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Anthropomorphism
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
Preface 1: “The Publisher to the Reader”
Explanation and Analysis—Verisimilitude:
Throughout Gulliver's Travels, Jonathan Swift uses ethos to convince the reader that the novel is a work of non-fiction.
In Preface 1: "The Publisher to the Reader," the publisher Richard Sympson refers to Gulliver as a real person and also vouches for his character:
[T]he author was so distinguished for his Veracity, that it became a sort of Proverb among his Neighbours at Redriff, when anyone affirmed a Thing, to say, it was as true as if Mr. Gulliver had spoke it.
This prefatory letter adds a sense of reality to the story and also establishes Gulliver as a credible narrator, someone who is known to speak the truth. In this letter, Sympson also takes responsibility for any mistakes concerning geography or details about sailing, ensuring that any factual errors in the account can be attributed to the publisher rather than to any kind of deliberate dishonesty:
However, if my own Ignorance in Sea-Affairs shall have led me to commit some Mistakes, I alone am answerable for them.
In Preface 2: "A Letter from Captain Gulliver, to his Cousin Sympson," Gulliver complains of mistakes in the published version of his account:
I find, likewise, that your Printer hath been so careless as to confound the Times, and mistake the Dates of my several Voyages and Returns; neither assigning the true Tear, or the true Month, or the Day of the Month.
Gulliver's outrage adds support to the notion that his story is true—after all, if the more fantastical elements were false, why would the author be so concerned about such mundane errors? In addition, any actual discrepancies in the novel can be explained away as print errors rather than mistakes made by the original author.
Swift also establishes ethos through his numerous references to excrement. By describing his act of defecation in Book 1, Chapter 2 in great detail, Gulliver demonstrates that he is more concerned with accuracy than he is with propriety:
I would not have dwelt so long upon a Circumstance, that perhaps at first sight may appear not very momentous, if I had not thought it necessary to justify my Character in point of Cleanliness to the World; which I am told some of my Maligners have been pleased, upon this and other Occasions, to call into question.
The reference to "maligners" also adds to Gulliver's ethos, since it implies that other people have already mounted challenges against his account and have been refuted. It also evokes sympathy in the reader by casting Gulliver as an underdog struggling to promote truth in a dishonest world. Instead of presenting himself as a flawless hero or brave adventurer, Gulliver frequently states that he is merely concerned with keeping the record straight and making sure his readers have all the available information. This sense of humility, paired with a frank writing style, establishes Gulliver as a sincere and trustworthy narrator—though, needless to say, the entire account (and even Gulliver himself) is fictional.
Related Themes:
Preface 2: “A Letter from Captain Gulliver to his Cousin Sympson”
Explanation and Analysis—Verisimilitude:
Throughout Gulliver's Travels, Jonathan Swift uses ethos to convince the reader that the novel is a work of non-fiction.
In Preface 1: "The Publisher to the Reader," the publisher Richard Sympson refers to Gulliver as a real person and also vouches for his character:
[T]he author was so distinguished for his Veracity, that it became a sort of Proverb among his Neighbours at Redriff, when anyone affirmed a Thing, to say, it was as true as if Mr. Gulliver had spoke it.
This prefatory letter adds a sense of reality to the story and also establishes Gulliver as a credible narrator, someone who is known to speak the truth. In this letter, Sympson also takes responsibility for any mistakes concerning geography or details about sailing, ensuring that any factual errors in the account can be attributed to the publisher rather than to any kind of deliberate dishonesty:
However, if my own Ignorance in Sea-Affairs shall have led me to commit some Mistakes, I alone am answerable for them.
In Preface 2: "A Letter from Captain Gulliver, to his Cousin Sympson," Gulliver complains of mistakes in the published version of his account:
I find, likewise, that your Printer hath been so careless as to confound the Times, and mistake the Dates of my several Voyages and Returns; neither assigning the true Tear, or the true Month, or the Day of the Month.
Gulliver's outrage adds support to the notion that his story is true—after all, if the more fantastical elements were false, why would the author be so concerned about such mundane errors? In addition, any actual discrepancies in the novel can be explained away as print errors rather than mistakes made by the original author.
Swift also establishes ethos through his numerous references to excrement. By describing his act of defecation in Book 1, Chapter 2 in great detail, Gulliver demonstrates that he is more concerned with accuracy than he is with propriety:
I would not have dwelt so long upon a Circumstance, that perhaps at first sight may appear not very momentous, if I had not thought it necessary to justify my Character in point of Cleanliness to the World; which I am told some of my Maligners have been pleased, upon this and other Occasions, to call into question.
The reference to "maligners" also adds to Gulliver's ethos, since it implies that other people have already mounted challenges against his account and have been refuted. It also evokes sympathy in the reader by casting Gulliver as an underdog struggling to promote truth in a dishonest world. Instead of presenting himself as a flawless hero or brave adventurer, Gulliver frequently states that he is merely concerned with keeping the record straight and making sure his readers have all the available information. This sense of humility, paired with a frank writing style, establishes Gulliver as a sincere and trustworthy narrator—though, needless to say, the entire account (and even Gulliver himself) is fictional.
Related Themes:
Book 1, Chapter 2
Explanation and Analysis—Verisimilitude:
Throughout Gulliver's Travels, Jonathan Swift uses ethos to convince the reader that the novel is a work of non-fiction.
In Preface 1: "The Publisher to the Reader," the publisher Richard Sympson refers to Gulliver as a real person and also vouches for his character:
[T]he author was so distinguished for his Veracity, that it became a sort of Proverb among his Neighbours at Redriff, when anyone affirmed a Thing, to say, it was as true as if Mr. Gulliver had spoke it.
This prefatory letter adds a sense of reality to the story and also establishes Gulliver as a credible narrator, someone who is known to speak the truth. In this letter, Sympson also takes responsibility for any mistakes concerning geography or details about sailing, ensuring that any factual errors in the account can be attributed to the publisher rather than to any kind of deliberate dishonesty:
However, if my own Ignorance in Sea-Affairs shall have led me to commit some Mistakes, I alone am answerable for them.
In Preface 2: "A Letter from Captain Gulliver, to his Cousin Sympson," Gulliver complains of mistakes in the published version of his account:
I find, likewise, that your Printer hath been so careless as to confound the Times, and mistake the Dates of my several Voyages and Returns; neither assigning the true Tear, or the true Month, or the Day of the Month.
Gulliver's outrage adds support to the notion that his story is true—after all, if the more fantastical elements were false, why would the author be so concerned about such mundane errors? In addition, any actual discrepancies in the novel can be explained away as print errors rather than mistakes made by the original author.
Swift also establishes ethos through his numerous references to excrement. By describing his act of defecation in Book 1, Chapter 2 in great detail, Gulliver demonstrates that he is more concerned with accuracy than he is with propriety:
I would not have dwelt so long upon a Circumstance, that perhaps at first sight may appear not very momentous, if I had not thought it necessary to justify my Character in point of Cleanliness to the World; which I am told some of my Maligners have been pleased, upon this and other Occasions, to call into question.
The reference to "maligners" also adds to Gulliver's ethos, since it implies that other people have already mounted challenges against his account and have been refuted. It also evokes sympathy in the reader by casting Gulliver as an underdog struggling to promote truth in a dishonest world. Instead of presenting himself as a flawless hero or brave adventurer, Gulliver frequently states that he is merely concerned with keeping the record straight and making sure his readers have all the available information. This sense of humility, paired with a frank writing style, establishes Gulliver as a sincere and trustworthy narrator—though, needless to say, the entire account (and even Gulliver himself) is fictional.
Related Themes:
