Analysis of Logos, Pathos and Ethos in Classical Works - Essay Example

 Analysis of Logos, Pathos and Ethos in Classical Works There are numerous concepts and ideas that are communicated through writing and other monologues. This is because the way the writer communicates to the readers is based on many diverse processes and procedures that get the information across. This includes Logos which is the internal consistency of a messaged and provides a clear claim with logical elucidations that are supported with evidence[Mod12]. Ethos on the other hand refers to the credibility of the writer or speaker and this is presented by the reputation or ethical appeal that the writer utilizes[Eij10]. Pathos is about the emotional sentiments and the suffering or experience and empathy that is created by a writer[Cap12]. The purpose of this paper is to examine the elements of logos, ethos and pathos in two classical books, Mark Twain’s The Damned Human Race and Barbara Kingsolver’s Stone Soup. This will show how the interplay of logos, pathos and ethos brings out the true message of the writers. The Damned Human Race Mark Twain states that the cruel nature of human beings makes them combative and cruel in nature and as such they are the lowest of all creatures not the highest. This is against mainstream ideas and concepts that are divergent from popular belief that human beings are the highest. Twain commences by identifying his personal observation about the human race which makes him disapprove of the Darwinian theory of the Ascent of Man which asserts that human beings are higher than lower animals. This sets the pace for logos which is about the logical presentation of ideas and issues. Then he jumps to pathos and states that “in proceeding towards this unpleasant conclusion…”[Twa05] Here, Twain shows his empathy and sentiments. This is likely to resonate well with the reader. Then he goes on to critique the scientific method and show its loopholes by way of how it fails to work in describing the realities of the society and this is ethos as it adds up to the credibility of the discussion and its implications. This leads him to begin two experiments to prove his point and elaborate on his ethos framework and procedure. As part of Ethos, Twain goes further to set three main frameworks for his discussions by defining what humans, mammals (quadrupeds) and other lesser creatures are. This involves ethos because it sets the framework for the discussion and analysis. Then he discusses the issues of the negativity of the human race, starting from the way human beings kill other animals, how powerful people exploit the poor and cheat and this is something that other animals never do. This is a form of pathos that appeals to the emotions of the reader and gets the reader to accept Twain’s unique viewpoint. He scientifically identifies that animals have emotions and hatreds by saying that “among the animals, man is the only one that harbors insults and injuries, broods over them, waits till a chance offers, then takes revenge.”[Twa05]. This is logos and offers a logical explanation of how human beings differ from all other creatures around the world. He then goes on to appeal to the emotions of the reader by stating comparing the harem of roosters to men who force women into sex. This is pathos. He goes on to mention other animals and what they do or do not do. Then Twain applies ethos by stating that Darwin points out that many animals do the same things as men do. He uses these ethos to show that men are more extreme and more problematic in their actions because they use their uniqueness to do more evil than good and as such, men are worse and more problematic than animals. Twain also goes on to attack practices that exist in societies like cruelties that run through all cultures. This is logos and it explains different actions and processes in the various parts of the world that the reader can easily connect to. He goes on to jokingly, but cleverly use pathos to present important pointers in which men are more problematic and less adaptive to the benefits of the society than animals. In the concluding point, Twain presents man as a Patriot, Religious individual, Reasoning individual who does not use his competencies and abilities right. Rather, they are used in the negative sense and this is logically presented and shows that in truth, men are negative and less positive to the upkeep of the society and the community. Stone Soup In the story, the narrator uses a very unique system that blends elements of fiction into an understandable form. Since fiction dominates, the fictional elements come with a lot of pathos and it gets the reader’s empathy to be aroused and follow the story which sounds very mythical and has no clear basis. However, the use of various logical patterns in the narration helps to convey the message of how the stone soup got popular in regions of Central Europe. Logos is used in the opening lines where the patterns are presented in a way and manner that the two characters of the story are presented and their encounter is elaborated. Then logos is used again by showing a series of questions that occurred. This unconsciously creates pathos which builds on the reader’s general understanding of hospitality and encounters between two strangers. Ethos is brought to being when the Traveler demand stone soup and the woman states “I have never heard of that before. Of what will you make it?”[Mos06]. This gives room for the writer to establish credibility in an unconventional discussion and idea that is being conveyed to the reader. Then he shows how the stone soup is to be prepared by a smooth pebble in the Traveler’s wallet, that leads to a form of positive psychology where the Traveler tends to get the woman to do what he wants and demands without consciously telling him his true goal. The following lines show the logos of the story and how the traveler asked for ingredients to be brought to bear and presented for a good meal to be prepared. The “good woman” which is a pathos for the presentation of the woman as a positive person was used to described how she submissively sought to help a stranger who had a brilliant idea. Her anxiety and desire to learn what the stone soup was creates some kind of passion that gets the reader going and builds upon the previous information that was presented in the book. Finally, pathos is used again to show how the woman thought she had learnt a new recipe with different ingredients. And how this grew and became common in the region is presented as a means of emotionally connecting the recipe to the entire community and the society. Conclusion I learnt from these two stories that logos, pathos and ethos are used to bring a story to bear and present a story in the right way and manner. They help a reader to understand important ideas and evaluate it to today’s society. Twain’s approach indicates that ethos is used to challenge the mainstream position by questioning values through ethos. Then pathos is used to appeal to their emotions and logos is applied to show that the mainstream position is not right and it does not hold. Finally, in the Stone Soup, the unconscious psychological view which is called reverse psychology is applied to get people to do things without knowing what goes on. The narrator uses ethos to explain a given conversation and discuss a realistic view of a situation. From there, logos is used to narrate it further and pathos is used to get the reader to accept and understand the moral of the story. Works Cited Mod12: , (Modrak 177), Eij10: , (Eijk 130), Cap12: , (Capone, Piparo and Carapezza 549), Twa05: , (Twain para 2), Twa05: , (Twain Para 4), Mos06: , (Moser 221), Read More