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Dramatic Irony
Definition of Ethos
Ethos, along with logos and pathos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective speaking or writing). Ethos is an argument that appeals to... read full definition
Ethos, along with logos and pathos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective speaking or writing). Ethos is... read full definition
Ethos, along with logos and pathos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective... read full definition
Part 1
Explanation and Analysis—Kurtz's Genius:
Long before he reaches the Inner Station, Marlow starts to idolize its chief, Mr. Kurtz, because so many of the other people he meets tell him about Kurtz’s legendary strength, intelligence, and skill at collecting ivory. In a word, the other men build up Kurtz’s ethos. For instance, in Part 1 (a few pages before declaring Kurtz a “universal genius”), the Brickmaker tells Marlow:
[Kurtz] is an emissary of pity and science and progress, and devil knows what else. We want, [...] for the guidance of the cause intrusted to us by Europe, so to speak, higher intelligence, wide sympathies, a singleness of purpose. [...] So he comes here, a special being, as you ought to know.’
Related Themes:
Part 2
Explanation and Analysis—Kurtz's Genius:
Long before he reaches the Inner Station, Marlow starts to idolize its chief, Mr. Kurtz, because so many of the other people he meets tell him about Kurtz’s legendary strength, intelligence, and skill at collecting ivory. In a word, the other men build up Kurtz’s ethos. For instance, in Part 1 (a few pages before declaring Kurtz a “universal genius”), the Brickmaker tells Marlow:
Unlock with LitCharts A+[Kurtz] is an emissary of pity and science and progress, and devil knows what else. We want, [...] for the guidance of the cause intrusted to us by Europe, so to speak, higher intelligence, wide sympathies, a singleness of purpose. [...] So he comes here, a special being, as you ought to know.’
Related Themes:
