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Motifs
Definition of Pathos
Pathos, along with logos and ethos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective speaking or writing). Pathos is an argument that appeals to... read full definition
Pathos, along with logos and ethos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective speaking or writing). Pathos is... read full definition
Pathos, along with logos and ethos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective... read full definition
Pathos
Explanation and Analysis—Female Figures of Pathos:
It is traditional, in persuasive texts, for the writer's use of pathos to feature detailed accounts of the suffering of women and children or others deemed "innocent" and "helpless" by societal standards. The Proposer does exactly this, including in his argumentative exposition a description of the plight of impoverished mothers:
These mothers, instead of being able to work for their honest livelihood, are forced to employ all their time in strolling to beg sustenance for their helpless infants; who as they grow up either turn thieves for want of work, or leave their dear native country to fight for the pretender in Spain, or sell themselves to the Barbadoes.
Notably, the Proposer chooses not to include the plight of the impoverished father in this excerpt, likely assuming that women and children are better figures for generating pathos. The Proposer's choice to include this pathos in his introductory paragraph reflects broadly on his rhetorical strategy, which involves front-loading his argument with appeals to reader sympathy before presenting logical solutions. This strategy is common in persuasive essays: if one succeeds in generating pathos at the outset of an argument, the logos and ethos that follow become less fundamental. Moral appeals often outweigh logical ones when it comes to persuasion, and if the reader already shares the writer's moral outlook, they are more likely to become persuaded, no matter how flimsy the logic that proceeds.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Abortion and Cannibalism:
Before he outlines in explicit terms the violent nature of his solution, the Proposer describes the types of violence he wishes to circumvent: namely, women aborting the unborn and murdering their bastard children. The Proposer clearly describes this violence in an attempt to generate pathos and make readers sympathetic to his cause and proposed solution:
There is likewise another great advantage in my scheme, that it will prevent those voluntary abortions, and that horrid practice of women murdering their bastard children, alas, too frequent among us! sacrificing the poor innocent babes I doubt more to avoid the expense than the shame, which would move tears and pity in the most savage and inhuman breast.
As with the two other rhetorical devices (logos and ethos) that the Proposer employs, the pathos in this passage is a flimsily-executed facade. The Proposer identifies murder as a "horrid practice" but proceeds to undermine this moral appeal throughout the rest of "A Modest Proposal." This particular passage immediately precedes the Proposer's suggestion of infant cannibalism as a realistic solution, which is equally if not more violent—and stigmatized—than abortion or the murder of bastard children. This reality introduces an element of verbal irony to the above passage, since the language and pathos condemn the Proposer's solution despite being put forward as justification for it, ultimately making it clear to astute readers that he's not being serious.
Related Themes:
