Logos, ethos, and pathos are techniques of persuasion that form the rhetorical triangle. They are central to rhetorical analysis, though a piece of rhetoric might not necessarily use all of them. Here is a brief overview of what each term means:

• Logos: This refers to the appeal to reason. Logos appeals to the audiences reason, building up logical arguments. Logos can also be thought of as the text of the argument, as well as how well a writer has argued his/her point.

• Ethos: This refers to the appeal to the writers character. Ethos appeals to the writers status or authority, making the audience more likely to trust them. Ethos can also be thought of as the role of the writer in the argument, and how credible his/her argument is.

• Pathos: This refers to the appeal to emotions. Pathos appeals to the emotions, trying to make the audience feel angry or sympathetic, for example. Pathos can also be thought of as the role of the audience in the argument.

These three appeals are sometimes called the rhetorical triangle. Aristotle categorized how rhetoric is used in arguments into three groups: ethos, pathos, and logos, and this is also known as the rhetorical triangle.