What Is Pathos?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nPathos is language that appeals to our feelings, causing strong emotional responses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You will come across pathos every day, particularly in advertisements. That billboard showing a beach holiday paradise, inspiring longing and envy? The series that you just have to watch one more episode of, because you are so invested in the characters? Any time our emotions are engaged, we are experiencing pathos. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The word \u2018pathos\u2019 itself comes from the Greek for \u2018experience\u2019, or \u2018suffering\u2019. Aristotle, a Greek philosopher who lived in 384-322 BCE, wrote about the power of pathos in Rhetoric<\/em>, which was about the art of persuasion. Aristotle defined pathos as language which can draw emotions and affect people\u2019s judgement, and is, therefore, a powerful method of persuasion, along with ethos and logos. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"pathos-in-writing\"](\"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/pathos-in-writing.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nHow Does Pathos Relate To Ethos And Logos?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nPathos is just one rhetorical appeal. The other two aspects of rhetoric<\/a> are ethos (credibility) and logos (logic). Ideally, all three are used to make a strong and persuasive argument. <\/p>\n\n\n\nEthos is important because it must be present for you to trust the speaker. To persuade, the audience must be convinced of the speaker\u2019s authority or knowledge, and believe that what they are saying is reliable. Ethos can be achieved in a number of ways \u2013 by setting out credentials, by explaining their personal experience with the topic via a personal anecdote, and even by the way the speaker presents themselves. An audience\u2019s perception of the morality and personal history of the speaker impacts ethos \u2013 we are unlikely to find a serial adulterer reliable on the topic of the importance of marriage and faithfulness, for example. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Logos, meanwhile, is the use of logic to persuade. Including facts, statistics, and logical argument is to use logos. These provide evidence to support points that seem<\/em> objective and unarguable (though we all know that facts and evidence can be presented in ways that serve a particular point of view). <\/p>\n\n\n\nAristotle\u2019s Rhetoric <\/em>demonstrated the need for pathos to work alongside logos and ethos to build an argument. Let\u2019s look at exactly how we might do this. <\/p>\n\n\n\nHow Is Pathos Used To Build An Argument?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nStrong emotional responses make an audience personally invested in a topic, and therefore more susceptible to persuasion. Ideally, rhetoric should employ pathos, ethos and logos in tandem. Facts and statistics presented dryly from a speaker you don\u2019t trust will do little to persuade an audience, as will an appeal to emotion without anything to back it up. Let\u2019s look at some successful examples of pathos in persuasive writing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In The News\/Articles<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Louise Tickle\u2019s article on accommodation for care leavers in The Guardian evokes our feelings in its eye-catching headline: \u2018We are failing children in care \u2013 and they are dying in our streets\u2019. This headline works on a number of levels \u2013 the protectiveness that the word \u2018children\u2019 inspires, the sympathy created by the word \u2018failing\u2019, and the appalled horror when we read the word \u2018dying\u2019. More subtly, the use of the pronoun \u2018our\u2019 means we feel some personal responsibility and perhaps even guilt when considering how these vulnerable young people are being treated. This pathos example is an effective one, as the headline drives a desire for change in the reader, who may go on to support policies or initiatives that would create that change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Leanna First-Arai\u2019s article \u2018Young Workers are Bridging the Climate and Labour Movements\u2019, published in Teen Vogue, we can see the interplay of creating negative, then positive pathos. At first, the reader feels sympathy and dismay: \u201cYoung people have grown up in a chilling environment for labour, with their working lives preceded by decades of union disintegration.\u201d Then, however, First-Arai builds hope and a sense of anticipation for a brighter future: \u201cIn the past few years, though, young people have reinvigorated the strike tactic in creative new ways.\u201d Aristotle made the point that pathos is particularly effective when emotions are paired: sadness then happiness, despair then hope. Taking the reader on a moving emotional journey <\/a>creates a strong connection and adds to the effectiveness of the piece\u2019s persuasive force. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"writing-pathos\"](\"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/writing-pathos.