How Does Baldwin Use Ethos Pathos Logos

On February 18, 1965, the crowd gathered in the Cambridge Union Hall rose to their feet as the room was filled with great acclamation. The date aforementioned marks the debate held at a prominent university in England between William F. Buckley and James Baldwin. The mid-twentieth century is recognized to be a time of great social change, and it is widely recounted as the Civil Rights Movement. During this era, minorities, namely African Americans, came together to rise against the injustices prevalent throughout the world to make real change. This fight was not an easy one as society proposed a multitude of laws and acts that belittled African Americans by encouraging racial segregation and discrimination through widely enforced Jim Crow

It goes without saying that Baldwin delivers his message with such passion behind the words he is saying and how he goes about saying them. Despite the value logos held within his speech, logic can only go so far. To really captivate an audience is to hold their heart. Baldwin has a strong understanding of this concept, and this is demonstrated as he says “leaving aside all the physical facts that one can quote” (Baldwin). It is obvious that Baldwin is more focused on the psychological and emotional effects versus the mere physical. He begins to stray from logos and uses pathos to earn a sense of sympathy and understanding from his White audience. In this, he longs for the people to create this personal connection and intimate experience with the speaker. Baldwin speaks of how African Americans cannot escape the pounding reality facing his people: “You are a worthless human being” (Baldwin). However, this was not what troubled him the most. He found it utterly disheartening that by the time one comes to terms with this corrupt system of reality, it has transferred to their beloved youth (Baldwin). Baldwin incorporates talk of family to invite the audience to feel his pain, as it is well-known that parents will do anything for their precious children. He pulls on the heartstrings of the audience in the most methodical of ways to keep them in favor of his plea. With pathos, he is able to evoke great emotion amongst the audience and shift their resentful attitudes to those with more regard for the African American