Forms of appeal

Forms of appeal are rhetorical strategies writers use to make their ideas and arguments sound more persuasive by appealing to the readers’ emotions (pathos), reason (logos), or to credibility (ethos). In the excerpt from “The Pioneers: Fifty Years of Caribbean Migration to Britain”, Caryl Phillips uses all three forms of appeal, but logos and ethos are domin…

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Logos

Phillips appeals to the readers’ reason by using logical arguments and facts, to support his view that multiculturalism is beneficial for British society.

Many parts of the essay follow a logical line of argumentation in which the writer explains the consequences of different attitudes to migrants and other cultures. For instance, in the beginning of the essay, Phillips gives two definitions of multiculturalism. To promote the one that mea…

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Ethos

Caryl Phillips appeals to the readers’ trust by describing himself and immigrants as trustworthy or knowledgeable.

Firstly, the fact that the writer gives specific historical examples related to immigration suggests that he is knowledgeable about the topic and increases his credibility: “Fifty years ago the SS Empire Windrush dropped anchor at Tilbury docks and discharged 492 Jamaicans.” (p. 33, ll. 21-22)

Furthermore, the fact that he expresses his views firmly, helps him suggest that he is certain that his views are correct:

So how should …

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Pathos

Caryl Phillips appeals to reader’s emotions to persuade them to empathise with migrants and the way they feel when they are discriminated against. This is suggested by the allusion to “Stephen Lawrence’s killers” (p. 31, l. 29), a racially motivated murder committed in 1993, or when he states: “Because they refused to be beaten into submission by…