Rhetorical Analysis: The Criteria of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos Essay (Critical Writing)

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Introduction

Today, authors of articles of different types frequently adhere to convincing strategies to present their reflections on a particular topic and persuade the readers of their credibility. All of them use three kinds of appeals, which are ethos, pathos, and logos. For instance, in the publication Universities, Governments, and Industry: Can the Essential Nature of Universities Survive the Drive to Commercialize, Young, reveals a hot-button problem in the field of education. The author argues that it is crucial to encourage interest in research instead of paying significant attention to economic motives. Actium Research and McMaster University Collaborate to Commercialize Stem Cell Technologies describes the activity of the company Actium. It aims to “develop anti-cancer stem cell drugs that are directed against a newly identified cancer stem cell marker in leukemia and breast cancer” (Actium research, 2012, para. 8). This way, the purpose of this paper is to compare both articles on the criteria of ethos, pathos, and logos and decide which one is more persuasive.

Logos

First of all, it is essential to consider the logic of the narration. The structure of both of the articles is precise and allows one to get acquainted with the issue comprehensively. However, this criterion appears to be the stronger point of Universities, Governments, and Industries compared to Actium Research. In general, the latter presents the description of the company and the specifics of the scientific field, which is the focus of the explorations. There is no sufficient reasoning, which proves why the chosen methodology appears to be one of the most effective in the market. The importance of this project causes no doubt, though the thesis is unclear, and the adherence to this approach compared to other options is not explained.

On the contrary, Young’s article contains persuasive arguments, which are strong enough to compete with opposing opinions. The author provides a precise thesis for his perspective and gradually introduces the reasoning for it. Thus, in the context of logic and argumentation, the article mentioned first appears to be more descriptive than persuasive compared to the second one.

Ethos

As for demonstrating the credibility of the text, both of the articles include some points in this regard. Actium Research involves references to the speeches of David Young, Chief Executive Officer of the company, and Mo Elbestawi, McMaster Vice-President, Research and International Affairs. Both of them highlight the likelihood of the successful result of the project. For instance, Mo Elbestawi states: “These discoveries from Dr. Bhatia’s lab show great promise and we’re delighted with his efforts to commercialize the results of his research, from which many will benefit” (Actium research, 2012, para. 7). In addition, the work contains a detailed description of the activity of the company and its administrators, the principles of the company, and the experience of the administrators.

Young adheres to another option of contributing to credibility, which is more appropriate to this type of work. First of all, the article includes 16 entries on the reference list, which prompts us to believe that the author conducted proper research before writing the article. In addition, citations to authoritative opinions, which support the position of the author, increase the reliability of the work. Therefore, it should be mentioned that the articles are equal on the ethos criterion.

Pathos

Due to the specifics of the articles, they do not contain significant emotional appeals in them. However, there are some points, which may make the readers perceive particular feelings. In general, Young argues that a sincere interest in the issue makes a more significant contribution to the research compared to commercial motives. Therefore, he encourages the readers to adhere to morality by highlighting the destructing nature of griping intentions. In this context, his position appears to be more likely to be shared by other people, as they tend to support the importance of moral compulsion. In addition, he provides persuasive examples by covering the reasons for the active production of antidepressants. The author marks: “more research is being carried out on antidepressant drugs than on psychotherapy, even though in mild to moderate depression (the majority of cases) drugs and psychotherapy are approximately equal in efficacy” (Young, 2005, para. 9). This illustrative example presented by Young makes the argumentation more convincing.

Actium Research contains considerably fewer appliances of pathos, though they do exist. This method could be used by providing a detailed description of the administrators of the company. The article is intended to highlight their experience and competencies. This way, the readers are highly likely to believe that they are qualified enough to introduce innovations, which are effective in the long run. However, it is evident that the article, which has been mentioned first, appears to be more persuasive on the criteria of pathos.

Conclusion

Thus, it is evident that Universities, Governments, and Industry: Can the Essential Nature of Universities Survive the Drive to Commercialize is more convincing than Actium Research and McMaster University Collaborate to Commercialize Stem Cell Technologies. It has a precise structure with strong reasoning, which contradicts the opposing opinion. Furthermore, the author adheres to emotional appeal to some extent by providing illustrative examples of his position.

References

Actium research and McMaster university collaborate to commercialize stem cell technologies. (2012). Cision. Web.

Young S. N. (2005). Universities, governments and industry: can the essential nature of universities survive the drive to commercialize?. Journal of Psychiatry & Neuroscience: JPN, 30(3), 160–163.

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