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nIn Politics And Activism<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Political speeches also make use of pathos to persuade. MP Mhairi Black\u2019s speech to the UK Parliament in May of 2022 makes use of pathos to create a chilling effect: \u201cBut most terrifying of all [\u2026] is that this government literally want to get rid of the Human Rights Act. And that begs the question, for who do they think rights have gone too far? Do you know how scary it is to sit at home and wonder if it\u2019s you? Is it your rights that are up for grabs?\u201d Often, political speeches contextualise an issue that might feel remote or abstract, by making it personal and drawing on the audience’s emotions. As we see here, the use of rhetorical questions and the personal pronoun \u2018you\u2019 brings the issue home, encouraging a listener to reflect on how they might feel in that situation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Poet and activist Lynae Vanee\u2019s speech on climate injustice is a rallying call to indignant anger and a desire for change: \u201cCalling communities riddled with convenience stores, gas stations, with only maybe a Walmart or Kroger \u2018ghetto\u2019 and actually they’re just food deserts [\u2026] that’s why it’s called climate injustice and that’s why this fight is not just about saving the trees.\u201d Vanee\u2019s use of pathos prompts a desire in listeners to effect change, a powerful tool in political speechmaking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
How Is Pathos Used In Writing?<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\nPathos is not only used in persuasive writing. A primary aim of creative writing<\/a> of all types is to provoke emotion in a reader or audience. We can find pathos in screenplays, novels<\/a>, short stories, and poetry. Let\u2019s look at a few examples. <\/p>\n\n\n\nAkwaeke Emezi\u2019s novel Freshwater<\/em> creates pathos memorably in an early scene where Ada fails to keep her younger cousin safe: \u201cA\u00f1uli looked left, then broke free and darted, small, six, across the road.\u201d The focus on how small and young A\u00f1uli is brings home her vulnerability to the reader, adding impact to our fear and worry. <\/p>\n\n\n\nPathos is used by Kirstin Innes in her novel Scabby Queen<\/em> to add resonance to the title itself. A character explains the card game of the same name: \u201cThe queen goes round and round, and the object is to get rid of her \u2013 pass her on to the next one as quickly as you can.\u201d The reader becomes aware that the central character, Clio, is the \u2018scabby queen\u2019 as her various relationships disintegrate, lending further poignancy to her situation. <\/p>\n\n\n\nAt the conclusion of Vanessa Kisuule\u2019s poem Hollow<\/em>, the reader is left with a mix of emotions, and a sense of changing perspectives. Inspired by the toppling of the statue of Edward Colston, the poem ends: <\/p>\n\n\n\nBut as you landed a piece of you fell off <\/p>
broke away <\/p>
and inside <\/p>
nothing but air. <\/p>
This whole time<\/p>
You were hollow. <\/p>Hollow by Vanessa Kisuule<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nA quiet and understated conclusion, the lines nevertheless leave a lasting impact \u2013 perhaps reflectiveness, maybe the bittersweet satisfaction of an overdue change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kimiko Hahn\u2019s poem The Dream of a Lacquer Box<\/em> explores the complexity of her connection to Japanese culture as she dreams about what might be inside her mother\u2019s lacquer box. The list of objects that could be inside, followed by questions (\u201cam I wishing for Mother? searching for Sister?\/Just hoping to give something Japanese to my daughters?\u201d) allows the reader to relate to Hahn\u2019s feelings, and empathise with her desire to belong. <\/p>\n\n\n\nIn Bong Joon-ho\u2019s film Parasite<\/em>, the audience sympathises strongly with the Kim family when they are forced to hide under a coffee table so as not to reveal their presence in the Parks\u2019 house. While there, the Parks discuss how badly they think Kim Ki-taek \u2013 the Parks\u2019 chauffeur \u2013 smells. A close up on Ki-taek\u2019s face engages the audience\u2019s sympathy, as does the small, dark space he is in, representing metaphorically to the audience how trapped Ki-taek is in this stratified society. <\/p>\n\n\n\nPathos is also used to create a sense of joy and triumph. At the end of the British film Pride<\/em>, busloads of Welsh miners turn up unexpectedly in support of a pride march. The triumphant music and surprise and happiness on the characters\u2019 faces add to a sense of joy and delight for the audience, emphasised by the text onscreen confirming that this was a real historical event. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"pathos-in-writing\"](\"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/pathos-in-literature.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nPathos Examples From Literature<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nIn literature, writers use pathos to help readers connect more deeply to characters, so that the writing resonates more strongly, and so that the themes and ideas being explored are meaningful and impactful. Here\u2019s some further examples of how pathos is used effectively in books<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\nA Tale For The Time Being<\/em> By Ruth Ozeki<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThe predicament of Nao, a bullied Japanese schoolgirl, is made all the more distressing with the author\u2019s use of metaphor: \u201cThe minute he turned his back, they would start to move in. Have you ever seen those nature documentaries where they show a pack of wild hyenas moving in to kill a wildebeest or a baby gazelle?