Aristotle believed in the success of persuasion through the use of different rhetorical approaches that stressed the necessary elements of a text. His approaches evolved over time as rhetorical demands changed.
Three areas of rhetorical focus:
- Text
- Author
- Audience
Ethos
Author oriented
- Appeals to credibility
- Self-portrayal
- Reveals the character of the speaker
Pathos
Audience oriented
- Appeals to emotion
- Emotional influence
- What you want them to feel
Logos
Text oriented
- Appeals to logic and reasoning
- Presents an argument or a solution to a problem
- The evidence used to support the purpose
Kairos
Audience oriented
- Fits the who, what, when, where, and why
- Focuses on the setting—time and place—of the text
- The author uses the setting to gain perspective and persuasion
Telos
Text oriented
- The author’s purpose behind the text
- Gives the text direction and a goal to accomplish
- Explains the meaning of the text and answers the silent “Why?” or “So what?”
Catharsis
Author, audience, and text oriented
- The purging of emotions
- The audience is an active member of the rhetoric
- Provides an opportunity to let out felt emotion
Via:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/625/03/
http://www.european-rhetoric.com/ethos-pathos-logos-modes-persuasion-aristotle/