Ethos and Logos in Embraced by the Needle, Free Essay with the Article Analysis

Ethos and logos are modes of persuasion. The two are used in spoken and written word. Ethos deals with the individual character of the author or the speaker. That is to what intent the speaker/ author appears credible. It has three perquisites which include good intention, empathy, and competence. Logos, on the other hand, is an appeal to logical reason. Therefore, it is shown when a speaker/author aims to give an argument that is seemingly sound to the audience. It is inclusive of the speech content and argument. The aim of the two is to create a persuasive effect. The paper discusses the ethos and logos used by Gabor Mate in his writing on the causes of addiction. It also looks at the effectiveness of the ethos and logos and how they might be successful in persuading an audience.

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Logos

In his article Embraced the Needle, Gabor first uses the logos persuasion mode in the second paragraph where the author states that the Downtown Eastside is seen to be the drug capital of Canada due to its high population of addicted individuals (3000-5000). By stating the probable figures of addicted individuals, the audience may be easily persuaded since the author seems to be more knowledgeable and extracting his points from real-life situations and life experiences (Gabor).

Another instance of logos is the use of Anna to pass the message that most people may get to drug abuse due to their situations, like HIV/AIDS. By using Anna as an example, the audience is likely to be persuaded that the origin of addiction is mostly caused by unhappiness. The author also uses another example of a sex trade worker who was subjected to methadone. In this example, the author only wants to persuade the reader that methadone starves off the opiate withdrawal. The third example is where the author says that 8% out of 15% of the people who try drugs get addicted (Gabor). The above example is effective in the explanation of why the 8% gets the addiction. The above-stated examples are effective to the reader as they give a reader insights about the examples showing them that other people have used the suggested methods of coping with addiction and gave their testimony.

Further, on the second page of the article, the author sets more logos as he gives detailed information about the brain. He gives more information on how the brain works with different receptors. The explanation of how drugs work in the brain is a logos since it is a stated fact. It is effective as it shows the reader that the author is informed of the facts leading to addiction in a human body. It gives them a sense of persuasion since the author explains in depth about every drug not with misconceptions but with facts. Towards the end of the article, the author gives an example of Wayne who is forty years old. Wayne admits that drug addiction has hit him and also says that it was him that asked for it, he admits having made several stupid decisions that cost him several years in jail (Gabor 290). The above example is used to convince the reader that addiction does not or rather in rare cases makes the connection between a troubled childhood and a self-harming habit. Wayne is regretful, but cannot change the situation. The audience after getting persuaded will learn from Wayne's experiences.

Ethos

There are several instances of ethos as a mode of persuasion in the article. To begin with, in the second paragraph in this article, the author says that he is a staff physician at Portland, where they deal with individuals who are addicted to cocaine, tranquilizers, heroin, alcohol or a combination of all (Gabor). From the above statement, the audience sees that the author is presenting tangible evidence which most may consider first hand since I have been given by the author himself. Therefore, he shows his readers that he is competent, and with this, he gains the confidence of his audience. By building a reader's confidence, the reader will easily flow with the author's school of thought thus ends up buying the whole idea. An audience is likely to be persuaded by a person they trust, and a person they can identify with.

Throughout the article, the author articulates his issues and arguments with a sense of competence, since his area of expertise in the field he writes about. The article is written with the good intention of educating the general public on the issues of drug addiction, how it affects an individual and how it gets to the brain.

It is clear that the author has used both ethos and logos as persuasion odes to his audience. Well, having discussed the effectiveness of each example given above, it is clear that ethos and logos play a major role in persuading an audience. Therefore, it is important for authors to apply the use of the two persuasion modes in their writing to enhance reading, understanding, and agreement on their school of thought by their students.

Works Cited

Gabor, Mate. "Embraced by the Needle." Drugs don't cause substance abuse, emotional pain does, 2001.