How to Create an Effective Peer Review System

How to Create an Effective Peer Review System When you’re a member of an organization or a similar setup, evaluations are, for lack of a better description, a way of life. You’d be subjected to close scrutiny by your supervisors and colleagues. If you’re in customer service, you are also bound to be rated at some point by the customers you actually served. Even if you went up the ranks and became a manager, you will still be vulnerable to assessment by your subordinates.You can never get away from having your work performance reviewed and evaluated. It’s embedded in company policies, after all, its part of the organization’s human resources management and merit promotion systems.From the point of view of top management, there is no way that they can put their focus solely on monitoring the performance of the employees. While it is true that employee performance is a very important factor in their decision-making, it is not THE ONLY factor. It is for this reason that management makes use of other avenues and techniques in monitoring and evaluating employee performance. One of the most frequently used methods is to set up peer review systems.PEER REVIEW SYSTEM â€" WHAT IT IS AND HOW IT WORKSWhen we say “peer review”, we’re talking about employees being assessed by their colleagues â€" or their peers â€" in terms of their performance, strengths and weaknesses, and other work-related aspects.You’ve probably heard it used by authors and writers before, when they have their articles, research papers and other material for publication subjected to review by other authors and writers. Their work will be critiqued, suggestions will be made, and they may be incorporated into the piece before it goes out for final printing.That’s basically the same principle at work here. A peer review system formalizes the conduct of these type of review in the workplace, with definite rules and policies in place on the what, who, wher e, when, and how of the conduct of peer review.Peer review often involves the solicitation of inputs from peers â€" teammates and colleagues â€" about the performance of a specific employee, while keeping them anonymous.Peer reviews utilize several approaches. Some companies design their peer review system to incorporate all approaches, or they can choose only those they deem are practicable to their circumstances. The most common ones are:Simple review. In this approach, comments are solicited from peers about the performance of a specific employee. It’s straightforward and very informal in its execution. Usually, the peers will be interviewed â€" either one-on-one or with a group â€" and that’s where information will be obtained. General rule is that the feedback provider will be kept anonymous. However, there are instances when their identity will have to be disclosed, and that usually happens in cases where the review is also provided directly to the employee being reviewed, not just his supervisor or the managers.Inspections. The most formal and systematic peer review approach, inspections also take the most time and resources. Sometimes, it can be described as the more rigorous version of a simple review. There are specific stages identified that everyone must go through. This is usually the approach chosen when the purpose of the peer review is specifically to find the weaknesses or shortcomings of the employee being evaluated.Team reviews. This involves a panel or a group providing evaluation or assessment at one time. They usually sit together, probably on a round table, and offer up their assessments.The process followed by companies for their peer review systems differ, depending primarily on the nature of the business and the work performed by the employees. Highly technical fields, such as software development, may involve more people in the review process since some software testing must be conducted to see whether there is a need for rework. In publishing, written works undergo several screening stages by various people, so it is bound to take longer.Just as there are no fixed peer review approaches, there are also no fixed peer review processes. It is up to top management, and the designer of the peer review system, to identify a process that will be able to turn up the desired results.Another question begs to be asked:Does a peer review system replace an employee performance appraisal system?Briefly let us go over the ways that feedback or assessment about an employee can be obtained. Supervisor reviews are more results-oriented, because they tend to focus on the outcomes or outputs, and less on how these came to be.If you base your reviews solely on direct reports provided by the employee being assessed, it’s going to be quite lacking, because all you’ll get is insight on his behavior on a daily basis, as well as how he was able to achieve the results he reported. (Plus, there’s the element of subjectivity and self-service included)If, on the other hand, you rely entirely on customer feedback, you’re just getting a glimpse of the quality of service provided by the employee. You’ll also get an insight on his problem-solving skills. And that’s it.With peer review, however, you will also be able to take a look at the employee’s personality, with respect to his interpersonal interactions with his peers.From that logic, it is clear that you shouldn’t use peer review as a replacement for your existing appraisal systems, or make it your ONLY appraisal system. Instead, you should use it WITH your other appraisal systems.IMPORTANCE AND IMPACT OF PEER REVIEW SYSTEMSAside from making managers’ and supervisors’ administration role somewhat lighter, with the bulk and breadth of employee review “passed on” to the organization’s peer review program or policy, why are peer review systems highly recommended?Peer review systems provide a closer look at the employee being evaluated. You see, no matter how good a manager is at “reading” people, there are still things that he is likely to miss about an employee, especially if there are a lot of other employees that must be subjected to review and assessment. Employees tend to act one way in front of supervisors, and another way in front of their peers, whom they regard as their equals. Managers cannot solely trust that the personality shown to them by the employee is their real â€" or complete â€" one. Through peer review, they are given another set of eyes to gain insight into the employee: his personality, strength, weaknesses, and overall potential.Peer review is one way to monitor and, consequently, improve employee performance. If you don’t know how your employees are doing, and you’re basing it solely on the output and financial results of the company, then you’re not really managing as well as you should. Do not forget that human resources are still one of the most important assets of every organiza tion, and by keeping a close eye on your people, you’ll be able to steer the company in the direction that you want (the goal of the organization). By pointing out the weaknesses of the employee through peer review, you’d be encouraging them to improve. They will focus more on those weaknesses and work on them, until such time that they can turn things around and transform those weaknesses into strengths.Through peer review, business processes may also be monitored. Peer review is also a roundabout way of assessing whether your business processes are still working efficiently and effectively, or if there is a need to modify them. It may also provide indicators of whether you have to modify your organizational structure or stick to it. You may also get warning signs that something is no longer working, and that you should do something about it.Peer review is effective for team building. Team-building is a tried and tested way of motivating employees, and integrating peer review i nto the whole team-building setup is a great way to make the most of the endeavor. With peers providing input, employee bonding may be strengthened, and this positive effect will trickle on to their performance when they’re back to their usual working environment.If peer review is attached to performance appraisal and, by default, employee rewards and recognition, then it is effective at providing support for collaboration and teamwork. In the end, the one that benefits the most is the organization as a whole.PROS AND CONS OF A PEER REVIEW SYSTEMNot all systems are perfect, and there are bound to be gray areas. Let us take a look at the pros (+) and cons (-) of making use of a peer review system in assessing employees and their performance in the workplace.(+) Peer review can provide more comprehensive insight into an individual’s performance, particularly on how they interact with each other. This allows the identification of employees who have emerged as leaders, even if they still haven’t earned the corresponding rank or title.