Effective Use of Pathos :: Writers Writing Composition Essays

Effective Use of Pathos Ellen Goodman and Carol Tavris share styles in writing, audiences, and rhetorical appeals. Both authors write informally and direct their message towards listeners between the age of 30-45 years of age. Goodman and Tavris also use pathos to back up their essays. In Countering the Culture of Sex, Goodman addresses teenage sex and the media. Sex is sold throughout the United States by the television and music. Goodman thinks is the media is going to continue to propagate this material to the youth of the nation, then there needs to be a complete view of sex and the consequences. The images teenagers see today are only positive images of sex. They do not put the bad facts: sexually transmitted diseases, AIDS, and pregnancy, with all the good advertising sex has developed in their minds. Goodman stands for a movement towards correct portrayal of sex in the media. In Groups We Shrink From Loner’s Heroics, Tavris describes the phenomenon of social loafing. Through two incidences, Tavris depicts a society where people in groups allow a murder or beating to take place without intervention. This lack of responsibility stems from the group individual’s belief that someone else is already taking care of the situation. Tavris feels strongly that people who merely stand and watch should also be considered in the wrong. She wants the public to unite and look out for each other’s best interests, to not fall into a diffusion of responsibility. The writing styles in both essays are similar; they are informal. Tavris notes, â€Å"They behave badly because they aren’t paying attention, or they leave it to Harry, or they don’t want to rock the boat†¦Ã¢â‚¬  These modern day phrases make it easier for the reader to understand. These words take Tavris from the status of a Ph. D. in Sociological Psychology to an everyday person trying to make everyone understand her point. Goodman’s informal approach, â€Å"These messages that kids actually listen to ought to be piped into the hearing rooms where Congress is busy concocting a new welfare policy,† make it easier for her to connect with her audience. Welfare is an issue and an area of concern for many adults. The sarcastic, informal tone in Goodman’s words reflects the strength in her own belief and the belief she possess in the everyday citizen.