Pathos, logos, and ethos in writing: similarities and differences in writing and why

Abdulrahman Tayeb Rudd ENGL1303 12/7 Pathos, Logos, and Ethos in Writing: Similarities and Differences in Writing and Why In writing different essays, the content, appeals, and writing style can vary, depending on the aims and audiences of the writer. In “ Our Vanishing Nights,” the article from Klinkenborg has been examined for its rhetorical appeals. In “ My Inner Voices,” I described the battle between my good and bad sides as a person. This paper analyzes these two essays and discovers their connections and disconnections. Although these essays are similar in attaining a coherent essay, differences in appeals and writing styles are evident, where for the “ Our Vanishing Nights” paper, I used logos and formal writing style more, while in “ My Inner Voices,” I focused on ethos and pathos with a less formal writing style because the former is more on analysis of an academic source and had a scientific community and educated audience, while the latter relies on a description of and reflection on personal events for its general people audience. These essays are the same because they aim for a coherent paper with a single thesis. For “ Our Vanishing Nights,” my thesis is that the author used logos, connection of ideas, and comparison to show people what they need to change their night time lighting habits, in order to save animals. The entire paper had paragraphs that supported this thesis. The same happened for my paper “ My Inner Voices” because I focused on the topic of the bad side of me that controlled affected my actions three years ago. The succeeding paragraphs narrated how I made bad decisions and the consequences of those decisions. Moreover, I used transitional sentences for both essays because they are important in having a unified paper. For each paragraph, I started with topic sentences that guided the whole paragraph, although those topic sentences are not always clear with my paper “ My Inner Voices.” These topic sentences ensured the connection to the thesis and offered an easy flow of the paper. Furthermore, I used introductions and conclusions that launched and drove my point, respectively. The introductions gave a general overview of the topic, while conclusions asserted the thesis and made people think. These actions helped give a strong unity to my essays, which is important to all kinds of written works. Apart from these similarities, I realized that in writing these two essays, my target audiences affected my writing style. For an analysis paper, the tone is extremely formal because I targeted scientists and educated people. For instance in “ Our Vanishing Nights,” I said: “ Issues like air and water pollutions have taken priority in many labs around the world, and it is time scientists started giving equal time to light pollution.” The tone has a strong academic sound to it. As for “ My Inner Voices,” the writing is casual and conversational. I wrote: “ It’s because missing school in the morning could cause a lot of troubles and I don’t know, it was just like, do something wrong, you will be popular.” This style follows a conversation that I would have with a friend. Formality is also found in the choice of words or vocabulary. I use scientific and formal words in “ Our Vanishing Nights,” while everyday words are frequent in “ My Inner Voices.” The organization of thoughts strictly follows mechanics and academic writing norms for “ Our Vanishing Nights.” I did not use contractions, and I observed strict academic writing rules. For “ My Inner Voices,” contractions were common, and I wrote like I was talking to a friend only. Hence, the target audiences of the paper affected my writing style. Appeals varied for both papers, where I used logos more in “ Our Vanishing Nights,” while in “ My Inner Voices,” I focused on ethos and pathos because the former is more on analysis of an academic source, while the latter relies on a portrayal of and reflection on personal events. Relying on an academic source and given the paper’s objectives, I wrote with a strong appeal to logic for “ Our Vanishing Nights.” I wanted scientists to study light pollution further to persuade them, I needed evidence and logical thinking. As for “ My Inner Voices,” I used ethos because I described my own experiences to explain what it means to follow the bad inner voice. I did not have to use any source because I am a valid source of my experiences. Furthermore, I used pathos because of the emotions involved. I expressed my feelings over the event, as well as my relationship with my parents. These are sensitive matters that are not usually written about for a formal audience, and so emotions tend to flow when these topics are discussed. My thinking changed between papers because I am motivated to dig out and express my emotions for my personal paper, while I had to do more logical thinking for the “ Our Vanishing Nights” paper. Analyzing an academic source takes time for reflection and discussion. My own experience uses thinking too, as I remember and reflect on my personal actions, but the writing output tends to be more emotional than the other paper. The topics, audiences, and formats of the paper affected my writing style and choice of appeals. These essays are the same because of the attempts made to generate a coherent essay. Nevertheless, differences in appeals and writing styles are apparent, where for the “ Our Vanishing Nights” paper, I used logos and formal writing style more, while in “ My Inner Voices,” I concentrated on ethos and pathos with a less academic writing style. Analysis changes how I write and the words I use, while personal description makes it more informal and conversational. The goals are different too for each paper, as well as the audience, which affected the writing approach and appeals. Hence, writing academic papers differ when objectives and audiences are carefully considered.