Ethos

Contents

• Defining Ethos
• Prior Ethos
• Dimension of Ethos in the Rhetorical Act
• Analyzing the Speaker's Strategic Use of Ethos

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Defining Ethos

• The Place of character in speech.
• e thos - n. The disposition, character, or fundamental values peculiar to a specific person, people, culture, or movement: "They cultivated a subversive alternative ethos" -- American Heritage Dictionary
• Ethos is often associated specifically with the character of the speaker, but this definition stresses that character may come from the speaker's identification with a people, a culture, or a movement.
• In strategic discourse a speaker may locate his/her character in a personal characteristic or in some connection that s/he has with a people, a culture, or a movement.
• The power of strategic discourse is influenced by the ethos of the speaker. A speaker may enter the rhetorical act with a particular ethos. The power of strategic discourse can be enhanced by where the speaker locates his/her ethos.

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Prior Ethos

• The Speaker's Reputation
• The Speaker's Appearance
• The Introduction
• Other Elements of Context including occasion

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Dimension of Ethos in the Rhetorical Act

• Identification. Degree to which the audience sees itself similar to the speaker. Speakers can stress those aspects of their character that they share with the audience.
• Social Power. Degree to which the audience grants authority to the speaker. Speakers can establish their expertise or their special characteristics that deserve a grant of authority from the audience.
• Participation. Degree to which the audience sees itself engaged with the speaker in a common project. Speakers can motivate audiences to see themselves as a part of a joint enterprise.

Analyzing the Speaker's Strategic Use of Ethos

These questions will help you analyze the strategic choices in ethos.  I don't necessarily recommend that you organize an evaluation of the strategies in this way, but this pattern will help you think through ethos.

• What reputation does the speaker bring to the speech?
  • What are the elements of that reputation?
  • Does the reputation present obstacles to the speaker?  Does the speaker address those obstacles?  How?  Does he address them well?
  • Does the speaker's reputation offer strategic opportunities?  Deos teh speaker take advantage of them?
  • Does the introduction magnify elements of the reputation?
• Are there elements of the speaker's appearance that add to or detract from ethos?
  • What strategies appeal to those elements?
• How do strategies within the speech affect the speaker's reputation?
  • What specific strategies increase it?  How?
  • What specific strategies decrease it?  How?
  • Does the speaker leave the speech with more or less ethos than when it began?
• How well does the speaker identify with the audience?
  • What strategies to identify does the speaker use?  Are they successful?
• Does the speaker's ethos influence his/her social power?
  • Through his/her reputation?
  • Through his/her identification?
• Does the identification and social power create participation by the audience?