(+) Peer review is more resource-efficient. In the first place, you are already getting assessments from people who have first-hand interaction with the employee being evaluated. Aside from saving on time and resources in having supervisors conduct the review, you don’t have to schedule separate review or assessment activities any longer. What you’re getting is already information that has been obtained from time already spent by the employees and their peers.(+) Peer reviews serves as a very strong tool for reinforcing good performance and behavior, encouraging employees to do better in order to be viewed in a positive light by their peers. It is one thing to be recognized by your supervisors, or be respected by your subordinates. However, there is a certain level of satisfaction of being recognized by your peers, and being evaluated for that as well. People below you are almost always expected to put in a good word for you ; they will somehow feel obliged to because of the principle of hierarchy at play. But your peers are your equals, and to hear them say positive things about you gives such a positive boost, motivating you to work harder and better.(+) Peer reviews provide assessments that can be relied on, since we’re talking about the assessment of people who are also experts in the same field as that of the employee being evaluated. Tell me, between the movie review of an established film critic and an equally established food blogger, which one would you trust more? Film critics, in order to reach a certain level of esteem in the filmmaking industry, must have some know-how on the technical and non-technical side of filmmaking. Thus, they are considered to be experts when it comes to movies. Can you say the same of a food blogger, no matter how well-known and “established” he is? That’s the same principle when it comes to peer reviews. You’d trust the evaluation of an employee who work s closely with the employee being evaluated, rather than the assessment made by another employee who works in a different department in another facility.(-) Peer reviews can also be highly subjective, especially since they can be clouded by the personal opinion of the employee making the evaluation. This is also, quite possibly, the biggest complaint against the whole idea of having a peer review system in place. You see, there is a danger that peer review can turn into nothing more than a popularity contest.It is highly possible that an employee may have a prior negative run-in with the employee being evaluated, and that may cloud his judgment. Therefore, he won’t be as objective as he should, and he may purposefully bring down his peer’s evaluation simply because, well, he doesn’t like him all that much.HOW TO MAKE PEER REVIEW SYSTEMS MORE EFFECTIVEAccording to HR consultant Joe Shaheen, a “poorly structured review system wastes time, money and resources”. This inefficie ncy also results to an ineffective peer review system. Thus, you have to make sure your peer review system will be both efficient and effective. Here’s how you can go about it.Choose the “peers” wisely.Keep in mind that the review will be conducted by employees â€" the individuals who will play a key role in the review process. Therefore, you have to make sure that you define the peer groups in a rational manner.Perhaps the most important part is to choose the people that you should ask or get information from regarding the employee being assessed. For this, you have to set certain guidelines, such as qualifications that the employee must have.Determine what your top performers must have, and align them with the organization’s core values.We’re referring to the traits or characteristics that your best performers must have. The rationale behind this is that you won’t know what questions to ask if you don’t know exactly what you’re looking for.In a peer review system, you’d end up asking questions to the employees about their peers. But if you don’t have benchmarks or cornerstones to guide you, then you won’t know what to ask them. You’d only be wasting time and resources asking questions that don’t give you the information you need.In an article on Harvard Business Review, GloboForce emphasized on the importance of reflecting on the core values of the company or organization. You have already identified the traits that your best performer must have in order to establish the metrics you will use in your peer review; the question is, are they in line with the core values of the organization?Take, for example, a tech company where innovation among employees is highly valued. It goes without saying that innovation should also be a core value of the company, so that it makes sense to also look for the same in your top performing employees.Make room for flexibility within the system.I suppose the purpose of setting up a system is to have som ething that will be followed and adhered to when conducting the peer review. But if you design it in such a way that it cannot be modified to suit specific situations, then it won’t be as effective as you’d want.For example, when dealing with specific employees, you may have to take a different approach or ask different questions instead of “sticking to the script”. This should be allowed. Setting it all in stone will leave no room for movement, making the peer review system ineffective, and the results unreliable.Embrace new technology and innovations.You don’t have to stick solely to traditional methods to get evaluation from employees about their peers. Nowadays, social media is a platform often utilized by employees related to work. You can also incorporate the utilization of social media and other similar technological tools in your peer review system.One advantage of this is the impression that it gives among employees how “in touch” management is with how things are done. They take interest in how their employees interact, and utilize that, so they’d feel more inclined to participate in the peer review process.Position the program to be “pro-employee”.There are several organizational setups where employees dread even the sound of the word “review”. They view it as a punishment or, if not, something that leads up to one. This makes them wary of anything related to the conduct of a review.A possible reaction is how several employees, when tapped to provide evaluation or assessment of a fellow employee, look at it as part of their work. They go, “if I do not provide the information they need, it might affect my own review in the future”, or “it is part of my job, so I have to do it or else”. This should not be the case.If you can find a way to make the peer review process fun, then by all means, do so. It should not be an ordeal for everyone involved. Instead, turn it into a program of change or a way to show appreciation an d give credit to whom it is due.Get everyone involved.Since it says “peer review”, does it mean it should involve only the employee and his or her peers?Of course not. Employee performance affects the entire organization, so everyone should be involved.But wait, didn’t top management set up a peer review system so that they don’t have to be involved with the often tedious task of monitoring and evaluating employees?Let’s clear up one thing here: yes, top management set up peer review systems to facilitate and speed up employee review and evaluation, so that they don’t have to be directly involved in it. But that does not mean they’d have nothing to do with it completely.Therefore, it is still very important to reiterate that peer review systems must involve everyone, although in varying degrees. On the part of the managers and supervisors, the system should be reinforced with their own self-reviews and assessments.It is for this reason that you must empower the manager s to track the results. Reiterate the importance of being involved, so they will be more motivated to contribute in ensuring that the peer review system is effective.Back it up with prompt and frequent recognition.Here’s the question: what happens after the peer review? How can you expect to promote desired behavior if you do nothing?It is important to have a quick follow-up to the conduct of the peer review. It does not make sense to conduct a peer review today, then provide recognition a year later. Relevance is significantly diminished if you wait that long. If employees find that there is prompt and frequent recognition after the peer review, employees are going to be more motivated to be more involved in the process.The first step in creating an effective peer review system is to create a peer review system. From there, you can move forward in shaping and improving your system. Do not expect to have a perfectly working system from day one, because you are bound to find someth ing to change every now and then. The important part is to put a peer review system in place, implement it, and continuously improve on it.

