Ethos, Logos, & Pathos

As I read some of the blogs Obama it is evident that he is the man of the hour. I was also going to comment on Obama but I remembered something I learned in grade school. That was the history of one of our former Presidents of the United States, John F. Kennedy. I listened to his inaugural speech from 1961; by the way I wasn’t born yet. Here is a link of the written speech - http://www.bartleby.com/124/pres56.html and here is a link from utube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xE0iPY7XGBo and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3s6U8GActdQ, there are two parts to the speech.

When I listened to the speech I kept in mind the definitions of ethos, logos, and pathos. Aristotle believed that these three ways could sway an audience (Trenholm, 2008). When I apply these to JFK’s inaugural speech I believe that of the three; logos is the most pertinent. This is my opinion because of a statement that has been continually referred to over time and that is, “ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country” (Bartleby.com). This single statement from JFK’s inaugural speech meant more than just words.

I also believe that ethos and pathos were major factors as well. It is my understanding that the Kennedy name itself exemplified a strong and trustworthy personal character. I have heard JFK was a people’s President and from this pathos is applied. His inaugural speech stimulated the emotion in the crowd. Aristotle’s classification scheme did work for JFK.
The personal quality that I have that makes me persuasive regarding Aristotle’s classification scheme is pathos. I have the ability to get the audience emotionally intrigued. Although I have been told that some of the sayings that I use stay with my audience and are reiterated in their own persuasive interactions, which in turn would be the usage of logos.