Pathos

I believe pathos to be the strongest argument in today’s culture. It is the strongest of the three parts of the rhetorical triangle. Most of America isn’t highly educated nor is it concerned with politics or the news. An appeal using ethos isn’t going to grab a high school graduate’s attention nor is logos. Not that the high school graduate won’t be able to understand but an emotional appeal is more effective. The pathos argument is going to insinuate its point, but not be obvious about it. The effect is perfect for America because most people won’t realize the argument until they truly consider it which isn’t likely to happen. The pathos argument is incredibly effective on anyone though. How can I argue against some outlandish story that won’t be likely to happen but I have an incredible emotional connection to? The pathos argument does have its downfalls though. The people likely to make changes in America are going to be well read and look at the ethos of a writing piece. Whatever written must be logical to anyone but an educated adult would look for support, or facts backing the piece up. You can’t use only emotion to persuade the experienced reader. Pathos is also an unique part of the triangle because it is triggering your right side of the brain. Instead of using pure logic toward getting you to see their point of view, emotion will create a personal connection to the piece. The best argument would be using all three of the legs of the triangle.