Jane Austen s Pride And Prejudice - 1343 Words

The Themes of Jane Austen in Pride and Prejudice In today’s time there are many novels in which their purpose is to provide an enjoyable feeling for the reader, filling them with pleasurable feelings and they do not possess a strong message or lesson. On the other hand, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice does not compare to novels such as The Notebook, or My Life with the Walter Boys because those two are feel-good books. Whereas Pride and Prejudice is undoubtedly an enjoyable story but Austen uses themes provide the reader with illustrations of what life was really like and to teach lessons to reader. The impactful themes that Jane Austen incorporated in her novel were those of sense and sensibility, worship of the aristocracy, and pride†¦show more content†¦Austen develops the theme of sense and sensibility throughout her book, Pride and Prejudice, by creating a handful of characters that range in sense and sensibility. For example, Mr. Collins has an extreme amount of sense but no self-knowledge, or emotion . Austen describes him as, â€Å"not a sensible man, and the deficiency of nature had been little assisted by education of society; the greatest part of his life having been spent under the guidance of an illiterate and miserly father.† In this case, the ideal of sense means one has honorable moral and most likely an abundance of knowledge deriving form education and books. The idea of sensibility correlates more on the side of having excessive emotion and sensitivity, and sensibility correlates with having lots of self-knowledge, but not morality. Jane Austen uses Mr. Collins to show the ideal of sense through his actions because he has an extreme amount of sense but no self-knowledge, or emotion. Austen describes him as, â€Å"not a sensible man, and the deficiency of nature had been little assisted by education of society; the greatest part of his life having been spent under the guidance of an illiterate and miserlyShow MoreRelatedJane Austen s Pride And Prejudice1231 Wo rds   |  5 Pagesfinancial stability. In the novel Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen states that the desire for better social connections interferes with the workings of love through the relationship between Darcy and Elizabeth to criticize the social class structure of the 19th century. Anxieties about social connections or the desire for better social connections, interfere with the workings of love. 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Through the examination of the characters in Pride and Prejudice it is easily deciphered between marriages based upon true love and marriage based upon the expectations of society. Society’s main goal for woman in the Victorian era was marriage. As seen many in Pride and Prejudice, marriage wasRead MoreJane Austen s Pride And Prejudice1434 Words   |  6 PagesJane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice was considered a radical novel back in 1813 when she wrote and published the piece. It is a social commentary on the treatment and societal standards of women, as well marriage expectations at the turn of the 19th century. Austen criticizes the patriarchal society, materialism, double standards of men and women by centering the book around Elizabeth Bennett, a young woman of decent means who does not understand the reason for the pressure to find a suitable husbandRead MoreJane Austen s Pride And Prejudice1468 Words   |  6 Pagesestablished over time. In Jane Austen s novel, Pride and Prejudice Elizabeth Bennet is the main character who is a lady in the Regency Era. Elizabeth lives in Longbourn with her parents, Mr and Mrs Bennet and her four sisters. In the beginning of the novel, Elizabeth s prejudice mindset and strong opinion blinds her from realizations happening around her. Soon, Elizabeth s prejudice disappears allowing her to open up and fall in love. Throughout Jane Austen s novel, Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth growsRead MoreJane Austen s Pride And Prejudice1649 Words   |  7 PagesIn her novel, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen is pre-occupied with the theme of marriage. Marriage is a central issue of a woman’s life but it was even more crucial for the women of her society where women were largely dependent on the men in their lives. As a result, women pursued socio-economic stability through marriage. However, it is clear through the novel that Austen did not agree with this part of her society. In Pride and Prejudice, she gives preference to a marriage which is based on love

The Greatest Player Of All Time - 1496 Words

The Greatest Player of All Time When you think about basketball, there are multiple teams, plays, and players that come to mind. Michael Jordan is one of the players every person knows and has respect for. He is a legend of this game and has changed the game of basketball forever. He is considered to be the best basketball player of all time but not just because of the numbers he put up on the board or how many games his teams won. Michael Jordan has impacted society because of the kind of person he was, on and off the basketball court, the heart and dedication he had to the game of basketball and his teammates and the way he persevered, no matter what obstacles that were thrown in his way. He was determined to be the best he could be and that is why he was so successful and influential. Michael Jeffery Jordan was born on February 17th, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York. Jordan has been married twice, but is currently married to Yvette Prieto, and has been since 2013. Jordan also has five c hildren, Marcus Jordan, Jeffery Michael Jordan, Ysabel Jordan, Jasmine Mickael Jordan, and Victoria Jordan. Jordan is the fourth of five children and moved to Wilmington, North Carolina as a young toddler. Michael attended Emsley A. Laney High School, graduating in 1981. Jordan than continued his education at the University of North Carolina majoring in Cultural Geography (Biography.com Editors, 2016). Jordan played professionally for the Chicago Bulls from 1984-1993, 1995-1998 and theShow MoreRelatedEssay on Pelà © - One of the Greatest Soccer Players of All Time1895 Words   |  8 PagesPelà © - One of the Greatest Soccer Players of All Time Athletic Genius, Soccer Legend, Master of Offense, Pelà ©. All are names for Edson Arantes do Nascimento, undoubtedly one of the greatest soccer players of all time. 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Why is it that we spend our time on the most useless things Free Essays

Why is it that we spend our time on the most useless things? We keep on hoping that somehow, our efforts are all going to be worth it. We keep on surviving knowing that in the end we die. And the worst of these is the fact that we keep on falling in love even if we will eventually get hurt. We will write a custom essay sample on Why is it that we spend our time on the most useless things? or any similar topic only for you Order Now Do you believe in angels? Well if you do, how would you feel if I told you that there aren’t any? What would come into your mind if I told you that angels do not exist? Will you hate the one who told you of them, just in case? It doesn’t really matter what you believe in. What matters is that you know how you feel and that you’d stand proudly for your principles. And the most important thing is that you learn to accept the ideas of others no matter how much they might contradict yours. Keeping that in mind, I’d like to share an idea I have regarding these supernatural beings. Although I know it might be a total contradiction to a whole lot of standards set by the world, I still am hoping that you might find it worth your fancy. Life? What is it? You can’t see it neither can you grasp it. You can’t even control it. So why is it that we spend so much time trying to achieve longevity knowing that the future is uncertain? But is it really how long we live or how we live? To make the best out of every moment is the best way of taking advantage of such a situation. When would you most probably have your first experience of true love? It might sound corny but it’s true that all of us would definitely come to that point. Why is it so difficult to expound on something that you would understand subconsciously, but can’t find the right words to explain it? High school was rough. It might sound unbelievable but it’s true. I couldn’t hardly breath the first time I got in through the iron gates. I felt the weight of every eye scrutinizing my form. I guess it would appear to be nothing more than an example of a hyperbole. But the thought of all the prejudices being made about you is enough to make you feel uneasy. My freshman year isn’t worth the time recounting. However, during my second year in school, whose name I care not mention, things took a different turn. Although it might sound like a total clichà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ but my experience with this girl changed my life forever. How? I’ll tell you in the simplest way I can. At first I thought she would just be another passing face. I did see her once during my first year. It was during a program where she received an award as the captain of her volleyball team after winning in the inter high school competition. I didn’t even notice her. So, by now I guess you have an idea of how awkward it was for me to admit I liked her. To admit something that would mean weakness is definitely not my line. We became classmates as sophomores and that was the time I really gave her the attention she deserved. I mean she’s smart, beautiful, talented and rich. It’s her right to demand respect. Her genius truly gained my admiration. It was kind of funny how something so innocent as admiration could turn into something as cruel and evil as lust. Although lust was not the first feeling I felt. She intrigued me entirely. Her ways caused such curiosity within me that I took time to study her. I wanted to know her. I wanted to understand the way her mind works. However, she definitely did not feel the same about me at first. Actually, she could care less if I felt anything towards her. She never gave me the slightest bit of attention she could spare. In fact, she didn’t spare any at all. I could never really ask for any considering the fact that the law banned my deep admiration for her. Unfortunately, I have to leave this portion up for you to find out just how much trouble I was in. Another aspect of my humanity was about to be revealed. My body began to change rapidly as though I were taking some sort of drug. However, I did not let this get in the way of achieving my goal. I wanted supremacy, power and most of all, her. These changes never did cause that much trouble until my unfortunate demise came to pass. I wanted her so much that I broke all the rules and told her of how I felt. At first, I thought she felt at least a tiny bit of love for me. But my suspicions were proven wrong. She hated me for it. She even thought it was a joke. She made my disclosure nothing more than a laughing matter. And for this, I hated her. She tore my soul apart. She stepped on my ego like it was nothing more than a rag. I felt the rage burning up inside me. I wanted revenge. The night after the incident, I felt something inside me begin to swell. I felt a burning sensation in my back that seemed to consume my entire being. The combination of my broken heart and the excruciating pain made me want to die on the spot. I had nothing to live for anyway. It seemed like all those years of strife were for nothing. How to cite Why is it that we spend our time on the most useless things?, Essays

The Waste Land and Waiting for Godot Essay Example

The Waste Land and Waiting for Godot Paper The two texts, The Waste Land and Waiting for Godot both convey an air of pessimism within their openings due to the modernist and existentialist views of both the writers. The Waste Land Eliots vision of a contemporary predicament, one of natural erotic and spiritual aridity which seems to transcend the barriers of historical time, or natural and geographical boundaries does no depict just the sickness of the land itself; on the contrary it is a metaphor for something more powerful and complex we are dealing with the human condition which Eliot reveals lacks focus and has ironically dissolved into fragments resulting in a heap of broken images. T. S. Eliot was a modernist poet, who questioned contemporary literary values of life after the First World War. Modernism thrived in the periods between the two World Wars as it was a time of great difficulty since the conflict created many pessimistic beliefs amongst the civilians. There was not much optimism as to improvement of mankind and this resulted in the disintegration and alienation of the modern self through crisis. Similarly, the poem purports to open up cracks in culture, to show the underlying fault lines and its implications are also to unsettle the reader. Samuel Becketts Waiting for Godot is an absurd play, because at times it is difficult to discern if there is a plot at all, and at other times, the play seems incredibly profound. We will write a custom essay sample on The Waste Land and Waiting for Godot specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Waste Land and Waiting for Godot specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Waste Land and Waiting for Godot specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The essence of existentialism, which is most prominent in this play, concentrates on the concept of the individuals freedom of choice, as opposed to the belief that humans are controlled by a pre-existing omnipotent being, such as God. Beckett believes that humans only exist and nothing else. In order for existence to become a life it must have a purpose and Beckett believes humans do not have a purpose. Everything we do is purely to pass the time between birth and death. The play is a tragicomedy and is for the majority of the time rather morose and dark, creating a pessimistic image of life. The few characters and sparse surroundings are used to exaggerate the view that humans exist only to pass time. Vladimir and Estragon never progress through life but go round in circles in their conversation, actions and encounters with other characters. They are representative of humankind and the play is a microcosm of society. The Waste Land is a spiritual journey, which begins with an April opening that questions our conditioned expectation of the seasons. We see the natural attitude that April heralds the spring and is responsible for bloom is distorted. The adjectives used to describe this