John Stuart Mill Ethos Pathos Logos

Many authors use rhetorical strategies in their work to “support claims and respond to opposing arguments” (Purdue Online Writing Lab). The three forms of persuasive articles are ethos, logos, and pathos. Ethos, is the ethical appeal, which reflects the reliability of the author’s argument (Little DK Handbook), such as using trust and authority to get their reader to agree with their position. Writers use logos to appeal to the audience with logic and reasoning, “often depending on the use of inductive or deductive reasoning” (Purdue Online Writing Lab). The last rhetorical strategy is Pathos, the emotional appeal, which “appeals to an audience’s needs, values, and emotional sensibilities” (Purdue Online Writing Lab).
In “On The Subjection of Women”, and excerpt by John Stuart Mill, he uses these three rhetorical strategies to convey his views on feminism. Mill begins the chapter with, “The object of this essay is to explain...the grounds of an opinion which I have held… on social and political matters” (1). As he makes his position clear, slowly building the credibility of his writing, he begins to incorporate the rhetorical devices to get the attention of his readers. Mill uses the topic of women to
Mill writes, “ the adoption of this system of inequality never was the result of deliberation, or forethought, or any social ideas, or any notion whatever of what conducted to the benefit of humanity or the good order of society” (5). He uses this quote to establish a common ground, to show although men were placed at a higher standard, it was not by choice but rather that women were “found in a state of bondage to some man” (5). While opposing the inequality of women, Mill still uses ethical reasoning to appeal to both sides of his argument. As his excerpt keeps an ethical stance, he is able to get the trust of his readers, making him a reliable