Rhetoric

Rhetoric is something that we use everyday without even realizing it. I always considered rhetoric as something we use only when we write. However, everyday we are using persuasion in our conversations to express ourselves or our thoughts. There are three types of rhetoric: ethos, pathos, and logos. I will use examples of the the three rhetorical devices that I use at my work in a clothing store.

Ethos is the identity of the self and how we define ourselves to other people. We are doing this everyday whether it's someone that we just met or someone that we have known our entire lives, we are always defining ourselves to other people. Work, personality, interests and hobbies, etc. are all things that define us and persuade people of our identities. In retail, we can use ethos by expressing ourselves through our clothing styles.

Pathos is the emotional aspect of rhetoric. We use emotion to let others know what we are feeling. Our values and beliefs influence our feelings and how we react to everyday situations. If I feel strongly about one of my values then I can use pathos to persuade someone to do the right thing, whether it be recycling or treating people with respect at work. In retail, I use pathos by letting customers know what clothes are the trendiest and what I feel looks the best on them.

Logos uses logic and factual evidence to persuade others. Logical evidence can be very persuasive because it uses the cold hard facts. I use logos to tell customers that we are an easier store to shop at because we do convenient returns compared to other stores in the mall.