Tuesday we made logos, ethos and pathos concrete in our minds by channeling them through puppets.
I started things by arguing that farting in public would lead to the next ice age. I established my ethos by putting on a puppet with a uniform and having him be Colonel Sanders, head of Homeland Security. He used his drill sergeant voice to bring us to attention and then told us that the study we were about to hear had been conducted over 30 years and had cost 50 million dollars.
This established a few things in the audience's mind. First, a guy as important at Colonel Sanders was standing behind this project. And second, that a lot of time, thought and money had gone into the findings. This is a good ethos, it makes us more willing to believe the actual argument.
Next I took out a doctor doll and used her to say that she had been studying weather patterns for 30 years and had found a definite link between public farting and the chilling of the atmosphere. She also said that public farting was the leading cause of the progress of the ice age, even more so than the flapping of butterfly wings.
This is good logos because the doctor gave actual reasons backed up by data.
Finally I brought out Bobby Sue Ellen McGee, a mother of 10 children who all wanted to go to Disneyland with all their sweet innocent little hearts. Bobby had been saving for this trip for years. But if the ice age comes too soon, they won't be able to go to Disneyland and the hearts of her children will be broken beyond repair. "For the sake of the children, stop farting in public," she plead.
This was good pathos because it was aimed at our emotions. No one wants to disappoint 10 little kids. Especially when their mother has scrimped for so many years to help them fulfill their dream of going to Disneyland.
