The Rhetoric of Persuasion-Pathos

The Rhetoric of Persuasion-Pathos

Pathos (Greek for ‘suffering’ or ‘experience’) is an appeal based on emotion.
The intent is to motivate people to take action. Without effective use of pathos,
persuasion is unlikely to move people to action on any issue. Many rhetoricians, over
the centuries, have considered pathos the strongest of the appeals, though this view
of persuasion is rarely mentioned without a lament about the power of emotion to sway
the mind.

Perhaps the most common way of conveying a pathetic appeal is through narrative or
story, which can turn the abstractions of logic into something palpable and present.
The values, beliefs, and understandings of the communicator are implicit in the story
and conveyed imaginatively to the audience. Thus, pathos refers to both the emotional
and the imaginative impact of the message on an audience. It is the power with which
the communicator’s message moves the audience to decision or action.

Rhetoric of pathos “makes its appearance fairly early in Antony’s speech. Antony
reminds people of all the things that Caesar did for Rome, things from which they
benefited, and as he recounts these benefactions, he repeatedly asks them whether
they can believe that Caesar displayed self-seeking ambition rather than dedication
to the public good.”

In fact, extensive use of pathos-driven speeches have been made by teachers,
managers, and political leaders. Tim Bryce (“Art of Persuasion”) quotes Franklin
Roosevelt’s “fireside chats” which gave moral strength to the American public during
the Great Depression and World War II as an example.

However, the only problem with the rhetoric of pathos is that that it is not necessarily
based on truth. Bryce illustrates the presence of falsity in pathos by citing the example
of Adolph Hitler who was able to motivate the German people to develop a military
state. Hitler’s discourse was often laced with lies. Also, advertising often substitutes
facade for substance and as such, the public should exercise “caveat emptor” (let the
buyer beware). Apart from this, pathos is a great way to get one’s point across.