Forms of appeal

Logos

Abby Wambach’s “Make Failure Your Fuel” appeals to logos when she uses statistical evidence and logical arguments to support her ideas.

For example, she uses a fact from her life to show that women and men are paid differently in sports: “Kobe and Peyton walked away from their careers with something I didn’t have: enormous bank accounts. Because of that, they had something else I didn’t have: freedom.” (ll. 53-57). Using this fact, she draws a logical conclusion that her male counterparts in sports enjoy more freedom because they are paid more money and are thus more privileged than women. In this way, the speaker draws attention to the negative consequences that unequal pay has for women.

She further supports this idea by directly bringing in statistical evidence: “…overall, U.S. women earn 80 cents for every dollar paid to men. Black women in America earn 63 cents, while Latinas earn 54 cents, for every dollar paid to white men.” (ll. 63-67). Once again, the facts are followed by a logical conclusion: “Over time, the pay gap means women are able to invest less and save less, so they have to work longer” (ll. 70-72). Through this statement, the speaker wants to emphasize that the gender pay gap could have long term consequences.

Ethos

Abby Wambach uses various strategies to build ethos throughout her commencement address.

For example, she gains credibility and authority w...