Pathos, the appeal to the audience’s values or emotions, is one of the three general types of rhetorical appeals described by Aristotle. It is used to create an emotional bond with the audience. Emotional appeals can be very powerful as they can galvanize an audience by playing on their innate beliefs, while simultaneously causing them to discount other truths.
The topic I would use this rhetorical appeal for is the critique of government funded school vouchers and education tax credits. This issue is not as prevalent or as known as climate change or health care so the focus should be to inform as many as possible rather than to aim the piece at Congress. This topic would mainly be targeted at parents with kids currently in primary and secondary education as they should have the greatest vested interest in this discussion, but it would also be applicable to every working American as it would be using their taxed incomes to fund this expenditure. Since the intended audience is large, the text has to clearly explain the points in manner that is understandable and convincing without being overly complex. This might best come in the form of a website, news article, blog post, or brochure.
The best way to use pathos would be to focus on the ineffectiveness of the vouchers and the segregation and inequalities they would create in the education system. Readers would be urged to take action and to contact local policy makers if they are strongly convinced. Bowden and Scott state, though, that excessive use or misuse of pathos can create distrust and alienate audiences. The message I intend to impart on my audience could come off as airy and preachy without reinforcing it with undeniable facts. A way to combat this would be to combine pathos with logos. Logos is another form of persuasion discussed by Aristotle that appeals to the audience’s sense of reason by using well-supported facts. An emotional appeal is strongest when it is based on logic and reasoning. By blending pathos and logos, a writer can weaponize facts to build a strong narrative that audiences are more likely to take to heart. This would require presenting and debating the opposing arguments in a fair, yet critical fashion.
I believe that you have a solid foundation for your campaign. I like how you stated that it would be best to mainly target parents with kids in school, because they are the ones most likely to help you make a difference. A written piece to Congress, coming from a college student, may just be tossed aside since we are not “experts” in this field. Gaining support from these parents will be crucial in continuing your campaign efforts. In the future, I would not rule out the possibility of a letter to a state representative or congressman; however, this stage would be months/years down the road. I also liked how you mentioned that using only facts and logic could come off as “preachy” because people do not typically like being told what to do. You nailed it by addressing this issue and offering the solution of combining logic/reason with a strong emotional appeal. It is my recommendation that you focus on generating an emotional narrative to support your facts and really dig at the reader’s emotions. I also agree with your vehicles of delivery: website, news article, blog post, or brochure. I think it may also be beneficial to utilize social media due to its large user base. Instagram and Snapchat may be ineffective due to your content selection, so I would personally focus on Facebook and Twitter. If you combine these with a stunning website or blog, you should be set to get the ball rolling. Best of luck.