season indicate that nothing flourishes here because the roots, the very foundation of the vegetation is described as being dull a word which seems to stand out from the rest because the l sounds enact the idea of lyrically sighing. Paradoxically, life seems to struggle out of death. Eliot expresses this idea well by the physical imagery he uses to describe the landscape: lilacs. This is a symbol of freshness and vigour and it is bred out of the dead land. So the land in turn reflects the sapped vitality of its inhabitants. We see that there is a lack of regeneration and fertility through the deficiency of flourishing vegetation in the Wasteland and this conveys an air of pessimism as there is no possibility of hope being created since nothing is able to grow in this land. The hyacinth girl with her wet hair and very succulent lushness of her flowers are sexually symbolic and therefore she has expectations for growth but her words which are childlike and self-pitying convey her disappointment because her lover has failed her. So the expectations that love should grow and flourish is shattered by the silence, creating a note of finality. There is definitely something lacking in the relationship, which results in a state where the people of the Wasteland are neither living nor dead which then places them all in a limbo of the half alive whose life cycle can never be harmonised with the natural cycle (of growth). Therefore, where the two should harmonise they jar discordantly and this results in the many negative activities going on in the wasteland adding to the pessimistic feelings expressed in the poem. By looking at the state of the land it is evident that no spiritual being has come to promote regeneration within the Wasteland. The expectation that the corpse in The Burial of the Dead might sprout or perhaps bloom this year comes to stand as a metaphor for rebirth and growth which is not physical but spiritual. This expectation though is not fulfilled but instead is sardonically dismissed. We are instead presented with an image opposing the idea of growth: the image of the dying Tristan who shows us that the true potential of relationships is not fulfilled and instead the relationship comes to a tragic end because love alone is not enough to provide the answers for a spiritually rewarding life. The use of assonance, the e sounds, in Tristans last words Oed und leer das Meer help to create the idea of the wide sea ironically filled with vast emptiness. Earlier, we were warned by the god-like voice not to take this life, but the language there was very covert and the fear that he would show in a hand full of dust suggests an association with death, as the image of dust once again questions our own mortality. These people however, cannot connect or comprehend the meaning and so have taken it to mean only the idea of death, rather than using the information to question the lives that they lead now. Waiting for Godot fertility The lack of fertility is expressed in Waiting for Godot through the fact that there are no female characters at all. This means that there is no real chance of new life being brought into the universe and the natural cycle of life is tampered with. Beckett claimed thatg he Moreover, Estragon and Vladimir seek sexual pleasure through hanging themselves off a tree: What about hanging ourselves? showing the sexual depravation faced by the protagonists. They prefer to indulge in suicidal methods to attain sexual pleasure rather than actual intercourse, through which some optimism could also be brought into the play with a sense of fertility and regeneration. Yet, there is no renewal or rebirth of human life and this suggests a lack of hopefulness within the play. In addition, the image of the fog in The Waste Land is symbolic of the confusion felt by the London crowd, people with a spectral dimension who flow aimlessly. Their sighs of boredom amount to nothing, but a form of damnation, which Eliot presents as ghost-like. Therefore, in this section the imagery clearly emphasises the idea that their existence is a very unreal one, lacking focus. This also explains their confusion and inability to piece information, valuable for their spiritual growth. Stephen Coote highlights that in the wasteland, Life is death and death is life. This can be seen to be very true, especially in the case of the citizens, as they are not actually living their lives but merely existing on the basic needs necessary for their lives to continue. The people could be described as being soulless which is equivalent to death and therefore living is also seen to be dead. The futility of the lives lead by the citizens, that can be see here, shows the many difficulties people faced after the First World War, claiming that despair was the only honest response to the chaotic universe, admitting defeat and leading bleak lives with a deficiency of love and spirituality. Their pessimistic attitude to the world and to each other is communicated through the ineffectuality of their behaviour. Waiting in Waiting for Godot induces boredom as a theme. Vladimir and Estragon constantly ponder and ask questions, many of which are rhetorical or are left unanswered. Existentialists expressed clearly that human beings can never hope to understand why they are here. The tramps repetitive inspection of their empty hats perhaps symbolizes mankinds vain search for answers within the spiritual and moral vacuum of a universe. Existentialists further declared that human beings require a rational basis for their lives but are unable to achieve one, and thus human life is a futile passion. Estragon and Vladimir attempt to put order into their lives by waiting for a Godot who never arrives. They continually subside into the futility of their situation, reiterating the phrase Nothing to be done. Vladimir also resolves with the notion that life is futile, or nothing is to be done at the beginning, replying All my life Ive tried to put it from me And I resumed the struggle. David Parfitt claims that this is a play in which nothing seems to happen and this is true as Beckett deliberately employs the repetition of themes, speech and action to highlight the futility of life. Gogo and Didi frequently repeat phrases, such as, Nothing to be done. Their actions consist of ritually inspecting their hats. Nothingness is what the two tramps are essentially fighting against and the reason why they talk. Beckett conveys a universal message that pondering the impossible questions that arise from waiting, cause pain, anxiety and inactivity. Both Vladimir and Estragon ponder suicide, by hanging themselves from the tree, but are unable to act due to anxiety, as Estragon states, Dont lets do anything. Its safer. Anxiety could explain the inactivity of both Estragon and Vladimir as they both are aware of the different choices they can make but are hesitant, anxious and generally inactive: Estragon: Well, shall we go? Vladimir: Yes, lets go. They do not move. Beckett infers that humans pass time by habit or routine to cope with the existentialist dilemma of the dread or anxiety of their existence. This shows the futility of the lives and conversations that the protagonists of the play have as they are continually stagnating and there is no progress throughout their existence on Earth. The process is very cyclical and hence an air of