Pathos Creation in Writing and Speaking

            Pathos is one of the three types of persuasive appeals pertaining to the listener's emotional sympathies (Ramage, 2010). A writer who employs pathos will attempt to cause the reader to feel and see what he sees (Ramage, 2010). When a writer switches the appeal from the logical side to an emotional side, pathos is invoked (Ramage, 2010). Pathos is compelling the listener to pay attention to an event and not to turn away (Ramage, 2010). This drawing attention is effective after a natural disaster some recent examples is the Haitian earthquake, the British Petroleum oil spill, and the Japanese earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear power issues.  Each of these disasters is imprinted on our psyche by the pictures and news appeal to the event. Pathos allows us to imagine ourselves within each situation. In order to employ pathos one uses concrete language, examples, illustrations, narrative dialogue, and images (Ramage, 2010). Concrete language adds life to the message and emotional appeal. Examples or illustrations provide reinforcement for and argument and is elicits an emotional response (Ramage, 2010). By using an example, the reader will remember the argument more readily than dry statistics and become emotionally invested in the process. Narrative dialogue uses first person accounts whether hypothetical or true evokes pathos in an argument (Ramage, 2010). Images appeal to the emotions of viewer to augment the imaginative and emotional reaction.

            An example of a pathos appeal using concrete language, examples, narrative dialogue, and images is the Sarah McLachlan ASPCA commercial. The resulting spoken and pictorial dialogue is haunting and effective use of pathos.  Most recently, the Japanese disaster draws attention in my mind that 'we are them'. Excuse my poor choice of grammar and word choice. We walk around with our electronic devices, live in large metropolitan areas, and are dependent upon technology to see us through our day.  Although, they are more prepared than we are with their natural disaster drills. Pathos creates the urge to give, help, and care about others in bad circumstances.

            References

Ramage, John D., John C. Bean, and June Johnson. Writing Arguments: A Rhetoric with    Readings. 8th ed. New York: Longman, 2010. Print.