Forms of appeal

Ishmael Sistrunk mostly appeals to readers’ emotions in his article (pathos), but there are also instances of appeals to reason (logos) and credibility (ethos). These three forms of appeal – pathos, logos, and ethos – are rhetorical strategies designed to convince the audience to agree with the writer’s views.

Logos

Sistrunk appeals to readers’ reason by introducing logical arguments and facts to support his case. For example, the writer supports the idea that the police are biased against African Americans when he mentions being pulled over 50 times, mostly for no reason:

Between the ages of 16 and 25, I’m certain that I was pulled over more than 50 times. There were a handful of legitimate stops, such as speeding, failure to come to a complete stop or expired plates, but the vast majority were nonsense. (ll. 20-22)

Sistrunk uses logical reasoning several times. For example, the situations he describes indicate that there was no legitimate reason for him being pulled over:

I recall being pulled over for a having a non-working license plate light, despite the fact that it was shining brightly. I was pulled over for having a license plate partially obstructed by snow while it was snowing. I was stopped for having a small crack in my windshield, as if the officer could see that from 50 yards away. (ll. 25-28)

Another example of logical reasoning is when the writer points out that African Americans cannot expect things to change if they don’t change as wel...