pessimism is conveyed through the fruitless survival led by Vladimir and Estragon. Throughout The Waste Land, various prophetic figures are alluded to, including the Sybil, Ezekiel, Tiresias, Buddha and the thunder. Madam Sosostris is an ironic version of the prophetic figure and is an example of the lack of spirituality in the Wasteland, especially since she had a bad cold exemplifying that she is only human and mocks her abilities to read the future. Madam Sosostris conducts the most outrageous form of reading possible, transforming a series of vague symbols into predictions, many of which will come true in succeeding sections of the poem. She claims, Fear death by water, that comes true in Part 4 of the poem Death by water. We see that water not only brings salvation to people of the wasteland but also death, showing natures ability to take peoples lives. The clairvoyant also indicates the nature of the wasteland, I see crowds of people walking around in a ring, illustrating the pointless and futile lives led by the people of the wasteland and also the image of the ring means that there is no escape from the cycle of death imparting the idea that there is no hope in the wasteland. Eliot transforms the traditional tarot pack to serve his purposes. Similarly, the clairvoyant undergoes a transformation in assistance with her needs: fraud, vulgarity, and cheap mysticism. The phoney psychic Madame Sosostris simply states what she sees and there is not enough insight to apprehend the meaning of the drowned Phoenician sailor or the Wheel. Eliot shows this to be the behaviour of those who expect nothing, feelings which come from an indifference towards life itself. Western men had exhausted their spiritual powers; some rushed around looking for replacements in magic, as we can see with Madam Sosostris but others also turned to eastern religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism that they felt offered peace and salvation. This view is repeated by Stephen Coote when he states that the wasteland mainly focuses on the, Death of God. This can be seen in the way that people believed in magic and consulted a psychic rather than turning to God. However, I believe that this is not entirely true as Eliot mentioned the three Das in the latter part of the poem where regeneration occurs and the belief of God comes into focus in the peoples hearts following Eastern religions showing that universally a slow change is occurring. This will soon spread to the others who will spiritually strive within the wasteland, giving the reader some hope that life will continue on a positive note, eradicating the air of pessimism that is prevalent throughout the poem. Eliots mother was also a poet, interested in more visionary and prophetic poetry as she was obsessed with religious truths. Whilst his mothers principal poetic direction was the extraordinary exertions of seers and prophets, Eliot chose to write about the lack of spirituality of people within the wasteland because they turned to a fortune-teller for help although she has no connection with God. This is a portrayal of his cynical opinions, using Madam Sosostris as an example, of the life people lead in the time period between the two World Wars. Beckett seems to portray the incomprehensibility and irrationality of faith or hope and perhaps feels advocating a leap of faith limits the individuals choice. Despite Becketts denial of Godots symbolism to God, Godot does have a strong connection towards a god of some kind. Godot could be a hero, a religious symbol, a role model but most importantly a symbol of hope. The more Gogo and Didi converse about this supposed Mr. Godot, the more importance this god-like figure or symbol acquires. Vladimir illustrates the absurdity and the delusive nature of hope, as he has premonitions of Godots arrival: Listen! Hssst! ( They listen, huddled together. ) I thought it was Godot. I could have sworn I heard shouts. Gogo replies more realistically, Pah! The wind in the reeds. Absurdity in the play is a by-product of their metaphysically bizarre condition. However, the fact that Godot still has not arrived throughout the course of the play, shows the lack of a higher spiritual present to sort out Vladimirs and Estragons problems. In fact, this increases the pessimism within the play since Gogo and Didi have made no progress throughout the whole play and end at the same place as they started presenting their stagnating positions, which religion or a supreme being does not help to change. In conclusion, the play and the poem both display a bleak view of life and all the characters epitomise all of mankind showing the full range of human emotions. In Godot, the pessimistic view is that they cannot escape waiting for Godot, from each other or from their situation. The optimistic view of the play shows a range of human emotion and the need to share experiences alongside the suffering of finite existence; governed by the past, acting in the present and the uncertainty of the future. On reflection in The waste Land, we see that our lives are conditioned by hope and if we yearn to become more spiritual and religious, the negativity of the wasteland portrayed by Eliots pessimistic tone would soon disappear. The texts, although, express disappointment, disillusionment, and shows desiccated human relationships, also show us some promise of an escape from these things.

Helen of Troy essays

Helen of Troy essays In modern cinema, a realistic reproduction of a historic time period is uncommon. Movie set designers strive to create sets and scenes to visually stimulate the viewer, and often times historical aspects of the period are completely disregarded. While watching the film, Helen of Troy, directed by Robert Wise (1956), I was surprised to see many artifacts and architectural aspects that were characteristic of Classical Greek Style. I will discuss three key scenes where the interiors were prominent in style and architecture. Situated in the hills of the Greek coast, the city of Troy was prosperous because of its location near the sea. While most of the population lived inside the city's famous impenetrable walls, others lived on the outskirts near the coast. Paris and Helen first meet as he is washed to shore after falling off the sternum of a ship. She helps carry him to the small hut of her childhood nurse. These small villages of huts were constructed with wattle and daub style, and also had thatched roofs. The huts were made waterproof by using a framework of woven rods and twigs covered and plastered with clay. Decorations inside the hut were scarce, but there was a single piece of pottery with a painted scene shown on the ground of the hut. It was very similar to the picture of this pot on the left. The pot had two handles and when used it carried water. The only other items on display were tools and everyday objects such as a kettle pot used to boil water and a sword on the wall, contr adicting the decoration of a palace. After Paris leaves the hut he travels to the Palace of Sparta, where he converses with Menelaus, husband of Helen. In contrast to the huts, this marble palace is extravagant and provides many great examples of Greek Architecture. The palace was supported by columns, both Doric and Ionic capitols. However, the bulging of the Doric shaft, also known as entasis, was different th ...

