Forms of appeal

Jawaharlal Nehru’s “Tryst with Destiny” explores three forms of appeal to engage the audience: ethos, pathos, and logos. However, the dominant form of appeal is ethos, while logos is the least common o…

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Logos

Jawaharlal Nehru appeals to the audience’s reason when he uses logical arguments, facts, or statistical evidence to support his views about the importance of assuming Indian independence with responsibility. One example of logical reasoning is:

That future is not one of ease or resting but of incessant striving so that we may fulfil the pledges we have so often taken and the one we shall take today. The service of India means the service of …

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Ethos

Jawaharlal Nehru frequently appeals to trust or authority in the speech to make himself and the audience appear credible, trustworthy, and caring.

Firstly, the speaker appeals to the trustworthiness of the new Parliament, to convince politicians to work for the benefit of both the country and humanity as a whole: “It is fitting that at this solemn moment we take the pledge of dedication to the service of India and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity.” (p. 26, ll. 9-11).

Secondly, Nehru appeals to the authority of the principle of sovereignty (self-rule) to convince the Indian audience to accept the new Indian Parliament: “Freedom and power brin…