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Dramatic Irony
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
Letter 15
Explanation and Analysis—Poor Distressed Creature:
In Letter 15, Pamela tells her mother that she cut off her last letter abruptly because Mr. B. walked in on her and accused her of gossiping (in writing) when she should be working. Pamela uses pathos and ethos in her attempt to convince Mr. B. not to punish her:
I fell down on my Knees, and said, For God’s sake, your Honour, pity a poor distressed Creature, that knows nothing of her Duty, but how to cherish her Virtue and good Name! I have nothing else to trust to; and tho’ poor and friendless here, yet I have always been taught to value Honesty above my Life.
Related Themes:
The Journal
Explanation and Analysis—Remorse and Compassion:
In the Journal, Pamela describes one night when Mr. B. begins to show her some sympathy. Whether or not he is sincere, he uses ethos and logos to persuade Pamela that she should trust him:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Had I been utterly given up to my Passions, I should before now have gratify’d them, and not have shewn that Remorse and Compassion for you, which have repriev’d you more than once, when absolutely in my Power; and you are as inviolate a Virgin as you was when you came into my House.
Related Themes:
The Journal (continued)
Explanation and Analysis—Requisite Conduct:
In the Journal (continued), Mr. B. gets very angry when Lady Davers brings up Sally Godfrey, especially when Pamela tries to convince him to forgive Lady Davers for her intrusive comment. Mr. B. uses ethos to convince Pamela that she does not need to worry about Sally Godfrey as long as she continues to be a good wife:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Now, my Dear, I would have you think, and, I hope, you will have no other Reason, that had I marry’d the first Lady in the Land, I would not have treated her better than I will my Pamela. For my Wife is my Wife; and I was the longer in resolving on the State, because I knew its Requisites, and doubted my Conduct in it.
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Explanation and Analysis—Frail Ship:
In the Journal (continued), Pamela tells her parents about Mr. B.'s impressive intellect and her fervent hope that she will never lose sight of her own humility when speaking with him. She indirectly cultivates her own ethos via a metaphor as she asks them to keep praying for her:
Unlock with LitCharts A+And don’t cease your Prayers for me, my dear Parents; for, perhaps, this new Condition may be subject to still worse Hazards than those I have escap’d; as would be the Case, were Conceitedness, Vanity, and Pride, to take hold of my frail Heart! and if I was, for my Sins, to be left to my own Conduct, a frail Ship in a tempestuous Ocean, without Ballast, or other Pilot than my own inconsiderate Will.
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