Ethos, Pathos, Logos, Kairos The Modes of Persuasion and How to Use Them

Ethos, Pathos, Logos, Kairos The Modes of Persuasion and How to Use Them SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Ethos, pathos, logos, and kairos all stem from rhetoric- that is, speaking and writing effectively. You might find the concepts in courses on rhetoric, psychology, English, or in just about any other field! The concepts of ethos, pathos, logos, and kairos are also called the modes of persuasion, ethical strategies, or rhetorical appeals. They have a lot of different applications ranging from everyday interactions with others to big political speeches to effective advertising. Read on to learn about what the modes of persuasion are, how they’re used, and how to identify them! "Yes, Alexander, this will be on the test." What Are the Modes of Persuasion? As you might have guessed from the sound of the words, ethos, pathos, logos, and kairos go all the way back to ancient Greece. The concepts were introduced in Aristotle’s Rhetoric, a treatise on persuasion that approached rhetoric as an art, in the fourth century BCE. Rhetoric was primarily concerned with ethos, pathos, and logos, but kairos, or the idea of using your words at the right time, was also an important feature of Aristotle’s teachings. However, kairos was particularly interesting to the Sophists, a group of intellectuals who made their living teaching a variety of subjects. The Sophists stressed the importance of structuring rhetoric around the ideal time and place. Together, all four concepts have become the modes of persuasion, though we typically focus on ethos, pathos, and logos. If Einstein says it, it must be true. What Is Ethos? Though you may not have heard the term before, ‘ethos’ is a common concept. You can think of it as an appeal to authority or character- persuasive techniques using ethos will attempt to persuade you based on the speaker’s social standing or knowledge. The word ethos even comes from the Greek word for character. An ethos-based argument will include a statement that makes use of the speaker or writer’s position and knowledge. For example, hearing the phrase, â€Å"As a doctor, I believe,† before an argument about physical health is more likely to sway you than hearing, â€Å"As a second-grade teacher, I believe.† Likewise, celebrity endorsements can be incredibly effective in persuading people to do things. Many viewers aspire to be like their favorite celebrities, so when they appear in advertisements, they're more likely to buy whatever they're selling to be more like them. The same is true of social media influencers, whose partnerships with brands can have huge financial benefits for marketers. In addition to authority figures and celebrities, according to Aristotle, we’re more likely to trust people who we perceive as having good sense, good morals, and goodwill- in other words, we trust people who are rational, fair, and kind. You don’t have to be famous to use ethos effectively; you just need whoever you’re persuading to perceive you as rational, moral, and kind. Sad imagery is an example of pathos, which appeals to emotion. What Is Pathos? Pathos, which comes from the Greek word for suffering or experience, is rhetoric that appeals to emotion. The emotion appealed to can be a positive or negative one, but whatever it is, it should make people feel strongly as a means of getting them to agree or disagree. For example, imagine someone asks you to donate to a cause, such as saving rainforests. If they just ask you to donate, you may or may not want to, depending on your previous views. But if they take the time to tell you a story about how many animals go extinct because of deforestation, or even about how their fundraising efforts have improved conditions in the rainforests, you may be more likely to donate because you’re emotionally involved. But pathos isn’t just about creating emotion; it can also be about counteracting it. For example, imagine a teacher speaking to a group of angry children. The children are annoyed that they have to do schoolwork when they’d rather be outside. The teacher could admonish them for misbehaving, or, with rhetoric, he could change their minds. Suppose that, instead of punishing them, the teacher instead tries to inspire calmness in them by putting on some soothing music and speaking in a more hushed voice. He could also try reminding them that if they get to work, the time will pass quicker and they’ll be able to go outside to play. Aristotle outlines emotional dichotomies in Rhetoric. If an audience is experiencing one emotion and it’s necessary to your argument that they feel another, you can counterbalance the unwanted emotion with the desired one. The dichotomies, expanded upon after Aristotle, are: Anger/Calmness Friendship/Enmity Fear/Confidence Shame/Shamelessness Kindness/Unkindness Pity/Indignation Envy/Emulation Note that these can work in either direction; it’s not just about swaying an audience from a negative emotion to a positive one. However,changing an audience's emotion based on false or misleading informationis often seen as manipulation rather than persuasion. Getting into the hows and whys requires a dive into the ethics of rhetoric, but suffice to say that when you attempt to deceive an audience, that is manipulation. If you really want to get an audience fired up about something, you can inspire righteous anger, which may or may not be manipulation. If somebody is offended that you’ve asked them for something, you can try making them feel sorry for you by turning indignation into pity- that’s manipulation. Seems trustworthy, right? What Is Logos? Logos comes from a Greek word of multiple meanings, including â€Å"ground,† â€Å"speech,† and â€Å"reason.† In rhetoric, it specifically refers to having a sense of logic to your persuasion; logos-based rhetoric is founded in logic and reason rather than emotion, authority, or personality. A logic-based argument appeals to a person’s sense of reason- good logos-based rhetoric will persuade people because the argument is well-reasoned and based in fact. There are two common approaches to logos: deductive and inductive arguments. Deductive arguments build on statements to reach a conclusion- in effect, the conclusion is reached in reverse. A common method is to propose multiple true statements which are combined to reach a conclusion, such as the classic method of proving that Socrates is mortal. All men are mortal, and Socrates is a man, therefore Socrates must be mortal. That’s not really a case that needs to be argued, but we can apply the same framework to other arguments as well. For example, we need energy to live. Food gives the body energy. Therefore, we need food to live. All of this is based on things we can prove, and results in a conclusion that is true, not just theorized. Deductive reasoning works on the assumption that A = B, B = C, so therefore A = C. But this also supposes that all the information is true, which is not always the case. Sometimes the conclusions you reach with deductive reasoning can be valid, as in the reasoning makes sense, but the conclusion may not be necessarily true. If we return to the Socrates argument, we could propose that: All men eat apples. Socrates is a man. Therefore, Socrates must eat apples. The problem is that we can’t prove that all men eat apples- some do, some don’t. Some might eat an apple once but never again. But based on our arguments, the conclusion that Socrates must eat apples is valid. A strong deductive argument for logos-based reasoning will be composed of provable facts that can reach a provable conclusion. However, a valid but not entirely sound argument can also be effective- but be wary of shifting from persuasion to manipulation! Another approach to logos-based rhetoric is inductive reasoning, which, unlike deductive reasoning, results in a probable argument rather than a definite one. That doesn’t mean that it is less effective- many scientific concepts we accept as truth are inductive theories simply because we cannot travel back in time and prove them- but rather that inductive reasoning is based on eliminating the impossible and ending in an argument that is based in sound logic and fact, but that may not necessarily be provable. For example, all people with a cough have a cold. Kelly has a cough. Therefore, Kelly likely has a cold. Our conclusion is likely, but not absolute. It’s possible that Kelly doesn’t have a cold- not because she doesn't have a cough, but because there are other possible causes, such as having allergies or having just breathed in some dust. The conclusion that she has a cold is likely based on data, but not absolute. Another example would be that Kelly picks her nose. Kelly is a woman, therefore all women must pick their nose. Inductive reasoning is based on