{"id":92,"date":"2019-01-22T20:13:49","date_gmt":"2019-01-22T20:13:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/atd-monroecc-collegecomp\/?post_type=chapter&p=92"},"modified":"2019-01-22T20:13:50","modified_gmt":"2019-01-22T20:13:50","slug":"pathos","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/atd-monroecc-collegecomp\/chapter\/pathos\/","title":{"raw":"Pathos","rendered":"Pathos"},"content":{"raw":"

Pathos<\/h1>\r\n\"DramaAppealing to\u00a0pathos\u00a0<\/strong>is about appealing to your audience\u2019s emotions. Because people can be easily moved by their emotions, pathos is a powerful mode of persuasion. When you think about appealing to pathos, you should consider all of the potential emotions people experience. While we often see or hear arguments that appeal to sympathy or anger, appealing to pathos is not limited to these specific emotions. You can also use emotions such as humor, joy or even frustration, to note a few, in order to convince your audience.\r\n\r\nIt\u2019s important, however, to be careful when appealing to pathos, as arguments with an overly-strong focus on emotion are not considered as credible in an academic setting. This means you could, and should, use pathos, but you have to do so carefully. An overly-emotional argument can cause you to lose your credibility as a writer.\r\n\r\nYou have probably seen many arguments based on an appeal to pathos. In fact, a large number of the commercials you see on television or the internet actually focus primarily on pathos. For example, many car commercials tap into our desire to feel special or important. They suggest that, if you drive a nice car, you will automatically be respected.\r\n\r\nWith the power of pathos in mind, here are some strategies you can use to carefully build pathos in your arguments.\r\n