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Motifs
Definition of Pathos
Pathos, along with logos and ethos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective speaking or writing). Pathos is an argument that appeals to... read full definition
Pathos, along with logos and ethos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective speaking or writing). Pathos is... read full definition
Pathos, along with logos and ethos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective... read full definition
Book 1, Chapter 1
Explanation and Analysis—Ain't I Your Baby?:
Rufus has truly hit rock bottom when he decides to end his life by jumping off the George Washington Bridge. Baldwin uses pathos and simile to make the reader feel Rufus's horror and despair as he contemplates his death:
He raised his eyes to heaven. He thought, You bastard [...] Ain’t I your baby, too? He began to cry. Something in Rufus which could not break shook him like a rag doll and splashed salt water all over his face and filled his throat and his nostrils with anguish. He knew the pain would never stop. He could never go down into the city again. He dropped his head as though someone had struck him and looked down at the water. It was cold and the water would be cold.
He was black and the water was black.
Related Themes:
