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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 Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
Chapter One: Childhood
Explanation and Analysis—"Merchandise":
Pathos is an important tool for Jacobs throughout the memoir. She introduces it right away in Chapter 1, when she describes her early childhood before her parents died:
They lived together in a comfortable home; and, though we were all slaves, I was so fondly shielded that I never dreamed I was a piece of merchandise, trusted to them for safe keeping, and liable to be demanded of them at any moment.
Related Themes:
Chapter Five: The Trials of Girlhood
Explanation and Analysis—Diverging Futures:
In Chapter 5, Jacobs describes two young sisters she once saw playing together, one Black and one white. She uses pathos to help the reader feel outrage for the unjustly different life outcomes awaiting Black and white children with the same fathers:
Unlock with LitCharts A+I once saw two beautiful children playing together. One was a fair white child; the other was her slave, and also her sister.[...] The fair child grew up to be a still fairer woman. From childhood to womanhood her pathway was blooming with flowers, and overarched by a sunny sky. Scarcely one day of her life had been clouded when the sun rose on her happy bridal morning.
Related Themes:
