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The Art of Persuasion Essay examples

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The Art of Persuasion Used since the times of the ancient Greeks, the art of persuasion has become an integral part of our everyday language. From its inception, it was used to elect a government to rule a state, used to boost a person's spirit, and used to win a crowd's favour. There are many different types of persuasive techniques, such as the general ethos, pathos and logos, repetition, list of three …show more content…

However, using too much of logos can be a drag as too much facts and statistics makes a speech mundane. This is why ethos is equally used in a persuasive speech. Ethos uses credibility to persuade the audience. The speaker credits the audience by complimenting them in various ways. In J.F.K's Berlin speech, his starting sentence clearly shows Ethos, "I am proud to come to this city as the guest of your distinguished Mayor, who has symbolized thoroughout the world the fighting spirit of West Berlin. And I am proud to visit the Federal Republic with your distinguished Chancellor…" In the starting speech, J.F.K uses personal pronouns to include the audiences in his speech. Kennedy also repeats the word "distinguished", which is an evident compliment to the country. J.F.K also addresses positions of authority like Berlin's Mayor and Chancellor to make it seem respectable. Ethos is very useful when it comes to persuasion, as one tends to take pride in praises which others say to them. Likewise, pathos is another technique used to persuade the audience emotionally. Although emotional appeals are not popular in some formal arguments, it still remains the most powerful persuasive factor, as ethos and logos sometimes do

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