Forms of appeal

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie mainly relies on ethos and pathos when delivering her TED talk "The danger of a single story".

Ethos

Ethos appeals to trust or authority in an attempt to make the speaker and the other people she references appear trustworthy, skilled, caring, or knowledgeable. It also appeals to shared values. Ethos is the form of appeal that is most frequently used in this TED talk.

Adichie presents herself as a knowledgeable person who, therefore, holds authority and is qualified to speak about literature and African culture. She starts by presenting herself as a talented and gifted child who learned to read at the age of four (l. 3) and started writing stories at the age of seven (l. 5). By saying “My mother says that I started reading at the age of two, although I think four is probably close to the truth” (ll. 2-3), Adichie builds her trustworthiness by appearing honest. 

Adichie also presents her skills and professional achievements. She talks about traveling abroad to attend university (l. 37), she mentions her wr...