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Allusions
Definition of Ethos
Ethos, along with logos and pathos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective speaking or writing). Ethos is an argument that appeals to... read full definition
Ethos, along with logos and pathos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective speaking or writing). Ethos is... read full definition
Ethos, along with logos and pathos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective... read full definition
Introduction
Explanation and Analysis—A Woman's Authority:
In her introduction, Wollstonecraft uses ethos as a persuasive tool. She means to communicate her expertise on the subject of her argument, and to appeal to her authority as a woman, in order to help the reader understand where she is coming from. In other words, she argues that her identity as a woman is relevant to her ability to write on the subject of women’s miseducation and subordination. She says:
Yet, because I am a woman, I would not lead my readers to suppose, that I mean violently to agitate the contested question respecting the equality and inferiority of the sex; but as the subject lies in my way, and I cannot pass over it without subjecting the main tendency of my reasoning to misconstruction, I shall stop a moment to deliver, in a few words, my opinion.
In her introduction, Wollstonecraft has to address the previous scholarship on the subject of female inferiority; which, in her time, is extensive and multivalent. She uses her position as a woman to reflect on her experience with misguided attempts to belittle femininity. The topics she discusses in this paper are unavoidable because of her identity. By including passages like these, she seeks to demonstrate that the reader can trust her authority due to her firsthand knowledge of the subject matter. Her authority is partially demonstrated through these passages, because she can directly state the applicability of her arguments to her own life.
Related Themes:
