{"id":59585,"date":"2022-02-06T08:24:06","date_gmt":"2022-02-06T12:24:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=59585"},"modified":"2022-02-06T08:24:07","modified_gmt":"2022-02-06T12:24:07","slug":"how-to-use-pathos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-use-pathos\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use Pathos in a Persuasive Argument"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is pathos? How can you use pathos to strengthen a persuasive argument?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a persuasive argument, pathos is when you appeal to your audience’s emotions to make them feel a certain way about your cause. The best way to do this is to tell a vivid story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s how to use pathos to persuade an audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Use <\/strong>Pathos<\/em><\/strong> to Persuade Your Audience<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The third persuasive appeal after ethos<\/em> and logos<\/em> is pathos<\/em>, or emotion. Heinrichs notes that our emotions are much<\/em> stronger than our rationale\u2014therefore, a pathos<\/em>-based argument is best for accomplishing the most difficult of the three audience goals: spurring your audience into action. Pathos<\/em> helps you bridge the gap between your audience agreeing<\/em> to your choice and acting<\/em> on it.<\/strong> In his book Thank You for Arguing<\/em>, Jay Heinrichs explains how to use pathos in a persuasive argument. The key, he says, is to tell a vivid story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tell a Vivid Story<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Aristotle contended that one of the best ways to change an audience\u2019s mood is to tell a vivid story. Heinrichs says this works because emotions are built on <\/strong>experience<\/em><\/strong> or <\/strong>expectation<\/em><\/strong>: what your audience believes happened or will happen. <\/strong>Vivid storytelling creates both scenarios\u2014the event feels real to the audience (experience), and they believe it could happen to them <\/em>(expectation). In this way, your story builds genuine, persuasive emotions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: The effectiveness of vivid storytelling is due to the way people\u2019s brains communicate with each other. Researchers have found that when someone is listening to a vivid story, their brain lights up in the same places on an MRI as that of the storyteller herself<\/a>. In other words, your brain is convinced it\u2019s experiencing the story\u2019s events<\/em> and reacts to them as such.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Do You Make a Story Vivid? <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Heinrichs outlines three aspects of telling a vivid story: First, describe the sensations of the event in detail.<\/strong> (For example, the scent of your childhood home or the feeling of your stomach dropping.) This helps your audience \u201cexperience\u201d the event alongside you, and they\u2019ll react to it the same way you did. Second, convey emotion carefully.<\/strong> Keep your emotions under control while you speak, but make sure your audience can see<\/em> that you\u2019re struggling to hold back. Instead of forcing exaggerated emotions (which can feel theatrical or inauthentic) on them, you let them sense the emotion they should<\/em> be feeling and exaggerate it themselves<\/em>. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lastly, keep your speech as simple as possible<\/strong> to let the audience fill in their own understanding of the experience. In other words, instead of telling them how to feel (\u201cDoesn\u2019t that make you angry?\u201d), simply suggest <\/em>emotions they can build on (\u201cShe kicked my cat. Boy, was I livid<\/em>. I went over there and…\u201d).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Build<\/em> a Vivid Story\u00a0<\/strong>

Once you know how you\u2019ll convey your emotions during a story, think about how you\u2019ll structure<\/em> the story in the most compelling way possible. For this, look to Freytag\u2019s Pyramid: a five-part pattern to dramatic storytelling<\/a>. The pyramid was designed by novelist Gustav Freytag, based on Aristotle\u2019s unified plot structure<\/a>. The five parts cover:

– Exposition:<\/strong> This stage establishes the setting, characters, and so on to give the listener a clear picture of the story\u2019s beginning.
– Rising action: <\/strong>This stage works through the story\u2019s conflict\u2014often explaining how things get worse<\/em> for the main character. This continues up to the climax.\u00a0
– Climax (the peak of the pyramid): <\/strong>The conflict comes to a head and the main character reaches a significant turning point.
– Falling action:<\/strong> The main character reflects on the climax and its aftermath\u2014exploring their feelings about the conflict and climax and occasionally finding new conflicts.\u00a0
– Resolution: <\/strong>The resolution simply closes out the story and ties up the loose ends.\u00a0

