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Dramatic Irony
Definition of Ethos
Ethos, along with logos and pathos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective speaking or writing). Ethos is an argument that appeals to... read full definition
Ethos, along with logos and pathos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective speaking or writing). Ethos is... read full definition
Ethos, along with logos and pathos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective... read full definition
Chapter 25: Oil
Explanation and Analysis—Varieties of Ethos:
In Chapter 25, Tert Card makes major revisions to one of Quoyle's articles. In the ensuing argument, both men use ethos to validate their respective versions of the article:
"This is a column," bellowed Quoyle. "You can't change somebody's column, for Christ's sake, because you don't like it! Jack asked me to write a column about boats and shipping. That means my opinion and description as I see it. This [...] isn't what I wrote, isn't my opinion, isn't what I see."
"As long as I'm the managing editor," said Tert Card [...] "I've the right to change anything I don't think fit to run in the Gammy Bird. And if you don't think so, I advise you to check it out with Jack Buggit."
Tert Card sticks to phronesis, the kind of ethos that involves experience and/or expertise. He thinks that his position as managing editor, a higher position than Quoyle's, gives him the authority to make whatever changes he likes.
While Quoyle also invokes phronesis with his logical reasoning (Jack asked me to write this, so I'm going to write it), he also thinks about arete and eunoia, the two other types of ethos. Arete relates to one's moral character. Quoyle believes it is morally wrong to credit one writer (Quoyle) with an article that represents somebody else's (Tert Card's) opinions. Relatedly, Quoyle is thinking about the audience of the newspaper. Since Quoyle wants to maintain honesty and journalistic integrity for his readers, Quoyle also makes use of eunoia, which denotes good intentions toward one's audience.
Finally, both Tert Card and Quoyle also reference their connection to Jack Buggit, the owner of the newspaper, to gain more credibility.
