Usage Of Purposeful Diction

During the duration of this course, the most memorable writing and argumentative techniques that I will continue to use are the usage of purposeful diction, selectively using words with a specific connotation, and understanding fallacies. I recall writing about the usage of diction within a certain passage, and I recall that I didn’t really get how diction influences the way a passage could be received until the moment I saw it in the difference between “Rise of the Rest” and “The United States of Walmart.” Then, I realized how that despite meaning the same thing, calling someone Mom always seems a bit friendlier than if you call them Mother. Some words always carry formality, and others carry a charged association. Finally, fallacies are so frequently used in the world around us, and despite that fact, I never was very good at detecting them until this class. Granted, fallacies were reviewed only briefly, but nevertheless it still helped me see the weaknesses in mostly polarized arguments.

The way you appeal to these are through the usage of tone and diction. Pathos, on one hand, requires a more emotionally charged argument, so it requires a passionate tone and an informal diction. Logos on the other hand, requires a factual argument and uses only the most formal diction possible. Ethos requires an appeal to authority and to people who have an expertise beyond our own and because of that, Ethos can use either an informal or a formal diction, and be factual. Ethos is essentially convincing the reader to trust what the author is