Establishing ethos

1
Establishing ethos

• Creating a credible voice

2
The rhetorical triangle

• The dynamic

Subject (logos)
format Purpose tone pt. of view evidence
Writer (ethos)
Reader (pathos)
3
Invented vs. Situated Ethos(Lindemann 84)

• Situated The communitys assessment of a
  persons character can be used as evidence if
  that perception is of a GOOD character.
  Similarly, a writer can draw on his/her
  reputation in gaining acceptance for an argument.
• Invented In the same way that a person can build
  her or his character through habitual practice,
  rhetors can create a character (similar to the
  idea of voice or persona) for the rhetorical
  occasion. The writer constructs a character
  within a discourse (86).

4
Demonstrate intelligence

• By getting informed about your topic and showing
  that youve thought about it carefully.
• Crowley notes that you can demonstrate
  intelligence by refraining from using arguments
  that are irrelevant or trivial (88).

5
Establish a good moral character (Lindemann
93)

• Indicate your own virtues and expertise
• Use the vocabulary and the formats that others in
  your field expect
• Use the point of view that will give you the most
  authority3rd person to indicate objectivity 2nd
  person to create an instructional relationship
  1st person to establish intimacy
• (Lindemann 84)

6
Other ways of creating a relationship with an
audience

• Verb tense
• Word size
• Qualifiers
• Punctuation

7
Project good will

• Let your audience members know why they should
  pay attention to your document
• Let your readers know what you want to accomplish
  with your document
• Be fair, be accurate, and be careful
• Anticipate what your readers will need to
  understand and believe you

8
Applying the concept of ethos

• Read the document distributed in class
• Answer these questions
• Does the author convince you that he/she is
  well-informed? How?
• Does the author convince you that he/she is
  credible and authoritative? How?
• Does the author convince you that he/she is
  motivated by good will towards you as the reader?
  How?