From Inquiry to Academic Writing A Practical Guide, 3rd edition

212 CHAPTER 8 | FRom ETHos To Logos: APPEALing To YouR REAdERs

Figure 8.1, the rhetorical triangle, visually represents the interrelation-

ship among ethos, pathos, and logos. Who we think our readers are ( pathos:

which of their emotions do we appeal to?) influences decisions about the

ways we should represent ourselves to them (ethos: how can we come

across as fair, credible, and just?). In turn, we use certain patterns of argu-

ment (logos: how do we arrange our words to make our case?) that reflect

our interpretation of the situation to which we respond and that we believe

will persuade readers to accept our point of view. Effective communication

touches on each of the three points of the triangle. Your task as a writer is to

determine the proper balance of these different appeals in your argument,

based on your thesis, the circumstances, and your audience.

ConneCting with ReadeRs: a sample aRgument

To see how an author connects with his audience, read the following ex-

cerpt from James W. Loewen’s book Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything

Your American History Textbook Got Wrong. As you read the excerpt, note

Loewen’s main points and select key examples that illustrate his argument.

As a class, test the claims he makes: To what extent do you believe that

what Loewen argues is true? This may entail recalling your own experi-

ences in high school history classes or locating one or more of the books

that Loewen mentions.

The Land of Opportunity

In addition to Lies My Teacher Told Me (1995), James Loewen, who holds

a PhD in sociology, has written several other books, including Lies Across

America: What Our Historic Sites Get Wrong (1999) and Sundown Towns:

A Hidden Dimension of American Racism (2005). As the titles of these

books suggest, Loewen is a writer who questions the assumptions about

history that many people take for granted. This is especially true of the

james w. LOewen

FIGURe 8.1 The Rhetorical Triangle

Word/ Logos

Author / Ethos Audience/Pathos

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