After finding out about all these protests, I would say that the ethos of each was very believable. All protests gave many facts and background information about the people protesting against something, and in my opinion, facts are the most convincing because they are true. However, I think Martin Luther King when making a speech about the Freedom Marches was most persuasive because he is the only one that can prove that what he says is true. Furthermore, there were a lot of people that supported him. Cindy Sheehan makes many claims, yet I don’t think she can prove that all she says is true. For Malachi Richter, I believe that he should have taken a different way to protest against the Iraq war. One person can make a difference, but not through the expense of his family’s pain. Therefore, I think the ethos of the Freedom Marches is most persuasive because many supported it and the claims they made were very true.
The kind of ethos I find most appealing is situated ethos, where your reputation already exists and can be proven true. In my opinion, I think that a person’s claim must be able to be proven true in order to be believable. Otherwise, you’re just listening to someone else’s opinion and false claims. I have never really supported a protest group before, but if I could, I would support a group where I can see the proof that their claims are true and just.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
I would add to your point about proving that something is true. In thinking about the crowds of people that were present at the Freedom March, that adds ethos because of the support that they add in terms of believability.
I think that what you mean is that in order for a protest to be successful you think it should have ethos supported by logos? Am I understanding this correctly? I think that you are right claims have to be supported in order to be effective means of presuasion, otherwise they are just empty claims. That's the hardest part in a protest, making it clear that there is logical reason for the protest not just an emotional one.
I would just like to commend you for making sure there are facts behind the statements that you hear. Too often people get tied up in the emotional aspect of an argument and forget to think about what they're hearing. If more people thought about the issues as you do, I think we'd have better politicians leading the country.
I definitely agree with what Laura said. That is why it is so important for an author to touch on all three rhetorical strategies: logos, ethos and pathos, because they are all very important in their own way.
I definitely agree with the your comments about how the facts are important. If someone were to rely solely on passion for their protest, the protest would feel more like a mob. I also agree with your comment about situated ethos. If you already have a good reputation, your protest will already have a great deal of momentum. Ritscher, for example wasn't very well known and therefore had little situated ethos.
Post a Comment