Rhetorical appeals are a potent tool that a speaker can use to present a certain argument and support his/her claims. Appealing to logos, ethos, and pathos, a person can persuade the audience and make people believe in the correctness of his/her opinion. For this reason, it is vital to use them in speech and wisely combine various types of persuasion. For instance, the opinion article by Peter Allgeier and Michael Punke, “The World Can’t Keep Fishing Like This,” is an example of the effective use of various methods to make the audience follow the main idea. They combine logos, ethos, and pathos to make people believe that changes are needed to save fish and the opportunity for fishing.
Ethos is one of the first rhetorical appeals introduced in their editorial. It implies addressing the authority and reputation of speakers to emphasize their experience and credibility of presented information. From the start of the article, the competence of the speakers is emphasized. It is stated that Allgeier was “a deputy United States trade representative and ambassador to the World Trade Organization,” while Punke also held a similar post (Allgeier and Punke). This information is vital for further reading and understanding of the presented arguments. This appeal to ethos makes readers believe in the relevance of the presented claims, their importance, and the necessity to follow speakers’ advice and promote some change.
Presenting their arguments, the authors also appeal to readers’ emotions. It means they use pathos as one of the persuasion tools. For instance, Allgeier and Punke speak about “harmful fishing” and “devastating handouts” that threaten the global fish supply and might lead to the disappearance of unique species. These epithets have a specific emotional coloring helping readers to understand the scope of the problem and the risks coming from the existing approach to fishing. As a result, people start feeling strong emotions, and the presented claims are not viewed as plain text. Instead, the audience is involved and wants to promote positive changes.
Finally, the authors use logos, or the appeal to logic, to interact with readers. Allgeier and Punke introduce statistics and numerical evidence to prove the problem’s existence. For instance, they say that 34% of the world’s ocean fish stocks are already “biologically unsustainable” (Allgeier and Punke). Moreover, an additional 60% are fully fished, meaning there is no possibility for a further increase in fishing (Allgeier and Punke). These numbers are vital for understanding the actual scope of the problem and supporting the authors’ claims with factual evidence. The absence of any response might have destructive impacts on fishing, meaning that this author’s idea becomes clear to the audience, and they start thinking about it.
Altogether, the selected article shows how speakers might use the three rhetorical appeals to attract attention to the ideas presented by them and make them stronger. The authors attract attention to one of the critical issues and maintain commonly held ideas that sustainable practices are required to avoid the disappearance of some species and save oceans for future generations. Combining logos, pathos, and ethos, Allgeier and Punke persuade the audience that there is a critical need for the reconsideration of the existing norms and practices used by global organizations and states regarding fishing and limits. The audience feels strong emotions and believes the authors’ words because of their reputation and persuading statistics.
Work Cited
Allgeier, Peter, and Michael Punke. “The World Can’t Keep Fishing Like This.” The New York Times. Web.