ENGL-145

Abstract

Understanding how best to use ethos in writing is important to improving essay structure and strengthening argumentative rhetoric. Ethos is one of three rhetorical devices that can be used to establish credibility and strengthen an argument. Correctly utilizing ethos in a paper allows an author to have "character and credibility” with the use of reliable and unbiased sources (Lunsfod 40). Demonstrating ethos in an argumentative is pivotal in writing a convincing paper, establishing trust and proving credibility further establishes an author's writing as reputable. Proper use of ethos is especially important for argumentative provided by less known authors, as further credentials establish trust and belief between the author and the reader. Without establishing credibility, papers will lack significant evidence that provides support for an author's argument. By using ethos in a paper, authors can provide evidence for an argument and demonstrate why readers should believe what is being read. Therefore a critical step in building a strong argument is to spend time and interrogate, read, and analyze sources in order to have the most convincing argument possible. This page will detail the proper use of ethos, provide examples of how best to utilize the rhetorical device, and demonstrate why using ethos is important to writing an argumentative paper.

Utilizing Ethos

In order to properly use ethos in an argumentative, authors should know a multitude of different methods for choosing a credible source. Choosing sources that have already established respective credibility is a good indication of how much one will strengthen an argument. Distinguished source selection, such as peer-reviewed journals or gov websites, establishes the base for credibility in writing. A poor choice of sources, such as uncredited blogs or biased media, will render an argument weak or invalid.

Choosing sources that have historically provided accurate information is crucial to an argumentative paper. Sources that demonstrate an ability to present neutral and unbiased information is much more credible than one that cannot.

Interrogating sources is also vital to constructing a strong argument. Once a credible source has been found, authors can use the information given to provide credibility to their paper. However, many sources, especially peer reviewed sources, contains information that will also be attributed to further sources. While highly likely that these sources are also credible, authors should investigate the sources of articles that are used to ensure no errors of credibility. Interrogating sources is also an easy method for discovering new sources that can further prove an author's argument.

Providing an example that discusses an argument from a foreign perspective is also crucial to writing a convincing paper. For example, if an argument attempts to demonstrate something that pertains to the social infrastructure, limiting sources to the perspective of only the United States will result in a weak argument. In addition, limiting sources to one country demonstrates a lack of objective understanding of a topic, as a limited world view fails to recognize differing perspectives of an argument. Including perspectives from related issues in other countries or from foreign news outlets allows for a wider perspective on issues. External perspectives on US issues will strengthen arguments both through comparison and scope of impact.

Using sources that detail how a topic might differ in different countries is important to constructing a strong and cohesive argument. This article discusses the difference in traffic between Canada and America.

Argumentative essays can not only be objective, but also opinionated. Therefore, some papers will require the use of opinion pieces. However, opinion paper often favor biased sources, resulting in a less credible paper. Arguing an opinion with support from objective sources demonstrates a broader understanding of an author's topic as well as a strong ability to persuade without the need for biased sources. Peer reviewed journals are an excellent source due to the limitation of external opinions that could effect an argument, and subsequently strengthening an argumentative paper that cites one.

Finally, authors must recognize the importance in presenting themselves as a credible writer. Correctly citing sources and referencing them in MLA format demonstrates an author's literary strength. Citing sources also allows readers to further question a paper and do their own research. A strong argument cites all sources to ensure that readers can validate a paper, as well as prove that an author understands the topic of which they are writing about.

Using Ethos to the fullest extent is imperative to an argumentative paper. Ethos provides credibility, and allows for authors to fully explain their paper, utilizing credible sources to strengthen their piece. Understanding how to properly use ethos in an argumentative paper will result in a cohesive and professional essay.

Charts and Images

Brands and corporations provide a sense of consistency and quality, such can be seen with Apple and their majority hold on the technology market. Users are familiar with Apple products and may associate them with higher quality, therefore if a product is released by Apple a certain level of confidence is given to the name in a purchase decision.

*Note that just because a brand has historically been strong or created good product does not exempt the company from producing low value goods. As always, the critical step in having strong ethos in an argument is to interrogate the source. Questions such as: "is X still a relevant product/company/source?" May prevent flimsy arguments later.

Ethos is rarely used alone to make an argument, the strongest arguments will use logos and pathos as well. The ad clearly draws the reader in with a statistic, however the use of "dentists" implies that the opinion given should carry more weight to the reader. Dentists are more familiar with toothpaste than the average consumer and therefore they should be trusted. While logos is certainly the main argument here, ethos is used to support the claim made.

In the example identifying who the dentists that gave the testimony, or questioning if they were influenced by the company, may prevent a weak argument base.

