Rhetorical Triangle by Matt Dumbroff

Today in class we learned about the rhetorical triangle and it's three parts- pathos, logos, and ethos. As we learned, one thing fascinated me, the aspect of pathos was simply intriguing. It is shocking, but immensely true that a large part of our judgement comes from our emotions. Subsequently part of the rhetorical triangle deals with appealing to a person's emotions, and writing in such a way that your writing does just this. Before learning about the rhetorical triangle I never realized what an active role these three principles play in everyday life. Pathos is used as a tool manipulate people in many situations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IO9d2PpP7tQ

The ASPCA commercial linked above is a perfect example of what an active role Pathos plays in our everyday lives. ASPCA is not alone in manipulating people's emotions to get them to do things. In this commercial with sad, slow, lethargic music playing in the background, pictures of dogs being locked in shelters with helpless and forlorn expressions on their faces are shown with a woman speaking of the terrible abuse they have endured. This commercial can make anyone including Arnold Schwarzenegger himself want to curl up in a ball and cry. However at the end of the commercial they propose a call to action by saying you can help these animals with an extremely small monthly donation. They claim that this small donation will provide things like medical care, food, and even love for these animals. Through manipulating viewers' emotions this company effectively makes people want to give money to their cause. All of this comes back to the rhetorical triangle, and pathos!