Week 2: Post #1

*1). Think of a speaker you admire (please do not use the President of the United States as an example). Does his or her power to persuade come from ethos, pathos, or logos? Think about your own ability to persuade others. What personal qualities do you have that make you persuasive? Does Aristotle's classification scheme work for them, or do they fit into another category?

One speaker that I admire most is my father.  Besides the fact that we have a relationship that would often cause me to be more accepting of what he has to say, my father has the ability to woo not only me but the rest of his audience by the power of persuasion.  My Dad tends to use pathos and ethos to draw his audience in.  In other words, he capitalizes on the audiences logic and emotions.  He will give examples that he thinks may hit close to home.  He tries to give everyone his own view point.  

Having grown up with a powerful speaker as a parent, I was able to acquire some of my Father's speaking ability as a young adult.  I also tend to use a logical and emotional stance when trying to persuade others.  While these two ideas may seem to conflict each other, I believe the right balance results in a very affective speech.  I tend to reach more for emotional arguments because I am a sensitive person.  I know what hits home for me and I like to use that same approach with others.  I like to think of myself as an understanding person as well.  This is where the balance of logic and emotions comes into perfect harmony.  Because of this, I believe that I am a perfect example of Aristotle's classification scheme of ethos, pathos, and logos.