Ethos, Pathos, and Logos in Persuasion/Advertising/Writing

Here is the PPT that I used during our class discussion. You can view it here.

Take a few moments to watch the video below-- it will take about 12 minutes total. Then, answer the following questions regarding the federal campaign for fatherhood, as created by the Ad Council.




Be specific in answering the following:

1. Who is the target audience for the ads?
2. What messages are being communicated by the ads? In what way are they communicated?
3. What rhetorical device are the ads using?-- be specific to each ad if they are using different devices.
4. Was there anything that was surprising about the ads?
5. Discuss the choice of spokespeople for the ads.
6. Write your an appeal to fathers which focuses on the values the ads communicate using appeals to Ethos, Pathos and Logos. (This should be one full paragraph, minimum.)

Black Men and Public Space

Please respond to the following questions in a minimum of 5 sentences. 


1. How relevant is Staples' essay (written and published in 1986) today? Do you think young black men have the same effect on public space in 2011 as Staples' experienced twenty-five years ago?

2. What IS Staples' attitude about this phenomenon? Is he bitter? angry? disappointed? understanding? (Give evidence). And what IS his purpose? Explore the connection between his tone and his purpose. 

3. How does Staples consider and appeal to his audience? Does he avoid alienating or accusing his reader? If so, how? 

4. Share your own experiences as they pertain to the essay--when you've instinctively judged someone as a threat, for example, or when you've been perceived as a threat yourself. 

5. Explore the idea introduced in par. 2 and reinforced in the analogy of the hiker's cowbell: that "being perceived as a threat is a hazard in itself". 

6. What, if anything, can be done to avoid or reduce these incidents? (Where do such assumptions come from? Can we ever stop making snap judgments?)

Respond to TWO of your classmates posts-- add, critique or comment on their ideas. You should have a total of 8 posts.

Posting-- About YOU

It's one thing to introduce yourself to a group-- you make a few statements, we ask a few questions-- but putting the essence of who you are into a compelling statement… well that's another thing entirely. Using this link to following page as a guide, draft a compelling statement that sums up who you are in a way that makes us want to know more about you. This will be your online profile or "about me" for the class.

Remember, you're not selling a product, you're selling you. Think about what your "brand" is and how you can communicate it. Is it serious and business-like, intellectual, artistic, or perhaps fun and witty?

On the liked page, you may find the links to Seth Godin's page and Matt Cheuvront's page more helpful examples than the rest, as they are selling their writing and personal services respectively. You may choose to write in the first person point of view (I am…) or the third person point of view (He, She, They are…).

Your post should be a minimum of three substantial paragraphs.