The appeal to emotion can be evoked by descriptive and vivid language, or even a visual image. Let’s return to the speech given by former president Ronald Reagan after the space shuttle Challenger disaster (p. 64). Notice the appeals to pathos in this paragraph:
But we feel the loss, and we’re thinking about you so very much. Your loved ones were daring and brave, and they had that special grace, that special spirit that says, “Give me a challenge and I’ll meet it with joy.” They had a hunger to explore the universe and discover its truths. They wished to serve, and they did. They served all of us.
The very language is filled with emotion that underscores the tragedy of the loss: those who died “were daring and brave,” with a “special grace [. . .] special spirit.” They “had a hunger to explore” and “wished to serve.” Every word strikes a note of admiration and affirmation that honors the sacrifice this crew made.
Sometimes a writer appeals to pathos with a personal story or anecdote. When the basketball player LeBron James returned to his hometown of Cleveland in 2014 after having angered many of his fans a few years before when he joined the Miami Heat, he wrote a letter published in Sports Illustrated with the purpose of regaining his hometown fan base.
I always believed that I’d return to Cleveland and finish my career there. I just didn’t know when. After the season, free agency wasn’t even a thought. But I have two boys and my wife, Savannah, is pregnant with a girl. I started thinking about what it would be like to raise my family in my hometown. I looked at other teams, but I wasn’t going to leave Miami for anywhere except Cleveland. The more time passed, the more it felt right. This is what makes me happy.
Who could resist that scenario of a hometown hero returning to his roots to raise his growing family? If LeBron is arguing for his audience—
But be careful. While pathos can be a powerful strategy, pathos alone results in a weak argument. Once the emotional response wears off and logic kicks in, your audience will assess your argument with a more critical eye.
When thinking about pathos, ask yourself:
How does the writer appeal to the audience’s emotions?
Are these effective strategies to gain sympathy, or do they go overboard to become overly sentimental, dramatic, or manipulative?