After reading the chapters on the lines of argument, look at the examples of film posters on the handouts page on our class site.
Then write a post of 350 words (minimum) in which you identify which one relies most on logos, which relies most on pathos, and which relies most on ethos. Be sure to explain your reasoning for identifying them this way.
If you are unfamiliar with the films, do not research them. You should base your analysis only on the visuals provided. There should be three paragraphs, one for each line of argument. (This is not an essay, so you do not need an intro and conclusion.) There should be three paragraphs, one for each line of argument. (This is not an essay, so you do not need an intro and conclusion.
To practice analyzing arguments, I’d like you to take a look at some images and think about how these images use the three lines of argument. You will need to write a post of at least 350 words to identify which one relies most on pathos, which relies most on ethos, and which relies most on logos.
After you’ve read the chapters on the lines of argument, look at the examples of film posters on the handouts page. It is a pdf file, cleverly called Images for Short Writing #2, so you can download it to work with it. There are three images that you need to consider. Do not use outside sources or go look up the movies if you don’t know them. Focus on the visual only.
Look over the three posters. You might find it helpful to do some brainstorming. What do you see in the images that is designed to get an emotional reaction? What sort of logic or facts are being presented? What sort of ethos is being created?
You have to decide which one relies most on which line of argument. This may not be easy; you might want to argue all three as pathos, or two as ethos. But you need to designate each one as a different line of argument. You cannot use one poster for more than one line of argument.
For help finding the lines of argument:
Pathos/ emotions are often the easiest to see, but keep in mind that your personal reaction can be based on your own bias. What sort of feeling(s) is the image supposed to create in the audience? Why would this feeling compel them to see the film?
Logos is based on facts and reason. What is being factually presented? What are the facts that are supposed to sway the audience into watching the film? How many facts are offered and what about them seem important?
Ethos / character can be the trickiest part of this. Ethos depends on credibility and authority, so you might look at these images to see how those things are being represented. What type of person is being shown? How should you react to this person? How much do you trust the image to be representing the material clearly and fairly?
