Ethos, Pathos, and Logos: Why They're a Pain, and Why We Need Them

Let's talk characters.

Characters are, in my opinion, the most important part of any novel, TV show, movie, comic book, video game, and so on. A character can make or break a project. A lot of people argue that there are things more important than characters, like genre, appeal, and so forth. I'm going to tell you right off the bat that if you have a good idea, but really flat, flimsy characters, the entire project is going to be a flop.

A writer's job is to tell a story, but it's also our job to make the audience actually feel something. We want to connect with our readers, you know? And the best way to do that is by creating well-rounded, dynamic characters. To get a point across, and to get people to listen, you have to give them some form of comfort, and familiarity. Humans, although we're all different, experience the same ranges of core, human emotions (even if we don't always react to them in the same way). Humans connect with each other, and we crave that connection. So, really, the key to a successful masterpiece is to create characters that are so human that they could be anybody; we see ourselves in other people, and that helps to expand our understanding of others, and of ourselves.

So, what are some of the most basic ways that we can use characters to appeal to people in the outside world? I'm sure some of you have heard of ethos, pathos, and logos, but if not, I'll digress into a mini lesson. Ethos, pathos, and logos are the so-called "Three Appeals", an idea coined by the ancient philosopher Aristotle. These strategies are most often taught in English language, composition, and rhetoric classes, and not as often in terms of literature. But whether you're writing a news article or the next Great American Novel, having an understanding of the three appeals is a big help. They're also called the "Methods of Persuasion", but I prefer to call them the Holy Trinity of AP English Compisition Nightmares, because as useful as they are, sometimes they can be a huge pain in the ass.

So, picture a triangle.

At the top of the triangle, we have Ethos, an appeal to authority. Ethos isn't as important in fiction as it is in essays and journalism, but it's still pretty useful. Ethos is defined as the use of an appeal to ethics and authority in order to establish the credibility of the speaker. Ethos is used to persuade people into trusting you, and believing that you know what you're talking about.

Ethos is tricky. Let's do an example.

Say you're hiring a babysitter. If you don't have kids, or aren't planning on having any, then pretend the babysitter is a dogsitter, catsitter, fishsitter, housesitter, or plantsitter. They're sitting something. It's your choice what it is.

So you're hiring someone to look  after your precious darlings, and you're in the middle of an interview with two potential candidates.

The first says, "Yeah, I don't really have too much experience with kids (or dogs, cats, plants, and so on), but I'm pretty dedicated and stuff."

The second says, "I've been looking after kids for a couple of years. I've looked after my brothers and sisters, I nannyed for Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes's kids, I have a degree in early childhood education, I'm first aid certified, and I love arts and crafts."

Okay, a really extreme example, but what babysitter would you choose? The one who's inexperienced? Or the one who has a stellar resume and knows what they're doing? This is an example of ethos, because the second babysitter is showing that they're credible, experienced, and trustworthy.

After ethos, comes my personal favorite, pathos: the appeal to emotion. When trying to create a personable, realistic character, one of the most important things you can learn is how to make people feel what you want to. This doesn't just go for characters, this goes for everything. Mastering the use of pathos means that you're pretty much a master of mind control. You're telling people what to feel so indescreetly that they're actually feeling it. Mastering this skill pretty much makes you Professer Charles Xavier.

Pathos and logos are the ying and the yang of creating a convincing argument. They're polar opposites, and yet you can't have one without the other. So let's think of pathos as the right brain (in control of emotion, creativity, passion, a nd looking at the big picture), and logos as the left brain (which is the more logical, analytical, and verbal side of the brain).

The best way to understand the differences between pathos/right brain and logos/left brain is through this ridiculously humorous song by the singing comedian Bo Burnham, which I'll insert below. Sure, it's dumb and silly, but Burnham's duet between the two halves of his brain shows not only how pathos and logos work, but how you can't have one without the other.

This version of the song might not be in the finest quality, but if you enjoyed it, do try out his performance of "what.", which you can find on Netflix.

Okay, enough free advertising. Sorry, Bo.

So, pathos. The right side of our little rhetorical triangle. You can use pathos to appeal to any human emotion if you try, and I'm going to look a little closer into emotions later, and how people react to things in different ways. A website by the name of yourdictionary.com has a special section about the three appeals here  http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples/examples-of-ethos-logos-and-pathos.html

Let's look at some of the examples

• "If we don’t move soon, we’re all going to die! Can’t you see how dangerous it would be to stay?"

