what is pathos

Pathos is a term used most often in rhetoric, literature, film, and other narrative art to appeal to the emotions and ideals of the audience and elicit feelings that already reside in them. It is one of the three primary modes of persuasion, along with ethos and logos. Pathos is an appeal made to an audiences emotions in order to evoke feeling. The word pathos is derived from the Greek word páthos, which means “experience,” “suffering,” or “emotion” . Pathos can be accomplished in many ways, such as through metaphors, storytelling, passion in the delivery of the speech or writing, and personal anecdotes. Pathos tends to use "loaded" words that will get some sort of emotional response from the audience. Appealing to an ideal can also be handled in various ways, such as by understanding the reason for their position, avoiding attacks against a person or audience's personally, and using the attributes of the ideal to reinforce the message. Although appealing to an audience’s emotions can be a powerful technique in persuasive writing, relying solely on this mode has its risks: you might end up making a weak argument that’s not supported by logic (logos) or credibility (ethos) .