The Importance of the Rhetorical Triangle

An argument is most effective when emotion is invoked, logic is utilized, and the author is credible.  Pathos, logos, and ethos make up the three points of Aristotle’s Rhetorical Triangle.  Effective argumentation is a careful balance of drawing a reader in by inducing an emotional response, presenting a logical argument, and building the writer’s credibility. 

According to Beth Hill, emotions will draw a reader in quicker than any other method an author can use.  Similar to shopping for a house, pathos is the exterior that makes the first impression.  A beautiful home exterior causes a buyer to go deeper and tour the inside, just as an emotional hook causes a reader to continue on and learn the argument.  The use of pathos creates a personal connection between the audience and the content. 

ASU shows that the use of logic provides substance to an argument and shows the truth of the writer’s words.  In a sense, logos is the foundation for the house that is a rhetorical argument.  Without a strong structure, a house will not continue to stand, just as an argument will not stand against scrutiny if it is not based in logic. 

European Rhetoric claims that ethos is the most important piece of the rhetorical argument.  The goal of ethos is to give the writer a trustworthy self-portrayal.  Ethos is the neighborhood.  A reader is more likely to consider an argument if it comes from a seemingly credible source.  People are more likely to buy a house in a nice neighborhood, somewhere that they can trust their home will not be vandalized or burglarized, than in a shady part of town. 

Without knowing it, people use the rhetorical triangle in everyday life.  Arguments in writing are similar to arguments in life:  they need emotional ties, logical foundations, and trustworthy sources.