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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 11
Explanation and Analysis—Underneath uh Dove's Wing:
Tea Cake tries to make an argument, asking Janie to allow him to comb her hair, by using pathos, followed by a simile that is at once argumentatively effective and aesthetically beautiful. He says he likes to comb Janie's hair, which she can't understand:
"Why, Tea Cake? Whut good do combin' my hair do you? It's mah comfortable, not yourn."
"It's mine too. Ah ain't sleepin' so good for more'n uh week cause Ah been wishin' so bad tuh get mah hands in yo' hair. It's so pretty. It feels jus' lak underneath uh dove's wing next to mah face."
Tea Cake tells Janie that he wants to comb her hair so badly that he has hardly slept. He describes his unpleasant situation in order to try and convince Janie to allow him to play with her hair (and, by extension, to take her as a wife). This is, then, an example of pathos: using emotion to support an argument. Pathos can occur in works of fiction as well as argumentative essays or speeches; it is a way to convince someone, as Tea Cake tries to do here.
After this example of pathos, Tea Cake uses a simile to create a beautiful image of Janie's hair, "lak underneath uh dove's wing next to my face." One of multiple similes about Janie's hair, this is another of Hurston's many simple yet evocative images. Compare her descriptions of the old, gross Logan Killicks and his smelly feet, and Joe Starks's old body "like bags hanging from an ironing board." The images in this book are often as unfamiliar and unexpected as they are beautiful. Tea Cake describes Janie's hair as soft and delicate, like the underside of a bird's feathers. By a comparison to a dove he subtly implies that Janie's hair, and Janie herself, would bring him peace. Tea Cake combines pathos and simile into an effective argument, showing his ability as a quick-talking flirter.
Related Themes:
