English Language Arts
Grade 9
15 min
Identify appeals to ethos, pathos, and logos in advertisements
Identify appeals to ethos, pathos, and logos in advertisements
What you'll learn
- Identify at least two examples each of ethos, pathos, and logos used in different advertisements.
- Explain how each appeal (ethos, pathos, and logos) is intended to persuade the audience in a specific advertisement.
- Analyze a given advertisement and determine which appeal (ethos, pathos, or logos) is most prominent and justify your reasoning with specific examples from the advertisement.
- Categorize different persuasive techniques used in advertisements (e.g., celebrity endorsements, emotional language, statistics) as examples of ethos, pathos, or logos.
Tutorial Preview
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Introduction & Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
Define ethos, pathos, and logos in the context of advertising.
Differentiate between the three rhetorical appeals in various ad formats (print, video, digital).
Analyze how an advertisement uses ethos to build credibility and trust.
Evaluate the effectiveness of an advertisement's appeal to pathos in evoking an emotional response.
Deconstruct an advertisement's use of logos by identifying facts, statistics, or logical reasoning.
Explain how advertisers often combine multiple appeals to create a single persuasive message.
Formulate a concise thesis statement about the primary rhetorical appeal used in a given advertisement.
Ever watched a commercial and suddenly felt you *needed* that new phone or felt a tear in your eye? 📱 That's not mag...
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Key Concepts & Vocabulary
TermDefinitionExample
Rhetorical AppealsThe three main strategies used to persuade an audience: ethos, pathos, and logos. They are also called 'persuasive appeals'.A charity ad might show you a sad picture (pathos), have a trusted celebrity speak (ethos), and share a statistic about the problem (logos).
Ethos (Ethical Appeal)Persuasion based on the character, credibility, or authority of the speaker or brand.A toothpaste commercial stating, 'Recommended by 9 out of 10 dentists.' The dentists are the authority figure used to build trust.
Pathos (Emotional Appeal)Persuasion by appealing to the audience's emotions, such as fear, joy, pity, or anger.A commercial for a phone company shows a soldier video-chatting with his happy, crying family from overseas. This evokes...
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Key Rules & Conventions
The 'Who, What, Why' Test for Ethos
To identify ethos, ask: Who is speaking? What are their credentials? Why should I trust them?
Use this to determine if an ad is building credibility. Look for celebrity endorsements, expert testimonials (doctors, scientists), or a brand's long-standing reputation.
The 'Feeling' Test for Pathos
To identify pathos, ask: What specific emotion is this ad trying to make me feel?
Use this to pinpoint emotional appeals. Look for powerful imagery (smiling families, scared animals), evocative music, and emotionally charged words.
The 'Fact-Check' Test for Logos
To identify logos, ask: What evidence is being presented? Are there numbers, data, facts, or a clear line of reasoning?
Use this to find logical ar...
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Challenging
An ad for a new electric truck shows it hauling massive loads through a rugged mountain pass during a blizzard. There is no narrator or text on screen until the end, when the brand's logo appears with the words: 'Built to Endure.' Which statement best synthesizes the ad's rhetorical strategy?
A.The ad relies solely on logos by showing the truck's logical capabilities.
B.The ad uses ethos by featuring a famous truck driver to build credibility.
C.The ad primarily uses pathos, evoking feelings of toughness and reliability through powerful imagery, which in turn builds the brand's ethos as being dependable.
D.The ad's main goal is to use pathos to make the audience afraid of bad weather.
Challenging
A political ad shows a candidate meeting with factory workers and senior citizens, set to uplifting music. The candidate says, 'I approve this message because I believe in an economy that works for everyone.' A small print on screen notes the candidate voted against a popular minimum wage bill. How does the ad's use of pathos conflict with external information?
A.The pathos of the ad is strengthened by the candidate's voting record.
B.The pathos, which aims to create feelings of trust and unity, is undermined by a fact that contradicts the candidate's message, potentially damaging their ethos.
C.The logos of the voting record is irrelevant to the emotional appeal of the ad.
D.The ad successfully uses ethos to overcome the negative information.
Challenging
An ad for a bank features a young couple nervously looking at blueprints for their dream home. The loan officer smiles and says, 'We've been helping families build their dreams since 1898.' The ad ends with the couple happily unlocking the door to their new house. Which is the most nuanced and accurate thesis statement?
A.The bank ad uses logos by stating the year 1898 to prove it is good with money.
B.The ad's primary appeal is ethos, using its long history to seem trustworthy.
C.The ad uses a dominant pathos appeal by focusing on the emotional journey of homeownership, which is reinforced by an appeal to ethos through the bank's established history.
D.The ad uses pathos to make people want to buy a house and ethos to show the bank is old.
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What grade level is "Identify appeals to ethos, pathos, and logos in advertisements"?
Identify appeals to ethos, pathos, and logos in advertisements is a Grade 9 English Language Arts lesson on ExcelOS.
What will I learn in Identify appeals to ethos, pathos, and logos in advertisements?
You'll be able to: Identify at least two examples each of ethos, pathos, and logos used in different advertisements; Explain how each appeal (ethos, pathos, and logos) is intended to persuade the audience in a specific advertisement; Analyze a….
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How many practice questions are included with Identify appeals to ethos, pathos, and logos in advertisements?
This lesson includes 25 practice questions across multiple difficulty levels, each with instant feedback and explanations.