Source: Support Zorro to Help Animals!, Elvis Pepein,
Flickr
An ethical appeal, or ethos, depends on the author's establishing credibility with the reader. This means that the writer is perceived as being trustworthy and ethical in the way that he or she presents ideas. Ethical appeals work with logical and emotional appeals to make them stronger. When reading a logical appeal, the reader wants to know that the author’s factual information comes from a reliable source. When faced with an emotional appeal, readers want to know that the author is not trying to manipulate their emotions.
You can make an ethical appeal as follows:
Source: Ethos, Anonymous Wordle
Let’s return to the class fund-raiser. How do you make an ethical appeal? To establish trust, you assure the audience that you have researched both selling local discount cards and holding charity car washes. You base that research on credible sources for facts to share about the impact of car washes on the environment. You research the amount of money that will be spent versus the amount of money that will be raised. All of this research will demonstrate to the reader that you know your subject and that you are ethical. Let’s look at a sample paragraph that uses an ethical appeal.
In my role as your class treasurer, I have researched many options for our class fund-raiser. I understand that many of you would like to continue with the annual charity car wash. However, I don’t believe a car wash suits our goals or the goals of our charity, Environment Texas. Because a car wash negatively impacts the environment and would probably raise less money, I recommend that we sell discount cards this year.
Notice that the author of the paragraph reminds the audience of a role as class treasurer and thereby establishes credibility. This author has also researched options for the fund-raiser and settled on a recommendation.
Your task in the activity below is to place a check by the appeals that are primarily using ethos. The examples come from a wide variety of situations.
As you revise your persuasive essay, determine whether you have established your own logos, pathos, and ethos by using and crediting reliable sources, drawing upon your own expertise and knowledge, and making genuine emotional connections that are not designed to manipulate the reader.