\u201d Likening Nao to a helpless animal surrounded by predators communicates powerfully to the reader just how vicious the bullying is, and heightens our sense of empathy for her. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lanny<\/em> By Max Porter<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nIn this short novel, Lanny\u2019s dad is woken up suddenly and becomes convinced there\u2019s an intruder in his house: \u201cI have no actual defensive power, I am not brave, I do not fight, have never fought, I work in asset management and only fight in subtle ways on Microsoft Outlook. I\u2019m terrified.\u201d Here, Porter effectively weaves humour with fear as he describes the ridiculous, yet scary, situation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Song Of Achilles<\/em> By Madeline Miller<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nHow Does Pathos Relate To Ethos And Logos?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nPathos is just one rhetorical appeal. The other two aspects of rhetoric<\/a> are ethos (credibility) and logos (logic). Ideally, all three are used to make a strong and persuasive argument. <\/p>\n\n\n\nEthos is important because it must be present for you to trust the speaker. To persuade, the audience must be convinced of the speaker\u2019s authority or knowledge, and believe that what they are saying is reliable. Ethos can be achieved in a number of ways \u2013 by setting out credentials, by explaining their personal experience with the topic via a personal anecdote, and even by the way the speaker presents themselves. An audience\u2019s perception of the morality and personal history of the speaker impacts ethos \u2013 we are unlikely to find a serial adulterer reliable on the topic of the importance of marriage and faithfulness, for example. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Logos, meanwhile, is the use of logic to persuade. Including facts, statistics, and logical argument is to use logos. These provide evidence to support points that seem<\/em> objective and unarguable (though we all know that facts and evidence can be presented in ways that serve a particular point of view). <\/p>\n\n\n\nAristotle\u2019s Rhetoric <\/em>demonstrated the need for pathos to work alongside logos and ethos to build an argument. Let\u2019s look at exactly how we might do this. <\/p>\n\n\n\nHow Is Pathos Used To Build An Argument?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nStrong emotional responses make an audience personally invested in a topic, and therefore more susceptible to persuasion. Ideally, rhetoric should employ pathos, ethos and logos in tandem. Facts and statistics presented dryly from a speaker you don\u2019t trust will do little to persuade an audience, as will an appeal to emotion without anything to back it up. Let\u2019s look at some successful examples of pathos in persuasive writing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In The News\/Articles<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Louise Tickle\u2019s article on accommodation for care leavers in The Guardian evokes our feelings in its eye-catching headline: \u2018We are failing children in care \u2013 and they are dying in our streets\u2019. This headline works on a number of levels \u2013 the protectiveness that the word \u2018children\u2019 inspires, the sympathy created by the word \u2018failing\u2019, and the appalled horror when we read the word \u2018dying\u2019. More subtly, the use of the pronoun \u2018our\u2019 means we feel some personal responsibility and perhaps even guilt when considering how these vulnerable young people are being treated. This pathos example is an effective one, as the headline drives a desire for change in the reader, who may go on to support policies or initiatives that would create that change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Leanna First-Arai\u2019s article \u2018Young Workers are Bridging the Climate and Labour Movements\u2019, published in Teen Vogue, we can see the interplay of creating negative, then positive pathos. At first, the reader feels sympathy and dismay: \u201cYoung people have grown up in a chilling environment for labour, with their working lives preceded by decades of union disintegration.\u201d Then, however, First-Arai builds hope and a sense of anticipation for a brighter future: \u201cIn the past few years, though, young people have reinvigorated the strike tactic in creative new ways.\u201d Aristotle made the point that pathos is particularly effective when emotions are paired: sadness then happiness, despair then hope. Taking the reader on a moving emotional journey <\/a>creates a strong connection and adds to the effectiveness of the piece\u2019s persuasive force. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nIn Politics And Activism<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Political speeches also make use of pathos to persuade. MP Mhairi Black\u2019s speech to the UK Parliament in May of 2022 makes use of pathos to create a chilling effect: \u201cBut most terrifying of all [\u2026] is that this government literally want to get rid of the Human Rights Act. And that begs the question, for who do they think rights have gone too far? Do you know how scary it is to sit at home and wonder if it\u2019s you? Is it your rights that are up for grabs?\u201d Often, political speeches contextualise an issue that might feel remote or abstract, by making it personal and drawing on the audience’s emotions. As we see here, the use of rhetorical questions and the personal pronoun \u2018you\u2019 brings the issue home, encouraging a listener to reflect on how they might feel in that situation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Poet and activist Lynae Vanee\u2019s speech on climate injustice is a rallying call to indignant anger and a desire for change: \u201cCalling communities riddled with convenience stores, gas stations, with only maybe a Walmart or Kroger \u2018ghetto\u2019 and actually they’re just food deserts [\u2026] that’s why it’s called climate injustice and that’s why this fight is not just about saving the trees.\u201d Vanee\u2019s use of pathos prompts a desire in listeners to effect change, a powerful tool in political speechmaking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
How Is Pathos Used In Writing?<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\nPathos is not only used in persuasive writing. A primary aim of creative writing<\/a> of all types is to provoke emotion in a reader or audience. We can find pathos in screenplays, novels<\/a>, short stories, and poetry. Let\u2019s look at a few examples. <\/p>\n\n\n\nAkwaeke Emezi\u2019s novel Freshwater<\/em> creates pathos memorably in an early scene where Ada fails to keep her younger cousin safe: \u201cA\u00f1uli looked left, then broke free and darted, small, six, across the road.\u201d The focus on how small and young A\u00f1uli is brings home her vulnerability to the reader, adding impact to our fear and worry. <\/p>\n\n\n\nPathos is used by Kirstin Innes in her novel Scabby Queen<\/em> to add resonance to the title itself. A character explains the card game of the same name: \u201cThe queen goes round and round, and the object is to get rid of her \u2013 pass her on to the next one as quickly as you can.\u201d The reader becomes aware that the central character, Clio, is the \u2018scabby queen\u2019 as her various relationships disintegrate, lending further poignancy to her situation. <\/p>\n\n\n\nAt the conclusion of Vanessa Kisuule\u2019s poem Hollow<\/em>, the reader is left with a mix of emotions, and a sense of changing perspectives. Inspired by the toppling of the statue of Edward Colston, the poem ends: <\/p>\n\n\n\nBut as you landed a piece of you fell off <\/p>
broke away <\/p>
and inside <\/p>
nothing but air. <\/p>
This whole time<\/p>
You were hollow. <\/p>Hollow by Vanessa Kisuule<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nA quiet and understated conclusion, the lines nevertheless leave a lasting impact \u2013 perhaps reflectiveness, maybe the bittersweet satisfaction of an overdue change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kimiko Hahn\u2019s poem The Dream of a Lacquer Box<\/em> explores the complexity of her connection to Japanese culture as she dreams about what might be inside her mother\u2019s lacquer box. The list of objects that could be inside, followed by questions (\u201cam I wishing for Mother? searching for Sister?\/Just hoping to give something Japanese to my daughters?\u201d) allows the reader to relate to Hahn\u2019s feelings, and empathise with her desire to belong. <\/p>\n\n\n\nIn Bong Joon-ho\u2019s film Parasite<\/em>, the audience sympathises strongly with the Kim family when they are forced to hide under a coffee table so as not to reveal their presence in the Parks\u2019 house. While there, the Parks discuss how badly they think Kim Ki-taek \u2013 the Parks\u2019 chauffeur \u2013 smells. A close up on Ki-taek\u2019s face engages the audience\u2019s sympathy, as does the small, dark space he is in, representing metaphorically to the audience how trapped Ki-taek is in this stratified society. <\/p>\n\n\n\nPathos is also used to create a sense of joy and triumph. At the end of the British film Pride<\/em>, busloads of Welsh miners turn up unexpectedly in support of a pride march. The triumphant music and surprise and happiness on the characters\u2019 faces add to a sense of joy and delight for the audience, emphasised by the text onscreen confirming that this was a real historical event. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nPathos Examples From Literature<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nIn literature, writers use pathos to help readers connect more deeply to characters, so that the writing resonates more strongly, and so that the themes and ideas being explored are meaningful and impactful. Here\u2019s some further examples of how pathos is used effectively in books<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\nA Tale For The Time Being<\/em> By Ruth Ozeki<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThe predicament of Nao, a bullied Japanese schoolgirl, is made all the more distressing with the author\u2019s use of metaphor: \u201cThe minute he turned his back, they would start to move in. Have you ever seen those nature documentaries where they show a pack of wild hyenas moving in to kill a wildebeest or a baby gazelle?\u201d Likening Nao to a helpless animal surrounded by predators communicates powerfully to the reader just how vicious the bullying is, and heightens our sense of empathy for her. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lanny<\/em> By Max Porter<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nIn this short novel, Lanny\u2019s dad is woken up suddenly and becomes convinced there\u2019s an intruder in his house: \u201cI have no actual defensive power, I am not brave, I do not fight, have never fought, I work in asset management and only fight in subtle ways on Microsoft Outlook. I\u2019m terrified.\u201d Here, Porter effectively weaves humour with fear as he describes the ridiculous, yet scary, situation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Song Of Achilles<\/em> By Madeline Miller<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Ethos is important because it must be present for you to trust the speaker. To persuade, the audience must be convinced of the speaker\u2019s authority or knowledge, and believe that what they are saying is reliable. Ethos can be achieved in a number of ways \u2013 by setting out credentials, by explaining their personal experience with the topic via a personal anecdote, and even by the way the speaker presents themselves. An audience\u2019s perception of the morality and personal history of the speaker impacts ethos \u2013 we are unlikely to find a serial adulterer reliable on the topic of the importance of marriage and faithfulness, for example. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Logos, meanwhile, is the use of logic to persuade. Including facts, statistics, and logical argument is to use logos. These provide evidence to support points that seem<\/em> objective and unarguable (though we all know that facts and evidence can be presented in ways that serve a particular point of view). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Aristotle\u2019s Rhetoric <\/em>demonstrated the need for pathos to work alongside logos and ethos to build an argument. Let\u2019s look at exactly how we might do this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Strong emotional responses make an audience personally invested in a topic, and therefore more susceptible to persuasion. Ideally, rhetoric should employ pathos, ethos and logos in tandem. Facts and statistics presented dryly from a speaker you don\u2019t trust will do little to persuade an audience, as will an appeal to emotion without anything to back it up. Let\u2019s look at some successful examples of pathos in persuasive writing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Louise Tickle\u2019s article on accommodation for care leavers in The Guardian evokes our feelings in its eye-catching headline: \u2018We are failing children in care \u2013 and they are dying in our streets\u2019. This headline works on a number of levels \u2013 the protectiveness that the word \u2018children\u2019 inspires, the sympathy created by the word \u2018failing\u2019, and the appalled horror when we read the word \u2018dying\u2019. More subtly, the use of the pronoun \u2018our\u2019 means we feel some personal responsibility and perhaps even guilt when considering how these vulnerable young people are being treated. This pathos example is an effective one, as the headline drives a desire for change in the reader, who may go on to support policies or initiatives that would create that change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In Leanna First-Arai\u2019s article \u2018Young Workers are Bridging the Climate and Labour Movements\u2019, published in Teen Vogue, we can see the interplay of creating negative, then positive pathos. At first, the reader feels sympathy and dismay: \u201cYoung people have grown up in a chilling environment for labour, with their working lives preceded by decades of union disintegration.\u201d Then, however, First-Arai builds hope and a sense of anticipation for a brighter future: \u201cIn the past few years, though, young people have reinvigorated the strike tactic in creative new ways.\u201d Aristotle made the point that pathos is particularly effective when emotions are paired: sadness then happiness, despair then hope. Taking the reader on a moving emotional journey <\/a>creates a strong connection and adds to the effectiveness of the piece\u2019s persuasive force. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Political speeches also make use of pathos to persuade. MP Mhairi Black\u2019s speech to the UK Parliament in May of 2022 makes use of pathos to create a chilling effect: \u201cBut most terrifying of all [\u2026] is that this government literally want to get rid of the Human Rights Act. And that begs the question, for who do they think rights have gone too far? Do you know how scary it is to sit at home and wonder if it\u2019s you? Is it your rights that are up for grabs?\u201d Often, political speeches contextualise an issue that might feel remote or abstract, by making it personal and drawing on the audience’s emotions. As we see here, the use of rhetorical questions and the personal pronoun \u2018you\u2019 brings the issue home, encouraging a listener to reflect on how they might feel in that situation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Poet and activist Lynae Vanee\u2019s speech on climate injustice is a rallying call to indignant anger and a desire for change: \u201cCalling communities riddled with convenience stores, gas stations, with only maybe a Walmart or Kroger \u2018ghetto\u2019 and actually they’re just food deserts [\u2026] that’s why it’s called climate injustice and that’s why this fight is not just about saving the trees.