This framework carries the reader through the emotions of a story at the right moments\u2014this timing, combined with the right emotions, evokes a strong response.\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Use Strong Emotions <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Besides telling a vivid story to generate emotions, Heinrichs says there are other ways to create emotions<\/a> that get your audience on your side and ready to act on your ideas. One of the most effective is appealing to tribalism, or group identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heinrichs notes that the strongest form of tribalism is patriotism<\/em>, or loyalty to a country, school, town, or other entity. He explains that this feeling is largely due to your body\u2019s oxytocin (the bonding hormone) levels. Oxytocin naturally spikes slightly when you\u2019re in a group, helping you feel closer to other members. However, when your group is threatened in any way, your oxytocin levels go through the roof, triggering strong emotions such as defensiveness, jealousy, and competition\u2014all of which can lead to impulsive actions and decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Heinrichs argues that highlighting your audience\u2019s common belief or goal belongs in the realm of logos<\/em> and isn\u2019t part of the pathos<\/em> agenda to get your audience to act. However, Seth Godin disagrees in Tribes<\/em><\/a>:<\/em> He argues that having a collective belief is what gives tribes a sense of intrinsic motivation<\/a>. Without this motivation, tribes don\u2019t feel driven to act or gather beyond the initial moment of excitement that Heinrichs describes\u2014and therefore don\u2019t really qualify as a \u201ctribe\u201d at all.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heinrichs notes an easy two-step process to manipulate an audience\u2019s oxytocin levels to harness the power of tribalism: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Create a strong group bonding moment: Speak to your audience warmly and with love, and focus on what everyone in the group has in common. <\/li>
  2. Turn your focus to discussion of a rival group, and make your audience feel threatened\u2014point out the ways \u201cthey\u201d hold an advantage over \u201cus,\u201d or ways they\u2019ve insulted \u201cour\u201d group and symbols.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    (Shortform note: One thing that Heinrichs doesn\u2019t mention is that certain people are more susceptible to the tribalism appeal than others. Researchers say that people with low self-esteem<\/em> are most easily persuaded by tribalism<\/a> because they see their group membership as a central facet of their identity. They perceive threats to their group<\/em> as threats to themselves<\/em>, and therefore react more strongly than someone with high self-esteem and a sense of identity outside the group.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Use Pathos<\/em> to Judge Others\u2019 Arguments<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    When you understand pathos<\/em>, it\u2019s easier to see when someone is trying to emotionally manipulate you or bully you until they get an emotional rise out of you. Heinrichs recommends two ways to gain the upper hand in these situations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Method #1: Appeal to Your Audience <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    If your argument has an audience, they can likely see that the person trying to get a rise out of you isn\u2019t a good person, and they\u2019ll feel sympathy toward you. Heinrichs urges you to compound their sympathy by demonstrating that you\u2019re the bigger person: <\/strong>Stay calm and try joking about the situation, revealing the contrast between your strong character and the bully\u2019s weak, foolish character. (Shortform note: A well-known example of this is Kurt Cobain smilingly asking a heckler, \u201cWhy are you here?\u201d<\/a>) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Usually, a bully will stop when he sees that you have the audience\u2019s support. If he doesn\u2019t<\/em> stop, continue using the audience’s support against him. (Shortform note: Cobain likely could have gotten the audience to boo the heckler out of the room if he hadn\u2019t quieted down.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Method #2: Feign Aggressive Interest<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    You may have a bully who \u201cargues\u201d by being louder and more aggressive than you are. Heinrichs suggests that you calmly respond with aggressive interest<\/em>\u2014that is, ask many questions and push for details. This won\u2019t convince your bully that he\u2019s wrong, but he\u2019ll likely talk himself down: Research shows that people often moderate their opinions when they must explain themselves\u2014unchallenged<\/em><\/strong> opinions are usually the most extreme.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Heinrichs explains that aggressive interest relies on pushing your bully to define the terms they\u2019re using. This forces them to consider how their opinions rest on assumptions and stereotypes and thereby takes some of the power out of their argument. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For example, someone might say, \u201cAll politicians are corrupt.\u201d Not every<\/em> politician in the world is corrupt\u2014he\u2019s stating a stereotype as truth. Push him to define his terms: Ask if he really means \u201call\u201d politicians, or ask him to explain what he considers \u201ccorruption.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Beyond asking for clear definitions, Heinrichs stresses the importance of questioning<\/a> your bully\u2019s beliefs respectfully<\/em>, so they understand that you genuinely want to gain understanding. If they feel that you\u2019re mocking or fighting them, they may become defensive or angry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Consider Your Argument From the Bully\u2019s Perspective<\/strong>

