Ethos, pathos, and logos are equally important components used in the development of persuasive writing. The concept of ethos speaks to the character of the writer. What is the reputation of the writer? What is the writer’s level of expertise about the text? The second persuasive appeal is logos; logos addresses the audiences’ power of logic or reasoning. The final persuasive appeal is pathos. Pathos is the writer’s persuasive appeal to the targeted audiences’ emotions.
Ethos, logos, and pathos are persuasional tools that can help the writer present their argument in a way that is appealing to the audience. The combination of tools will differ from essay to essay depending upon which tools will be the most effective with the targeted audience that will read the essay.
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First, they listed the Signs and Symptoms of ADHD in the text. Listing the signs and symptoms is an effective way of expressing the information clearly and logically. Additionally, in the section Managing Symptoms: Staying Healthy they give examples and ideas of strategies that can be used to help alleviate or cope with some of the symptoms. Again, the writer is presenting factual information that appeals to the logical/reasonable side of the audience.
The end of the text contains a measure of pathos when presenting sources for support and additional information for parents. The only “real” emotional appeal that I could discern was the statement, in order to make sure your child reaches his or her full potential, it is very important to get help for ADHD as early as possible (Center for Disease Control, 2016).
There does not appear there was any attempt to show credibility of the writer, or ethos. Perhaps, as a government agency, the CDC publishes information on the premise that government agencies are, by their nature, credible. Not good