Ethos
Ethos focuses attention on the writer's character as it is projected in the message. It refers to the credibility of the writer.
An example of ethos would be your doctor telling you to take some medication because "as a doctor, he/she is qualified to tell you this treatment will your best shot." There are two types of ethos: intrinsic and extrinsic. These types are defined below. Intrinsic ethos is the way the speaker goes about the act of persuading in order to establish their own credibility within the argument. The most common example of this is using language and terminology to portray themselves as skilled or unskilled. Extrinsic ethos is the credibility that an author has established outside of the context of an argument. This often includes the authority, education, and experience of speaker or author. |