What is Pathos?
Pathos is one of the three modes of persuasion stated by Aristotle. Pathos is a Greek word meaning “suffer” or “emotion” and is defined as an emotional appeal made by a writer in persuasive writing. In simple words, pathos is a quality of a writer (speaker) to evoke feelings among their readers (audience). Through pathos, writers often make their readers sympathize with their perspective. It is a very popular mode of persuasion in literary writing, speeches, arguments, politics, and even memoirs.
Here is an example of a speaker relying on pathos in their speech:
- “Better men than us have fought and died to preserve this great nation. Now is our turn to return the favor. For God and country, gentlemen!”
In this, the speaker is appealing to the audience’s emotions by making them feel a sense of duty and gratitude toward the men who sacrificed their lives for the nation.
Pathos is employed extensively in Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet. In Act 2, Juliet appeals to the audience by expressing her frustration as her family considers Romeo Montague.
- “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”
Other instances from the play such as the family feud or the secret marriage of Romeo and Juliet also strongly appeal to the readers. Besides plays, pathos is a rhetorical device that finds use in poems, news articles, and even public speaking.
Pathos in Speech and Literature
Writers use pathos to move readers emotionally or even to incite actions from them. Pathos is also sometimes a part of a story’s plot or a character’s trait. Since it’s a mode of persuasion, activists and politicians have strongly relied on pathos while making speeches. Here are some examples:
In Martin Luther King’s famous I Have a Dream speech, he clearly uses pathos to bring out compassion in his audience.
- “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by their character. I have a dream today.”
Here, King talks about ending racism for his fellow African Americans by referring to his own life and this makes his audience sympathetic toward him. They realize King is one among them and, hence, are hooked on the rest of the speech. The audience feels compassion and respect for him.
Another instance where King uses pathos is in his Letter from Birmingham City Jail.
- “… when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six year old daughter why she can’t go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children, and see ominous clouds of inferiority beginning to form in her little mental sky…”
In this letter, King painted a picture of how it is to be an African American. He appealed to the emotions and aspirations of readers by explaining how African Americans were victims of racial segregation. Further in the letter, he appealed to Black parents by shedding light on the injustice faced by Black children.
Another prominent figure in US history who used pathos in their speech is President Abraham Lincoln. In his Second Inaugural Address speech, he builds strong pathos by indicating how slavery is the real reason for the Civil War.
- “Both parties deprecated war, but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather than let it perish. And the war came.”
He also uses Bible references to connect religiously with his listeners.
In literature, two popular examples where pathos is used are George Orwell’s Animal Farm and Arthur Miller’s The Crucible.
In Animal Farm, Old Major makes an emotional appeal to the mothers in the audience.:
- “You cows that I see before me, how many thousands of gallons of milk have you given during this last year? And what has happened to that milk which should have been breeding up sturdy calves?”
Major is clearly uniting mothers and charging them up for a rebellion.
In Miller’s The Crucible, John Proctor brings tears to his eyes to pursue his inmates about not confessing in court.
- “I can. And there’s your first marvel, that I can. You have made your magic now, for now I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor. Not enough to weave a banner with, but white enough to keep it from such dogs. Give them no tear! Tears pleasure them with it!”
Besides the above-mentioned novels, there are many other literary works where writers have used pathos to make various appeals to their readers. Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice makes them emotional, whereas Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer evokes pity among them. Pathos enriches a piece of writing and helps in connecting with audiences.
Pathos vs. Ethos vs. Logos
Besides pathos, there are two other modes of persuasion: logos and ethos. These were also stated by Aristotle in his book Rhetoric. Writers use all three devices to persuade their audience, but each of them is different and serves a specific purpose.
Ethos refers to a writer’s credibility i.e. how successfully writers are able to convince their readers of their opinions and build trust with them. Often, morality, the writer’s intelligence, and their rapport with the audience play a crucial role in building strong ethos.
Logos is about logical reasoning. Writers offer facts and analogies while presenting their arguments and appealing to audiences’ sense of reason. This helps audiences understand a writer’s argument better. Logos is often used in speeches, plays, creative writing, and poems.
Pathos, on the other hand, is an effective way of getting an audience to sympathize with one’s own perspective. It is not only popular in literature but also finds application in many other fields. In advertising, it helps influence consumers. Politicians and activists also rely on pathos to impress their voters.
In conclusion, all three modes of persuasion convey a writer’s intent effectively, not only through the manner of writing but also in speeches.