Student Question
What are examples of ethos, pathos, and logos in The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace?
Quick answer:
The author uses ethos through his own personal experiences and the relationship he had with Rob, to convince us of his reliability as an author. He includes references to his own education, and also shows us how he has thought about the topic of poverty for a long time. He uses pathos by sharing stories from Rob’s mother that show her emotional struggles, as well as including some dialogue between them, which allows us to relate our own experiences and emotions to theirs. And finally, he uses logic by explaining why it makes sense (to Rob) to continue dealing drugs while making plenty of money at it.The first step in answering this question is to understand the meaning of ethos, pathos, and logos. These Greek words are three different types of persuasion, each appealing to a different aspect of human personality. Ethos is the root of the word “ethics,” and attempts to convince the reader of the author’s knowledge and reliability on the topic. Pathos, at the root of the word “empathy,” attempts to connect with the reader’s emotions. Logos, from which we get the word “logic,” naturally attempts to convince the reader using logical argument.
Here are a couple examples of each from The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace, by Jeff Hobbs:
Ethos:
The reasoning behind our "random" rooming assignment was clear: Ty and I were together because we both ran track, Ty and Rob were together because they were both African American . . .
This sentence gives us context as to...
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Jeff's relationship with Rob and thus places him as a reliable witness to the events he is recounting.
The issue of poverty remained as pertinent and divisive as ever, perhaps more so in the context of the Great Recession. With such a large percentage of its population living below the line, paired with high taxes, poor high school graduation rates, and an ever-contracting employment sector, the residents of Newark and its surrounding townships were as vulnerable to the recession’s social and economic effects as anywhere else in the country . . .
This detailed analysis of the recession’s effects on the community underline the author’s expertise on the topic.
Pathos:
Whereas Rob's father was an inmate, mine was a surgeon.
This simple sentence serves to illustrate, poignantly, the enormous divide between Rob and the author, Jeff.
The last four years had been the hardest of her life. She’d worked, she’d taken care of her ailing parents, she’d spent money as fast as she earned it on only the essentials. For the first time in her life, she’d been alone.
It is impossible not to make an emotional connection with Jackie’s struggles when we read these few sentences. The author is connecting to our natural sense of empathy for another person.
Logos:
“You didn’t go to college so you could carry people’s luggage,” Jackie said, not sniping necessarily but simply telling him the truth. “You don’t even need a high school diploma to do this job.”
Here, Jackie uses logic to persuade her son to try for a more intellectual job.
Dealing drugs, while taxing on multiple levels, had always been the one thing Rob felt he could stop and start as he pleased and operate on the level that suited him. The money was earned and owned and spent by him alone.
In this quote, we understand that in Rob’s mind, dealing drugs is in fact a logical choice of activity, based on his past experiences and success with it.
References