Ethos and Pathos and Logos — Oh My!

Building Arguments

This week, we explored rhetorical appeals — ethos (credibility), pathos (emotion), and logos (logic). Before learning the formal definitions and how these strategies work together, students first experienced what each appeal looks like in practice.

To do this, students were challenged to build an argument to convince the school to extend morning break from 15 minutes to 30 minutes — an issue close to their hearts.

Working in groups, each team was assigned a single rhetorical strategy and brainstormed ideas using prompts tailored to that approach. The ethos group identified people and institutions whose credibility might support the proposal, the pathos group imagined stories that conveyed how a short versus long recess feels, and the logos group examined the practical effects and outcomes of a longer break.

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After a short period of independent thinking, groups collaborated to design a persuasive poster they could use to present their argument. This pushed students to think about how ideas are communicated visually, not just through traditional persuasive writing. Groups then presented their posters, explaining their reasoning and reflecting on the strengths and limitations of their assigned strategy. Together, we compared when and why each appeal is effective.

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Rhetorical Appeals in Action

As the week continued, we expanded our understanding by examining how rhetorical strategies work together in powerful real-world speeches. We watched and analyzed speeches by youth activists Greta Thunberg and Malala Yousafzai. While many students recognized their names, fewer had seen their ideas presented fully on a global stage.

We studied moments of impact, comparing how each speaker balances ethos, pathos, and logos in distinct ways. Students discussed which approach resonated with them most and why — a conversation that naturally leads us into the coming weeks, as we begin crafting our own personal essays and thinking carefully about how we want our voices to be heard.