Pathos

Pathos is one of my favorite tools of rhetoric. It is also one of the most effective tools when it comes to argumentative writing. Pathos is the ability to appeal to your audience through emotion. We all know that as humans, we are all very emotional beings. Emotion drives our lives forward and we often make many decisions based on emotion, rather than logic. Pathos is very important in writing because it allows you to connect with your reader on a deeper and often more meaningful level.

Although pathos is important, it's also important not to get carried away with it. Good writing has a balance of pathos, logos, and ethos, because it appeals to all the needs of your reader. It will give them the logic, credibility, and the emotional appeal that is needed to persuade them. Pathos is a very powerful tool and combined with other tools of rhetoric, will give your writing the needed elements to persuade an audience.