    A limiting aspect of Heinrichs\u2019s methods for dealing with bullies is his assumption that you\u2019re<\/em> in the right and superior to your bully. This sentiment is implied in the outcome of his methods\u2014either your audience agrees that you\u2019re the better person or your bully discovers his argument\u2019s shortcomings and stops talking. Heinrichs doesn\u2019t suggest that you consider whether you\u2019re<\/em> the foolish or incorrect person in the argument. 

    When you encounter a bully, psychologists say, taking a moment to consider why<\/em> you think they\u2019re a bully may lead to a more productive approach<\/a> than Heinrichs\u2019s suggested methods. They suggest asking yourself three questions to determine why your bully isn\u2019t receptive to your argument. 

    -Are they unable<\/em> to meaningfully listen to your argument? 
    -Is it that they don\u2019t want to<\/em> listen to your argument? 
    -Do they feel unsure if they should <\/em>listen to your argument?  

    When you consider your bully\u2019s stance from this more nuanced perspective, you may find that your approach<\/em> is the problem, not the bully\u2019s receptiveness<\/em>. 

    -If your bully seems unable<\/em> to be receptive, your argument may lack clarity. Make sure that you\u2019re explaining your argument in a way the other person can understand.
    -If your bully seems like they don\u2019t want to listen<\/em>, you may be inadvertently angering or provoking them\u2014this usually prompts     defensiveness, which psychologists pinpoint as one of the worst <\/em>emotions for getting someone to change.<\/a>
    -If they feel unsure if they should <\/em>listen, there may be something wrong with your argument. Perhaps it seems self-serving or otherwise disadvantageous to the other person, or you have your facts wrong. <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    What is pathos? How can you use pathos to strengthen a persuasive argument? In a persuasive argument, pathos is when you appeal to your audience’s emotions to make them feel a certain way about your cause. The best way to do this is to tell a vivid story. Here’s how to use pathos to persuade an audience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":59631,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,9],"tags":[574],"class_list":["post-59585","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-communication","category-psychology","tag-thank-you-for-arguing","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Use Pathos in a Persuasive Argument - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Pathos helps you bridge the gap between your audience agreeing to your choice and acting on it. Here's how to use pathos in your argument.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-use-pathos\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Use Pathos in a Persuasive Argument\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Pathos helps you bridge the gap between your audience agreeing to your choice and acting on it. Here's how to use pathos in your argument.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-use-pathos\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shortform Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-02-06T12:24:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-02-06T12:24:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/girl-giving-speech.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1391\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"767\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Hannah Aster\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Hannah Aster\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-use-pathos\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-use-pathos\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Hannah Aster\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f39f52830e4f7039a16e45d12354542f\"},\"headline\":\"How to Use Pathos in a Persuasive Argument\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-02-06T12:24:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-02-06T12:24:07+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-use-pathos\/\"},\"wordCount\":1754,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-use-pathos\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/girl-giving-speech.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Thank You for Arguing\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Communication\",\"Psychology\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-use-pathos\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-use-pathos\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-use-pathos\/\",\"name\":\"How to Use Pathos in a Persuasive Argument - Shortform Books\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-use-pathos\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-use-pathos\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/girl-giving-speech.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-02-06T12:24:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-02-06T12:24:07+00:00\",\"description\":\"Pathos helps you bridge the gap between your audience agreeing to your choice and acting on it. Here's how to use pathos in your argument.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-use-pathos\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-use-pathos\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-use-pathos\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/girl-giving-speech.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/girl-giving-speech.jpg\",\"width\":1391,\"height\":767},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-use-pathos\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How to Use Pathos in a Persuasive Argument\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"description\":\"The World's Best Book Summaries\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"width\":500,\"height\":74,\"caption\":\"Shortform Books\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f39f52830e4f7039a16e45d12354542f\",\"name\":\"Hannah Aster\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0302cb2690b70a21639bc6873e587f42d39d02385b7e59d8efd0d3e000ae7681?