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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
Pathos
Explanation and Analysis:
In Trifles, Glaspell uses the vehicle of the play to make an argument against women’s domestic subjugation and the power imbalance present in most marriages in the early 20th century. To achieve this, she employs pathos in her characters' dialogue and in her depiction of Minnie Wright, a woman accused of murdering her husband.
Pathos, or the appeal to an audience’s emotion in service of the writer’s argument, is present in many forms throughout the play, but it comes to a head when the women uncover the body of Minnie’s strangled bird. Mrs. Hale makes an emotional appeal on Minnie’s behalf:
“I wish you’d seen Minnie Foster when she wore a white dress with blue ribbons and stood up there in the choir and sang. Oh I wish I’d come over in a while! That was a crime!”
Related Themes:
