The Pathos, Ethos, and Logos of WBC

Some of the ideas used in traditional rhetoric are also used in visual rhetoric (although, the WBC's case, they are not always successful). These ideas are pathos, ethos, and logos.

Aristotle, an ancient-Greek philosopher, defined pathos as “putting the audience in the right frame of mind” (Herrick 88). The Phelps clan is (attempting) to do this by going to particular locations and events while carrying particular signs. For example, Steve Jobs passed away from cancer and while picketing the celebration of his life, one protester held a sign saying “Thank God for Breast Cancer.” With these signs, the Phelps seem to be trying to make their audience feel some type of emotion, whether it be sadness, anger, or frustration, it seems that they want some type of reaction.

The use of ethos is supposed to win over the audience. Traditionally, ethos is used by the speaker to build up his or her credibility as an expert in what they are talking about. However, the Phelps tend to do just the opposite. They are often seen with signs that have Bible verses on them, but they are often out of context and put on posters that give a different meaning to the verse. For example, there is one sign that reads “The Jews Killed Jesus - 1 Thes. 2:15.” First Thessalonians 2:15 reads “[... the Jews,] who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all mankind...” Yes, the Jewish people may have physically killed him, but according to John 3:16, God is the one who killed Jesus. The Phelps’ theology is flawed, thereby, making their ethos weak.

Finally, logos deals with making a logical argument. As stated before, the Phelps and their clan have flawed theology, making their logic flawed as well. They may be trying to use Aristotle’s proofs, but they are using them incorrectly. And because they are used incorrectly, they are not making successful arguments.

I gathered all of this information just from looking at signs. This is evidence that so much information can be conveyed and gathered through pictures and signs; making visual rhetoric a very real concept.