\u201d Vanee\u2019s use of pathos prompts a desire in listeners to effect change, a powerful tool in political speechmaking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Pathos is not only used in persuasive writing. A primary aim of creative writing<\/a> of all types is to provoke emotion in a reader or audience. We can find pathos in screenplays, novels<\/a>, short stories, and poetry. Let\u2019s look at a few examples. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Akwaeke Emezi\u2019s novel Freshwater<\/em> creates pathos memorably in an early scene where Ada fails to keep her younger cousin safe: \u201cA\u00f1uli looked left, then broke free and darted, small, six, across the road.\u201d The focus on how small and young A\u00f1uli is brings home her vulnerability to the reader, adding impact to our fear and worry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Pathos is used by Kirstin Innes in her novel Scabby Queen<\/em> to add resonance to the title itself. A character explains the card game of the same name: \u201cThe queen goes round and round, and the object is to get rid of her \u2013 pass her on to the next one as quickly as you can.\u201d The reader becomes aware that the central character, Clio, is the \u2018scabby queen\u2019 as her various relationships disintegrate, lending further poignancy to her situation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n At the conclusion of Vanessa Kisuule\u2019s poem Hollow<\/em>, the reader is left with a mix of emotions, and a sense of changing perspectives. Inspired by the toppling of the statue of Edward Colston, the poem ends: <\/p>\n\n\n\n But as you landed a piece of you fell off <\/p> broke away <\/p> and inside <\/p> nothing but air. <\/p> This whole time<\/p> You were hollow. <\/p>Hollow by Vanessa Kisuule<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n A quiet and understated conclusion, the lines nevertheless leave a lasting impact \u2013 perhaps reflectiveness, maybe the bittersweet satisfaction of an overdue change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Kimiko Hahn\u2019s poem The Dream of a Lacquer Box<\/em> explores the complexity of her connection to Japanese culture as she dreams about what might be inside her mother\u2019s lacquer box. The list of objects that could be inside, followed by questions (\u201cam I wishing for Mother? searching for Sister?\/Just hoping to give something Japanese to my daughters?\u201d) allows the reader to relate to Hahn\u2019s feelings, and empathise with her desire to belong. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In Bong Joon-ho\u2019s film Parasite<\/em>, the audience sympathises strongly with the Kim family when they are forced to hide under a coffee table so as not to reveal their presence in the Parks\u2019 house. While there, the Parks discuss how badly they think Kim Ki-taek \u2013 the Parks\u2019 chauffeur \u2013 smells. A close up on Ki-taek\u2019s face engages the audience\u2019s sympathy, as does the small, dark space he is in, representing metaphorically to the audience how trapped Ki-taek is in this stratified society. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Pathos is also used to create a sense of joy and triumph. At the end of the British film Pride<\/em>, busloads of Welsh miners turn up unexpectedly in support of a pride march. The triumphant music and surprise and happiness on the characters\u2019 faces add to a sense of joy and delight for the audience, emphasised by the text onscreen confirming that this was a real historical event. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In literature, writers use pathos to help readers connect more deeply to characters, so that the writing resonates more strongly, and so that the themes and ideas being explored are meaningful and impactful. Here\u2019s some further examples of how pathos is used effectively in books<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The predicament of Nao, a bullied Japanese schoolgirl, is made all the more distressing with the author\u2019s use of metaphor: \u201cThe minute he turned his back, they would start to move in. Have you ever seen those nature documentaries where they show a pack of wild hyenas moving in to kill a wildebeest or a baby gazelle?\u201d Likening Nao to a helpless animal surrounded by predators communicates powerfully to the reader just how vicious the bullying is, and heightens our sense of empathy for her. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In this short novel, Lanny\u2019s dad is woken up suddenly and becomes convinced there\u2019s an intruder in his house: \u201cI have no actual defensive power, I am not brave, I do not fight, have never fought, I work in asset management and only fight in subtle ways on Microsoft Outlook. I\u2019m terrified.\u201d Here, Porter effectively weaves humour with fear as he describes the ridiculous, yet scary, situation. <\/p>\n\n\n\nHow Is Pathos Used To Build An Argument?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In The News\/Articles<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nIn Politics And Activism<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How Is Pathos Used In Writing?<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nPathos Examples From Literature<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A Tale For The Time Being<\/em> By Ruth Ozeki<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Lanny<\/em> By Max Porter<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Song Of Achilles<\/em> By Madeline Miller<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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