Using just a brand name does not symbolize the credibility and high quality a brand truly is. The ad visually shows how a famous athlete, like Kobe Bryant uses the products on a daily basis. Utilizing a famous athlete can show how a product can have significant influence on an athlete's life, as well as have an influence on their performance while playing a sport.

The poster does imply that without the drink, Kobe Bryant wouldn't have won an NBA MVP Award without the drink, however that is clearly false, and could pose as unreliable and untrustworthy.

Ethos vs. Logos

When it comes to persuasive techniques used to support arguments, logos, and ethos are two commonly employed strategies. Logos, which is rooted in the use of quantitative or qualitative data, aims to reinforce an argument's position with factual information that supports a claim. Ethos relies on the credibility and expertise of the speaker in a particular field to persuade the audience to accept their position. Although these two techniques are often used together, it is important to note that logos requires a strong ethos to be effective. Without establishing credibility through ethos, presenting facts and figures within an argument can be futile, and may even weaken the overall point being made. Relying only on ethos can make it difficult to present specific points or support them with data or other persuasive appeals beyond trust in the speaker's expertise. To fully persuade an audience, both ethos and logos must be employed effectively. Ethos establishes the speaker's credibility, while logos provide the necessary data and evidence to support the argument being made. Without a combination of the two, readers can become confused about the validity of the argument being presented. Therefore, it is essential for speakers or writers to use both strategies in conjunction to create a compelling and persuasive argument that can effectively sway their audience.

Ethos vs. Pathos

Identifying the difference between Ethos versus pathos demonstrates how to know when to use ethos in an essay or when to properly use pathos in an essay. Ethos and pathos are two essential elements of persuasive communication. Ethos refers to the credibility and trustworthiness of the speaker, while pathos is the emotional appeal that an author uses to persuade an audience. Ethos can include information about the author's credentials, experience, and expertise in the relevant field. Ethos can aid in evaluating the author's credibility and trustworthiness, which makes the reader trust the author’s arguments and conclusions more. However, pathos can aid in understanding how emotional appeals are used to persuade an audience. Pathos can include examples of emotional language or imagery used in the text, as well as explanations of how these appeals are intended to influence the reader's emotions. Pathos can include stories, testimonials, or personal anecdotes that evoke strong emotions in the reader, such as happiness, fear, or empathy. By understanding the emotional impact of the content, adding pathos better appreciates the effectiveness in persuading the audience to take a particular action or adopt a certain point of view.

Ethos Fallacies:

Using unbiased sources is essential in order to integrate ethos into your writing effectively. Using biased sources can weaken the argument's strength and cause confusion among readers, even if they are familiar with the topic. When possible use well-known sources or those approved by an instructor and do not assume that the audience will support unbacked claims. Additionally, it is not recommended to use a small section of evidence that is not specific to the topic at hand. Always read the entirety of the source and ensure relevance to the claim being made, avoiding the act of "cherry-picking" specific sentences out of context. When applying ethos to writing arguments the evidence provided should be focused on an idea or concept rather than a singular person. Keeping a factual-based argument that is attacking an idea rather than a person allows for your paper to maintain a tone that is unbiased and factual-based (Writing Commons).

Examples:

Student A: excerpt from Argument of Cause essay regarding US maternity leave policy

According to Family Medical Leave Act in the United States, 12 weeks is the required amount that employers are to provide. This 12-week period is equivalent to approximately 3.5 months. The time allowed by the FMLA is about 3.5 months, while peak postpartum symptoms can present at 6 months. The allowed time that is allowed for women to take on maternity leave is not enough to ensure the mental and physical health of the mother. As was reported on average women wanted at least six months of maternity leave (Kornfeind and Sipsma). Allowing for six months of maternity leave would provide mothers the opportunity to be away from work when postpartum depression symptoms have been known to present. A study was conducted by Katelin Kornfeind and Heather Sipsma to evaluate the length of time offered for maternity leave and the effects this presented to mothers. The results from this study suggested that the more time women spent on maternity presented positive effects on postpartum depression (Kornfeind and Sipsma). The more time that mothers spent on maternity allowed for a better recovery for bother the mothers and baby. A longer maternity leave resulted in better mental health in mothers (Hewitt). Mothers are responsible for their children until they are 18 years old. The first months after being born are critical for the bonding and development of a baby. Their lives are intertwined with their parents and directly reflect them. Postpartum depression is serious and can not only affect a mother but also the care her child receives, allowing for more time away from work will improve both the other and babies' overall health.

Hewitt, Belinda, et al. “The Benefits of Paid Maternity Leave for Mothers’ Post-Partum Health and Wellbeing: Evidence from an Australian Evaluation.” Social Science & Medicine (1982), vol. 182, no. Jun 2017, 2017, pp. 97–105, https://www-sciencedirect-com.ezproxy.lib.calpoly.edu/science/article/pii/S0277953617302459

Kornfeind, Katelin R., and Heather L. Sipsma. “Exploring the Link Between Maternity Leave and Postpartum Depression.” Women’s Health Issues, vol. 28, no. 4, 2018, pp. 321–26, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.whi.2018.03.008.

