Uses of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos in Rilke's, Letters to a Young Poet

Question

Thinking about the rhetorical devices of Pathos, Ethos, and Logos, identify two to three examples of each of those devices Ranier Maria Rilke uses in "Letter Number Seven" of Letters to a Young Poet. Cite the example and explain why you think these meet the criteria for that device. If some examples seem to meet more than one definition, explain why.

Answer 1

Ethos, Pathos, and Logos in this context refer to different persuasive writing/speaking techniques.

Ethos refers to using the credibility or authority of the writer/speaker (in this case Rilke) to persuade the audience.

Pathos means appealing to the emotions of the audience to persuade them.

Logos means using logic or reason to persuade the audience.

Here are some examples to help illustrate these ideas.

This is a blurb of text taken from the ASPCA donation page (https://secure.aspca.org/donate/ps-gn-p2):

As an ASPCA Guardian, your monthly gift will help innocent and neglected animals who feel like they've been forgotten. The ASPCA is a national leader in animal rescue and protection, working tirelessly year-round to put an end to animal cruelty. None of this critical work would be possible without compassionate people like you. Thank you for your support.

You can find all of the devices — Ethos, Pathos, and Logos — in this text that was written to encourage people to donate.

Take the first sentence: "As an ASPCA Guardian, your monthly gift will help innocent and neglected animals who feel like they've been forgotten." This sentence uses language like innocent, neglected, and forgotten alongside pictures of sad-looking dogs and cats. How did reading it make you feel? You might have felt a bit of sadness or empathy when reading it. That's a good indication that the writer used Pathos to connect with the audience's emotions.

Let's look at "The ASPCA is a national leader in animal rescue and protection, working tirelessly year-round to put an end to animal cruelty." This sentence talks about the ASPCA's work and accomplishments, helping to establish the credibility of the organization. If you felt more confident in the ASPCA after reading it, then the writer did a good job of using Ethos to build trust.

Finally, consider "None of this critical work would be possible without compassionate people like you." It's a bit more subtle, but this is employing Logos to appeal to the audience's reason. Stated another way, the sentence says "If no one helped us, we could not do our work, so we need your help". This is a pretty reasonable argument, which suggests Logos. Did it make you feel good to be called compassionate? There's perhaps a splash of Pathos in there as well.

For another great but more old-fashioned example, check out the classic "Friends, Romans, Countrymen" speech from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/56968/speech-friends-romans-countrymen-lend-me-your-ears. In this speech, Marc Antony is attempting to persuade the audience that Caesar was a good man despite what his killers have said. This speech has clear examples of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos — can you find them?

In looking for examples in the Rilke text, you can use a similar approach to what we've done here. Does part of the text serve to make the speaker / writer seem more credible? It's probably using Ethos to be more persuasive. Does a section of the text make you feel emotional, or seem like it's trying to do so? Pathos. Does part of the text feel like a logical argument or make you say "that makes sense". Then it's probably Logos.

Once you get the hang of these devices, you'll start seeing them everywhere, especially in advertising. You'll even start seeing examples in your own speech and writing.

Notes:

1. I'm not judging here whether you should or shouldn't donate to the ASPCA, I'm just noting that they've used these rhetorical devices in their advertising. From what I understand, they're a great cause, but I don't know too much about them. It's generally a good idea to do your own research before donating to any cause, especially when they're persuading you using Ethos, Pathos, and Logos :)
2. The terms Ethos, Pathos, and Logos may have different meanings when used on their own, but when used together, they usually refer to the rhetorical devices described here.