Ethos, Pathos, and Logos

Ethos, pathos, and logos are three literary devices used to convey ideas and messages through rhetorical means. These three devices are exampled in the speeches by Fannie Lou Hamer and Stokely Carmichael. Fannie Lou Hamer strongly employs the use of pathos in her speech in front of the credentials committee. She begins with an appeal to pathos by stating her full name, city, and address as to convey to the audience that she has nothing to hide-this also appeals to ethos, as the audience now fully knows her identity. Throughout the rest of her speech, Hamer appeals to pathos by narrating her own story about how she tried to stand up for her right to vote and was viciously beaten by police. Stokely Carmichael relies on his ability to publicly speak and the content of his words to convey his ideas. Specifically, Carmichael employs use of logos and ethos. Carmichael establishes his logos specifically when he says “…I am black and I am a human being. Therefore I have the right to go into any public place. White people didn’t know that.” He uses this same format to criticize the unjust laws and policies in the United States concerning the civil freedoms of blacks, always using the closing phrase “White people didn’t know that”. In short, the speeches by Hamer and Carmichael employ the uses of ethos, pathos, and logos to convey their ideas to the intended audience.