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Motifs
Definition of Pathos
Pathos, along with logos and ethos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective speaking or writing). Pathos is an argument that appeals to... read full definition
Pathos, along with logos and ethos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective speaking or writing). Pathos is... read full definition
Pathos, along with logos and ethos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective... read full definition
Chapter 1
Explanation and Analysis—Father's Pleas:
In the novel's first chapter, Robinson's father uses several arguments to prevent him from going off to sea, yet he fails to persuade his son to stay in England. Ethos, which underlines a speaker's authority, is one of the father's first strategies. The father establishes his own credibility to speak on the subject: he is an old man, he has a lot of experience, and he knows what decisions will lead someone in Robinson's position to make a good life for himself. Robinson's father invokes his "long experience" to assert that the middle state is far better than adventure and even greatness:
He told me [...] that mine was the middle state, or what might be called the upper station of low life, which he had found, by long experience, was the best state in the world.
Next, Robinson's father employs logos, building up logical arguments to persuade Robinson to stay in England and enjoy the "middle state" of life:
[...] nay, they were not subjected to so many distempers and uneasinesses either of body or mind, as those were who, by vicious living, luxury and extravagancies on one hand, or by hard labour, want of necessaries, and mean or insufficient diet on the other hand, bring distempers upon themselves by the natural consequences of their way of living...
Finally, Robinson's father appeals to Robinson's emotions, employing pathos to bolster his argument:
I observed the tears run down his father very plentifully, and especially when he spoke of my brother who was kill'd; and that when he spoke of my having leisure to repent, and none to assist me, he was so mov'd, that he broke off the discourse, and told me, his heart was so full, he could say no more to me.
From Robinson's tone, it is obvious that this well developed and moving concoction of ethos, logos, and pathos bounces off of his younger self. Additionally, the reader possesses a conflicted awareness of a paradox that underlies the situation: if Robinson's father had succeeded in swaying him, there would be no story for him to tell; the survival of the story hinges on Robinson's recklessness. In spite of this paradox, this scene is very important for the novel, as it foreshadows the calamity that will befall Robinson. Additionally, the scene frames the novel, as Robinson will reflect back on his father's words several times throughout the narrative. In a way, there are two old men in the room with Robinson, begging him not to be foolish in going against his father's solid arguments—his father and his older self.
Related Themes:
