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What are rhetorical devices?
Why do writers use different rhetorical devices?
What is pathos in rhetoric?
What are ethos and pathos in rhetorical persuasion?
Examples of Pathos in Literature. Though Aristotle defined pathos as a rhetorical technique for persuasion, literary writers rely on pathos as well to evoke emotion and understanding in readers. As a literary device, pathos allows readers to connect to and find meaning in characters and narratives.
However, this guide focuses specifically on the rhetorical technique of pathos used in literature and public speaking to persuade readers and listeners through an appeal to emotion. The three "modes of persuasion"— pathos , logos , and ethos —were originally defined by Aristotle.
- Amplification. Amplification is a little similar to parallelism: by using repetition, a writer expands on an original statement and increases its intensity.
- Anacoluthon. Anacoluthon is a fancy word for a disruption in the expected grammar or syntax of a sentence. That doesn’t mean that you misspoke—using anacoluthon means that you’ve deliberately subverted your reader’s expectations to make a point.
- Anadiplosis. Anadiplosis refers to purposeful repetition at the end of one sentence or clause and at the beginning of the next sentence or clause. In practice, that looks something like a familiar phrase from Yoda
- Antanagoge. Antanagoge is the balancing of a negative with a positive. For example, the common phrase, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade,” is antanagoge—it suggests a negative (lots of lemons) and follows that up with a positive (make lemonade).
Pathos in Rhetoric. Pierre Bourrier/Getty Images. By. Richard Nordquist. Updated on March 07, 2019. In classical rhetoric, pathos is the means of persuasion that appeals to the emotions of an audience. Adjective: pathetic. Also called pathetic proof and emotional argument.
Common Examples of Pathos. Most advertising is based on pathos. Advertisers try to appeal to the emotional needs of the audience by showing how a product or service can make them happier, safer, healthier, etc. Advertisers use the emotions of fear, disgust, and hope to trigger reactions in the audience. Consider these examples of pathos:
We can look first at the classical rhetorical appeals, which are the three ways to classify authors’ intellectual, moral, and emotional approaches to getting the audience to have the reaction that the author hopes for. Rhetorical Appeals. Rhetorical appeals refer to ethos, pathos, and logos.