From the excerpt above student A demonstrates a strong usage of peer-reviewed journals in order to make a strong argument for the offered maternity leave in the United States. The claim made in the paragraph is supported by the cited research through proper in-text citations. Allowing the reader to locate the source used on the worked cited page and view the original source where the information was obtained. Student A also uses two separate sources in the paragraph to further support their argument. The two sources utilized support the claim that a longer maternity leave improves a mother's mental health. The sources build upon each other allowing for a stronger argument base to be presented to the audience. Supplying two sources that support the author's claim builds more credibility conveying a believable and trustworthy paper. Student A builds upon each source by providing analysis and demonstrating that they have thoroughly engaged with the sources.

Student B: excerpt from an Argument of Fact essay (modified to show poor ethos)

To reduce the threat to others, prisons should impose rehabilitation methods on offenders as statistically, prisons that practice a rehabilitation process, produce a lower recidivism rate and crime rate in the country. However, to start the rehabilitation process, the environment that offenders are placed in needs to change drastically. Instead of a cramped and overcrowded jail cell, offenders should be placed in a more humane environment. For example, in Denmark, the high-security Storstrөm Prison has specific architectural features and designs to facilitate the rehabilitation process. The façade and the way the prison is structured is to mimic how a small community would feel like, with an emphasis on supporting the mental health and well-being of not only the offenders but the prison workers as well. From C.F. Møller’s press material about Storstrөm Prison, “The prison buildings are located to form a small urban community, with streets, squares and centrally located community buildings. From the various urban rooms and cells there are views of the surrounding green landscape space up towards the encircling perimeter wall” (4). The goal is to place offenders in an area that will help enable a rehabilitation process that allows them to keep their dignity and to keep their sanity as well. Placing them in a small community can help with a healing process as well as, and being in a common and safe area with others allows for a sense of belonging in a way that they’re not alone. The Federal Bureau of Prisons has already made an effort in this by utilizing halfway houses that provide resources to offenders, however, the service is only offered to those who are nearing release. These halfway houses or residential reentry centers simplify the reentry process into society as offenders are in a housing setting rather than prison cells. The Storstrөm Prison differs in that offenders won’t be able to sign in and out of the prison like those do in residential reentry centers. Jo Sahlin, a blogger and correspondent from GoodTherapy investigated the correlation between mental health and recidivism rates and concluded that, "Evidence shows incarceration is likely to worsen mental health symptoms. Most institutions do not have the resources to treat such a great number of people. Reduced mental health can lead to recidivism, meaning a recurrence of criminal behavior. When more people are rearrested, the population of imprisoned people stays high. However, there are ways to reduce recidivism in these populations. People who receive mental health treatment during and after their sentences are less likely to re-offend. Alternatives to imprisonment can also reduce recidivism" (Sahlin 2018). Since many correctional institutions do not offer the resources that can help facilitate these issues inmates face on a daily basis, then there is no progress that can be made in order to reduce recidivism rates due to high mental stress and mental health issues that arise due to the conditions the correctional facilities impose on inmates. With the lack of nature, overcrowding, and capacitance that jails place these offenders, this accounts for a great deal of mental stress as they are treated more as zoo animals than humans.

Møller, C.F. “OVERVIEW PRESS MATERIAL STORSTRØM PRISON NORTH FALSTER.” Www.europris.org, Jan. 2018, https://www.europris.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Overview-Press-Material_Storstr%C3%B8m-Prison-Falster.pdf, Accessed 26 Jan 2023.

Sahlin, Jo. “The Prison Problem: Recidivism Rates and Mental Health.” GoodTherapy.org Therapy Blog, 23 May 2018,

https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/prison-problem-recidivism-rates-mental-health-0520187, Accessed 3 Mar 2023.

Williamson, Owen. “Master List of Logical Fallacies.” Utminers.utep.edu, Jan 2018,

utminers.utep.edu/omwilliamson/engl1311/fallacies.htm. Accessed 15 Mar. 2023.

The excerpt above shows poor use of ethos used in a paragraph to support an argument. The student above uses a source that is from a blog site, which isn't a reputable and factual source, but rather an opinionated website that could be heavily biased. Utilizing the source follows the "E" for Effort fallacy imposed by Owen Williamson of The University of Texas at El Paso, which states that something must be right or true because someone has put so much effort into that specific topic or subject. Using a source from a blog of some sort can provide false information because the publisher may not have the proper background and education to be talking about a certain subject.

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