Killers of the Flower Moon: Ethos 1 key example

This statement is emotional. Descriptive phrases such as "foully murdered," "vigorously prosecuted," and "atrocious crimes" convey intense feeling about the killings. They urge the reader, too, to feel upset about the murders and to desire justice.

On the other hand, the statement mediates its own pathos with ethos. The Society of Oklahoma Indians does not want white Americans to think they are overly emotional or vengeful, as American Indians have often been unfairly depicted in art, literature, and other media. The writers of the statement portray themselves as humble Americans in their own right. They only want the perpetrators of the crimes to be punished if they are convicted by a jury of their peers. They defer to "the full extent of the law" to determine what that punishment will be. They congratulate federal law enforcement officers on a job well done, even though Grann is later able to demonstrate that the investigation completely overlooked a huge number of murders. The entire statement takes the dry "Whereas [...] Therefore, be it resolved" structure of any resolution that might appear before the United States Congress or a state legislature, demonstrating that the writers of the statement are well-educated and politically literate. Anyone reading the statement will notice as much reverence for the United States legal system as anger on behalf of the Osage. It is hard to say how much of the reverence for the court and the investigative team is genuine. Either way, it helps the Society capture the attention and hearts of white Americans.