Logos, ethos and pathos

The dominant forms of appeal in Jacinda Ardern’s “Harvard Commencement Speech – Democracy, disinformation and kindness” are pathos and ethos. 

Ethos 

Ardern builds ethos by greeting the audience in the Māori language Te Reo. In this way, she acknowledges the indigenous population of New Zealand. In doing so, she comes across as respectful and accepting of other cultures. This makes her a reliable representative of the country which she leads as Prime Minister. Her position in the government also gives her authority to speak on the topic of democracy.

Ardern borrows ethos from the former Pakistani Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto. Ardern compares herself to Bhutto and draws the...