Professional writing is a specialized pursuit. Though much of the literate population could consider themselves competent writers, composing text for the public brings with it a host of specific considerations and warrants the possession of certain skills. Poets write to evoke image and emotion. Writers of technical manuals create a clinical and straightforward set of instructions. Professional writers are tasked with demonstrating their knowledge of a subject and educating their public.
The process of persuasive speaking or writing is known as rhetoric. This art is closely connected to professional writing, and enables a person to better understand the intent and goals of writing for the public. Perhaps the simplest way to understand rhetoric is to perceive the process via the triangle of appeals. This is the relationship between the three most important considerations in a rhetorical approach: logos, pathos, and ethos. One can also represent the triangle through the lens of professional writing using the components of writer, audience, and subject. Logos concerns the logic of an argument and how well the reasons behind it are presented. Professional writers must craft clear, sound texts stemming from direct experience or solid research. They must fully understand the subject if they are to broadcast it to the public. Pathos is an appeal to emotions, which would be valuable for a professional writer to utilize. If you understand what moves your audience, you can write a successful piece. Finally, ethos speaks to the character of the rhetor. Professional writers may find it helpful for their message if their name can be attached to an already-respected publication or organization. Otherwise, they may need to make themselves known as a reliable, trustworthy voice.
When thinking about the difference between professional writing and other forms, it is also useful to consider the ancient study of rhetoric. Aristotle defined rhetoric as “the faculty of discovering the available means of persuasion in a given situation” (Bowden and Scott 2003, 29). During the age of ancient Greek philosophy, a number of brilliant minds collaborated and clashed in an effort to understand society, humanity, and life itself. They theorized and debated among themselves, but they were also the authors of public texts and speeches meant to illustrate their perception of very complex truths. Communicating to the public was a profound and complicated task, and one that was highly regarded. Now, in modern times, that also rings true. People are so busy with work, personal matters, health issues, or a host of other tasks. They rely on certain news networks or trusted authors to deliver news and educate them on certain topics. The validity of each source demands to be questioned, so responsible, articulate professional writers are a valuable class.
The marriage of rhetoric and professional writing will guide my personal pursuit of writing about public issues I am passionate about. I am heavily invested in women’s and children’s issues, and if I get the chance to write about them, I want to do them justice as well as build a skillset for myself. The value of ethos inspires me to stay true to my character and always be ethical in my pursuits. I will expose wrongdoings or express disagreement without callously cursing out the opposing parties. I have to research statistics and accounts that would corroborate claims of injustice, not only for the sake of my credibility, but more importantly to protect and honor victims. Just as it was in ancient times, I believe that being able to communicate with the public is an honor. I owe my subject and my audience my best efforts and all my attention.
I really like how you made connections between the development of rhetoric throughout history when so many great minds came together to form the idea of rhetoric and how it is still so relevant now. The appeals of logos, pathos, and ethos are essential in the spread of information. People look to be informed quickly, which is made easier by technological forms of communication. As you said everyone is very busy with their own personal lives and as a result tend to turn to the same sources based on the ethos or reputation of the source. In the reading, it was stated that ethos was seen by ancient rhetoricians to be the most important appeal, which is still true to this day since many news sources are considered to be biased.
I also liked how you defined each of the three appeals and linked them with the components of writer, audience, and subject. In most, if not all, successful pieces of writing all three appeals are used to some extent. Of course, they are not always used an equal amount depending type of the piece, but it is essential to be accurate as far as the facts of the subject, while engaging the readers by knowing the target audiences and potential secondary audiences, as well as staying true to themselves.
I can relate and agree with you on the three considerations in rhetorical approach. When thinking about logos, just in our everyday life they are everywhere. For the most part when you see a logo, you immediately know what is being represented.
One thing that really caught my attention is when you mentioned these brilliant ancient Greek philosophers. They were researching and trying to find answers to how and why things happened. Up until this point no one had even given this a thought. As an engineer, I can relate to trying to explain engineering related problems with someone who has no engineering background.
Relying on fast, reliable, information nowadays is starting to become more difficult. With all of the fake news going around, how can you tell what is real and what is not? I believe it is somewhat difficult and time consuming to thoroughly check the sources when you are looking for information in certain topics.
It is interesting that you say professional writers are a valuable class. Who assigns their value? I would argue now that professional writers are less valuable. In this age of technology, we consume information through quick headlines, short videos and fast-paced consumption. I can see how logos and pathos apply to this type of information understanding. However, I argue that ethos may not be as important in today’s society. Do people really care where their information is coming from? The new sources of media have allowed more people to enter into this professional writing space without the ethos of their forefathers. This leads me to disagree with another point made. I do not believe that in currently, communicating with the public is a profound and complicated task. In the days of Aristotle, speeches and communication were so crucial because there was a very narrow window available to communicate these ideas. If the correct rhetoric was not available there may not be another opportunity to reach the audience. In contrast now, there are endless opportunities to reach our audience. Communicating with the public has become less profound and more strategic. We must adapt our writing and rhetoric to this new form of consumption.