity. And finally, she appeals to ethos by creating herself in the eyes of the audience as a peaceful woman who has endured terrible hardships that no one should have to go through. Stokely Carmichael’s speech, on the other hand, appeals mostly to ethos. In the reading “Ethical Proof,” two of the criteria for establishing good ethos was proving intelligence by doing one’s homework, and creating good character. Carmichael definitely proves he has done is homework, for he is very knowledgeable about the issue and has a lot of experience as a leader and activist. He also establishes good character by connecting with the audience and making them laugh. They are constantly applauding him which proves that he has apparently won them over. While these are two very different speeches, they each use ethos, pathos and logos as rhetorical strategies for solidifying their arguments.

I Believe...

I believe that being barefoot is a wonderfully simple way of connecting with nature. I believe in taking naps on the grass with the sun as my blanket. I believe in the goodness of all mankind. I believe in spirituality. I believe in peace and serenity. I believe in karma. I believe we must strive to relinquish our desires, for they are the sole causes of our unhappiness. I believe that laughter is essential for our well being. I believe that we are who we choose to be. I believe in the moon and the stars. I believe in traveling for it not only broadens our minds, but makes us more appreciative. I believe in love but not hate. I believe in cat stevens. I believe that everything happens for a reason, there is no such thing as a coincidence. I believe in friendship. I believe in the seasons, especially when the leaves are falling or flowers are blooming. I believe that even though smiles are simple, they can work wonders. I believe in skipping rocks across a perfectly calm creek. I believe in nap time, and that kids should appreciate it while they still can. I believe in playing Ultimate Frisbee on a crisp sunny afternoon. I believe in never going to bed angry. I believe that happiness is not found in having what you want, but wanting what you have.

The Purpose of Protest

Protests come about through our innate human desire for change. If we lived in a world where nothing ever changed, we would not be able to grow or experience new ideas. However, ideas are constantly evolving and one example is the idea of women in our society. Before the 1920’s, women were treated as inferior to men and were therefore unable to vote. Many prominent women took a stand during this time, and by protesting their beliefs the 19^th amendment was ratified, and women were finally able to have a say in their government. Think about how our world would be now if nothing had ever changed. Perhaps the colonists never would have protested against England, and America would not be the free nation it is today. Perhaps the union wouldn’t have protested against slavery and Abraham Lincoln wouldn’t have announced it’s abolishment in the emancipation proclamation. We as people need change and protests are one of many ways in which to spur on such change.

I believe that what is important about a protest is not the size, but the result. For example, a strike with hundreds of people protesting against a tax increase could very likely have no effect whatsoever. On the other hand, one person who decides to give up driving their car in order to do their part to help global warming could have so much more of an effect. Even though it isn’t much, that person is helping to decrease greenhouse gas emissions, and the more people he or she tells, the more are affected by that simple act of protest. Therefore, I believe that no matter how big or small a protest may be, what really matters is the amount of change that it perpetuates.