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Literary Devices
Definition of Ethos
Ethos, along with logos and pathos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective speaking or writing). Ethos is an argument that appeals to... read full definition
Ethos, along with logos and pathos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective speaking or writing). Ethos is... read full definition
Ethos, along with logos and pathos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective... read full definition
Ethos
Explanation and Analysis—External Sources:
Throughout "A Modest Proposal," the Proposer repeatedly refers to the advice and knowledge of other individuals he claims to have spoken to regarding the problem at hand. This "expert" referral is a means by which the narrator attempts to establish ethos. If other people are available to comment on the facts and situations the Proposer presents, his version of events and his solution appear more credible to the average reader. The first appeal made to external credibility occurs early on in the essay, when the narrator wishes to support his claim that children only begin stealing once they reach the age of six:
[...a]s I have been informed by a principal gentleman in the county of Cavan, who protested to me that he never knew above one or two instances under the age of six, even in a part of the kingdom so renowned for the quickest proficiency in that art.
The Proposer later alludes to a "very worthy person" who has not only heard and affirmed the validity of this child cannibalism scheme but has seen fit to offer his own insight:
A very worthy person, a true lover of his country and whose virtues I highly esteem, was lately pleased in discoursing on this matter to offer a refinement upon my scheme. He said that many gentlemen of this kingdom, having of late destroyed their deer, he conceived that the want of venison might be well supplied by the bodies of young lads and maidens, not exceeding 14 years of age nor under 12.
The Proposer presents both of these people as credible, external sources to supplement his argument; notably, however, he refuses to include the name of either gentleman, despite referring to them using favorable terms. It's in this way that these passages give the appearance of objectivity and ethos without genuinely establishing either. The Proposer's evidence is entirely circumstantial.
Related Themes:
