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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
Key Examples in Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man
Chapter 2
Explanation and Analysis—Social Organism:
In Chapter 2, the narrator describes the unsettling experience of meeting his father. He uses a metaphor to develop a sense of pathos, demonstrating to the reader how damaging complex social dynamics can be to an individual child:
On the way I could think of nothing but this new father, where he came from, where he had been, why he was here, and why he would not stay. […] notwithstanding my changed relations with most of my schoolmates, I had only a faint knowledge of prejudice and no idea at all how it ramified and affected the entire social organism. I felt, however, that there was something about the whole affair which had to be hid.
Related Themes:
Chapter 10
Explanation and Analysis—Lynching:
In Chapter 10, the narrator uses graphic imagery (quoted and discussed below) to describe a lynching he witnessed. This imagery helps him convey a sense of pathos, convincing the reader that racial violence in the United States is intolerable:
Unlock with LitCharts A+It was over before I realized that time had elapsed. Before I could make myself believe that what I saw was really happening, I was looking at a scorched post, a smoldering fire, blackened bones, charred fragments sifting down through coils of chain, and the smell of burnt flesh—human flesh—was in my nostrils.
Related Themes:
