In a 1957 newspaper article written by U.S. Press Staff Correspondent Daniel F. Gilmore, the rhetorical techniques ethos and pathos were used to calm the American public during a time of social and political frenzy. This article was written after a decade of tensions between the U.S, its NATO allies, and the former Soviet Union. The article reports on the launch of the Soviet artificial satellite Sputnik, which made Russia the first to do so and before The United States. From the begging, it can be seen that a strong sense of ethos is established due to the high positional level that the author of the article has. This creates a sense of trust that the people instill within Gilmore which in turn gives him great power to influence the minds of the people. From the start, he lists off the basic facts on the distances and other calculations of the mission which warms the audience up before the transition into pathos. Next, Gilmore lightly uses pathos in the beginning and end of the article. He starts off by stating that although this is a step for mankind as a whole, the Russians will surely be using this as a tool for propaganda to promote communist success. He ends on the note that a close eye should be kept on Russia due to their lack of predictability.
-Nathan
-Nathan
I actually think that the pleading that Gilmore does is more of an approach to use pathos than it is ethos. Although he is very credible, by begging, he is seen as in a desperate situation in need of help, which makes the audience feel empathetic and that they have a certain responsibility to uphold his pleas.
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