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Three Modes Of Persuasion In Paul Bogard's Let There Be Dark

1038 Words5 Pages

In the eyes of Aristotle, there are three modes of persuasion in order to successfully persuade the reader. These three modes are ethos, which deals with the character of the author, pathos, which deals with the emotional influence of the author on the speaker, and logos, which deals with the the author’s appeal to logical reasoning. Paul Bogard utilizes ethos, pathos, and logos in order to effectively build an argument persuading the audience against the world’s growing reliance on artificial light in his article “Let There be Dark.” Bogard is able to establish his credibility and put himself in the audience's good graces through a short personal anecdote. Next, he puts the audience in a good emotional state with his appealing word connotation. …show more content…

He begins his article with a short memory of a time when he was able to enjoy the wonders that the night sky held: “I knew woods so dark that my hands disappeared before my eyes. I knew night skies in which meteors left smoky trails across sugary spreads of stars.” By using “I,” Bogard is making this memory personal, so that the audience knows that he was able to experience this. With Bogard’s deep description of the dark and the vivid and beautiful image that he is able to project into the minds of his readers, Bogard reveals his perspective on the dark. Also, by using words such as “smoky” and “sugary,” Bogard is suggesting that the night was so clear that he could see these fine details in the sky. As a result Bogard proves himself to be someone who is trustworthy and passionate in his writing because he is open to sharing personal memories from his past and eager to use descriptive words to clarify his story. With his proven credibility, Bogard’s audience can share his views on the mesmerizing beauty of the darkness that he experienced in his childhood. This short anecdote displays Bogard’s writing competence, his article’s intention, and his understanding of what his audience

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