This appeals to the classic "Fight or Flight" instinct, which is another important thing we'll look at as we figure out how to develop dynamic characters. When you read this sentence, it gives you a sense of fear, intamacy, and haste. You feel rushed, and afraid, and the character is speaking to "you" directly. We often appeal to the instincts of fear and survival more than anything else because it's one of the basest of natural human instincts. This kind of fiction-induced adrenaline rush is the reason why action and horror movies have become so popular. Whether we think about it or not, we kind of like being scared, and on the edges of our seats.

• "I’m not just invested in this community – I love every building, every business, every hard-working member of this town."

Doesn't reading this just make you feel proud, and loved? This feeling of working hard and being appreciated, and proud, is most often used by politicians. You feel like this individual loves everything and everyone, and it makes you feel pretty special.

• "Where would we be without this tradition? Ever since our forefathers landed at Plymouth Rock, we’ve celebrated Thanksgiving without fail, making more than cherished recipes. We’ve made memories."
• "They’ve worked against everything we’ve worked so hard to build, and they don’t care who gets hurt in the process. Make no mistake, they’re the enemy, and they won’t stop until we’re all destroyed."
• "Don’t be the last person on the block to have their lawn treated – you don’t want to be the laughing stock of your community!"
• "You should consider another route. I heard that that street is far more dangerous and ominous at night than during the daytime."
• "You’ll make the right decision because you have something that not many people do: you have heart."
• "After years of this type of disrespect from your boss, countless hours wasted, birthdays missed… it’s time that you took a stand."
• "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!"
• "You will never be satisfied in life if you don’t seize this opportunity. Do you want to live the rest of your years yearning to know what would have happened if you just jumped when you had the chance?"

And then we come to the last corner of the triangle, Logos. The important appeal to the logic that supports your claim. This is where you give 'em the cold, hard facts, and the well-thought calculations. This is the left brain, so to speak, if you want to look at it from Mr. Burnham's perspective. Logos is the final way to make something reliable. You've showed off your references, you've tickled their heartstrings, and now you give them the evidence in the middle. I like to call logos the "Spock" of rhetoric. No emotion, all reality. Grounded, material, tangible. Let's look at some examples.

"The data is perfectly clear: this investment has consistently turned a profit year-over-year, even in spite of market declines in other areas."

These words show research, evidence, and pattern. This is the part where the lawyer makes their claim to the jury, showing off OJ Simpson's glove.

Some more examples are as follows:

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury: we have not only the fingerprints, the lack of an alibi, a clear motive, and an expressed desire to commit the robbery… We also have video of the suspect breaking in. The case could not be more open and shut."

"It’s a matter of common sense that people deserve to be treated equally. The Constitution calls it ‘self-evident.’ Why, then, should I have been denied a seat because of my disability?"

"More than one hundred peer-reviewed studies have been conducted over the past decade, and none of them suggests that this is an effective treatment for hair loss."

"History has shown time and again that absolute power corrupts absolutely."

"Private demand for the product has tapered off for the past three years, and this year’s sales figures are at an all-time low. It’s time to research other options."

"The algorithms have been run in a thousand different ways, and the math continues to check out."

"In 25 years of driving the same route, I haven’t seen a single deer."

"He has a track record of success with this company, culminating in some of our most acclaimed architecture to date and earning us Firm of the Year nine times in a row."

"You don’t need to jump off a bridge to know that it’s a bad idea. Why then would you need to try drugs to know if they’re damaging? That’s plain nonsense."

"Research compiled by analysts from NASA, as well as organizations from five other nations with space programs, suggests that a moon colony is viable with international support."

So there you have it--Ethos, Pathos, and Logos, the Deathly Hallows of literature. It might help to think of them as Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

Harry is the Pathos.

He appeals to emotion, because we see everything through his eyes. His personal tragedy with his parents makes us feel the ache of an absent family. His need to belong, and feel loved. His determination, and his curiosity. First hand, we can experience his sadness, anger, happiness, and everything in between.

Ron is the Ethos.

Okay, so maybe he's not the ideal authority figure, but he still provides an appeal to the governing force: magic. He's the one who knows the most about it, because he was raised into it. He knows the customs, knows the traditions, and knows the ins and outs of being a wizard. Like I said, he's not exactly a leader, but he's sort of the doctor of the group in a way--not in that he's an actual doctor, but if one of them was having a heart attack (or was hit with a bad hex, in his case), he'd have some basic idea of what to do. For some reason, having him around kind of puts us at ease because he's the one who has the most first-hand experience with magic.

Hermione is the Logos.

 

 

Enough said.

But the goal is that each of your characters should embody all three of these elements in their behavior and delivery of their beliefs. Harry should know the most about something, Hermione should have feelings, and Ron should have...some sort of logic.