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0302cb2690b70a21639bc6873e587f42d39d02385b7e59d8efd0d3e000ae7681?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Hannah Aster\"},\"description\":\"Hannah is a seasoned writer and editor who started her journey with Shortform nearly five years ago. She grew up reading mostly fiction books but transitioned to non-fiction writing when she started her travel website in 2018. When she's not writing or traveling, you can find Hannah working on home reno projects, crafting, or taking care of plants.\",\"knowsAbout\":[\"Graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree in English and minors in professional and creative writing\"],\"jobTitle\":\"SEO Team Lead\",\"worksFor\":\"Shortform\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/hannah\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to Use Pathos in a Persuasive Argument - Shortform Books","description":"Pathos helps you bridge the gap between your audience agreeing to your choice and acting on it. Here's how to use pathos in your argument.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-use-pathos\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to Use Pathos in a Persuasive Argument","og_description":"Pathos helps you bridge the gap between your audience agreeing to your choice and acting on it. Here's how to use pathos in your argument.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-use-pathos\/","og_site_name":"Shortform Books","article_published_time":"2022-02-06T12:24:06+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-02-06T12:24:07+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1391,"height":767,"url":"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/girl-giving-speech.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Hannah Aster","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Hannah Aster","Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-use-pathos\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-use-pathos\/"},"author":{"name":"Hannah Aster","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f39f52830e4f7039a16e45d12354542f"},"headline":"How to Use Pathos in a Persuasive Argument","datePublished":"2022-02-06T12:24:06+00:00","dateModified":"2022-02-06T12:24:07+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-use-pathos\/"},"wordCount":1754,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-use-pathos\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/girl-giving-speech.jpg","keywords":["Thank You for Arguing"],"articleSection":["Communication","Psychology"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-use-pathos\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-use-pathos\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-use-pathos\/","name":"How to Use Pathos in a Persuasive Argument - Shortform Books","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-use-pathos\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-use-pathos\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/girl-giving-speech.jpg","datePublished":"2022-02-06T12:24:06+00:00","dateModified":"2022-02-06T12:24:07+00:00","description":"Pathos helps you bridge the gap between your audience agreeing to your choice and acting on it. Here's how to use pathos in your argument.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-use-pathos\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-use-pathos\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-use-pathos\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/girl-giving-speech.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/girl-giving-speech.jpg","width":1391,"height":767},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-use-pathos\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How to Use Pathos in a Persuasive Argument"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","name":"Shortform Books","description":"The World's Best Book Summaries","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Shortform Books","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","width":500,"height":74,"caption":"Shortform Books"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f39f52830e4f7039a16e45d12354542f","name":"Hannah Aster","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0302cb2690b70a21639bc6873e587f42d39d02385b7e59d8efd0d3e000ae7681?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0302cb2690b70a21639bc6873e587f42d39d02385b7e59d8efd0d3e000ae7681?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Hannah Aster"},"description":"Hannah is a seasoned writer and editor who started her journey with Shortform nearly five years ago. She grew up reading mostly fiction books but transitioned to non-fiction writing when she started her travel website in 2018. When she's not writing or traveling, you can find Hannah working on home reno projects, crafting, or taking care of plants.","knowsAbout":["Graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree in English and minors in professional and creative writing"],"jobTitle":"SEO Team Lead","worksFor":"Shortform","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/hannah\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/girl-giving-speech.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59585","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59585"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59585\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60007,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59585\/revisions\/60007"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/59631"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59585"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59585"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59585"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}