Going Back to the Rhetorical Triangle

Unit Four Blog One – The Rhetorical Triangle

            The components of the rhetorical triangle, ethos, logos and pathos, are the heart of an argument. They make or break an argument and without them, writings would just be words that meant nothing. Ramage, Bean and Johnson urge writers to think about ethos, logos and pathos as more of different lamps and filters used on theatre spotlights rather than “ingredients” in an essay (109). Their description paints more of a picture of strengthening an essay rather than adding decoration to it. Ethos, logos and pathos work together, hand-in-hand and without one the other two are lost.

 Ethos, Greek for “character”, emphasizes the need for the writer to be trustworthy, credible and an attention-grabber (62). Logos, Greek for “word”, require the message be of quality and sound in order to be understood and believed (62). Last, pathos, Greek for “suffering” or “experience”, is all about the grabbing the attention of the audience and keeping them focused, emotionally and imaginatively (63). These three structures of an argument are the dynamics to an essay and they all three work together to in order for the essay be of any quality.

The beauty to the rhetorical triangle is that the three components can be used interchangeably to appeal to the reader. For instance, images are a powerful way to engage an audience emotionally by using pictures or other images (115). But also, images can be used to relay the message (word) of the argument and can be done so in a way that captures the audience and yet still sends the point out as to the objectiveness of the argument. 

When an argument is created, the three components of the rhetorical triangle are used and when used correctly, the argument goes from being just words about something to a powerful message about a topic that the writer is passionate about that drives its message into the heart of the reader. This is the effectiveness that a writer strives for in every essay and with the help of the rhetorical triangle, it can be accomplished.

Works Cited

            Ramage, John D., John C. Bean, and June Johnson. Writing Arguments: a Rhetoric with Readings. New York: Pearson Longman, 2010. Print.