generalizations. The first example, in which Kelly likelyhas a cold, makes sense because it’s based on something provable- that a sampling of people who have a cough have colds- and followed up with a likely conclusion. In the second example, this is a less sensible conclusion because it’s based on extrapolation from a single reference point. If we reverse the claim and say that all women pick their noses, and Kelly is a woman, therefore Kelly must pick her nose, that would be more sound logic. Still not necessarily true- not all women pick their noses- but a more sound example of inductive reasoning. Inductive reasoning can still be incredibly effective in persuasion, provided that your information is well-reasoned. Inductive reasoning creates a hypothesis that can be tested; its conclusion is not necessarily true, but can be examined. As always, be wary of venturing into manipulation, which is more likely to be based on erroneous or misleading facts. Kairos is all about the right time and place. What Is Kairos? Kairos is the Greek word for the opportune moment, which is precisely what it means in rhetoric. According to this principle, the time in which an argument is deployed is as important as the argument itself. An argument at the wrong time or to the wrong audience will be wasted; to be effective, you must also consider when you are speaking and to whom. In effect, kairos means choosing the correct rhetorical device to match the audience and space in which you’re attempting to persuade. If you wanted to persuade people to go vegetarian, the middle of a hot dog-eating contest is probably not the right time. Likewise, you’re probably not going to persuade a room of data-driven scientists of something by appealing to pathos or ethos; logos is probably your best bet. In essence, kairos asks you to consider the context and atmosphere of the argument you’re making. How can you deploy your argument better considering time and space? Should you wait, or is time of the essence? As Aristotle famously said, â€Å"Anybody can become angry- that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way- that is not within everybody's power and is not easy.† The goal of kairos is to achieve exactly that. Effective use of kairos strengthens your persuasion ability by considering how people are already feeling based on context. How can you influence or counteract that? Or maybe pathos isn’t the right approach- maybe cold hard facts, using logos, is more suited. Kairos works in conjunction with the other modes of persuasion to strengthen your argument, so as you’re putting a persuasive piece together, consider how and when it’ll be deployed! Do a little detective work to figure out which mode of persuasion you're seeing. How to Identify Ethos, Pathos, Logos, and Kairos Understanding how the modes of persuasion work can make you better at identifying and picking them out. Not only is a better understanding of them useful for composing your own arguments, but it’s also beneficial when seeing other people’s arguments. When you understand how ethos, pathos, logos, and kairos work, you’re less susceptible to them. Advertising is one of the places we see the modes of persuasion most often. Looking at each of these advertisements, you can see how they use each mode of persuasion to convince audiences to convince an audience of something. Ethos Using celebrities is a classic example of ethos, which uses authority or recognition to convince an audience of something. In this case, celebrities like Michelle Obama, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Janelle Mone discuss the importance of voting. It doesn’t matter that they’re not politicians or political scientists; audiences find themappealing and genuine. When they speak of the importance of voting, audiences listen because they like what these figures have to say. If talented, famous people like this are taking the time to vote, it must be important! Historians or those well-versed in politics might make different arguments about why audiences should vote, but in this case, the goal is to inspire people. When we see people we admire doing things, we want to do them too; hence the reason that ethos works so well. Pathos ASPCA’s commercials are some of the most infamous examples of pathos in advertising. Sarah McLachlan’s â€Å"Angel† plays over footage of abused animals in shelters, encouraging viewers to donate money to support the organization. It’s not hard to understand why it works; both the song and the imagery are heartbreaking! You can’t help but feel sad when you see it, and that sadness, when followed up by a prompt to donate, encourages you to take immediate action.And these ads are effective- the campaign raised millions of dollars for ASPCA. By appealing to our emotions and making us feel sad, this advertisement encourages us to act. That’s a classic use of ethos- it influences our feelings through the one-two punch of sad music and imagery, encouraging us to perform the desired action. Logos In some cases, emotion and authority aren’t the right tactic. Logos often appears in tech advertisements, such as this one for the iPhone XS and XR. Notice how the advertisement focuses on product shots and technological terms. Most audiences won’t know what an A12 bionic neural engine is, but it sounds impressive. Likewise, that â€Å"12 MPf/1.8 wide-angle lens, with larger, deeper 1.4 micron pixels† is pretty meaningless to most people, but the numbers suggest that this phone is something special because it uses scientific-sounding language. It doesn’t matter whether audiences really understand what’s being said or not. What matters is that they feel confident that the ad is selling them something they need- in this case, impressive technological specifications that make this phone an improvement over others. Kairos Kairos should ideally factor into all uses of the modes of persuasion, but timeliness can also be a big selling point. In this Christmas-themed MMs advertisement, the company uses timely humor to forge a connection between the holidays and MMs. Because these commercials have been running for such a long time, there’s also a nostalgic attachment to them. Just as people look forward to new Budweiser advertisements during the Super Bowl, others look forward to seeing MMs or the Coca-Cola polar bear during the holidays. Though this commercial doesn’t go out of its way to tell you the benefits of MMs, it does forge a connection between MMs and Christmas, encouraging people to purchase them around the holidays. Enhance your persuasion by better understanding ethos, pathos, logos, and kairos. Examples of the Modes of Persuasion Now that you’ve had some exposure to how ethos, pathos, logos, and kairos function and what they can do, you can test your ability to recognize them using the images below! There are a few things to notice about this image: The anonymous figure The language The use of a statistic Can you figure out which mode of persuasion this represents? The fact that the figure is anonymous tells us it’s probably not ethos. While we might be influenced by a person who’s in shape, there’s not really an appeal here based on the person- they’re just an image to support the ad. â€Å"DOMINATE† is a pretty loaded word, suggesting that this may have elements of pathos. However, take a look at that statistic. Whether it’s true or not, a hard statistic like that suggests that this ad is using logos to appeal to viewers. You can draw out an argument from there- 75% of users lose weight within weeks. You’re a user. Therefore, you will likely lose weight within weeks. What do you notice about this image? The photo The way the text frames the woman’s body The name of the perfume The color choice What mode of persuasion is this? Again, we don’t know who the model is, and perfume isn’t going to make us look like her, so we can count ethos out. The ad seems pretty intent on making us look at certain things- the woman’s lips and chest in particular. What is it trying to make us feel? â€Å"FORBIDDEN FRUIT† has a connotation of sensuality. Red is a color commonly associated with passion. When you combine the photo, the framing, the perfume name, and the color, you get a strong sense of sex appeal from the advertisement. This makes it an example of pathos- the ad is trying to make us feel a certain way. If we buy this perfume, maybe we would feel attractive, too. How about this advertisement? A serious-looking photo Text promising â€Å"no more back pain† â€Å"Doctor recommended.† Seeing a doctor might make you tempted to think the answer is logos, but there’s no appeal to logic here. â€Å"No more back pain,† is a nice promise, but there’s no attempt to appeal to emotions, so it can’t be pathos. What’s important in this image is the combination of the doctor in the image and the line â€Å"doctor recommended.† This doctor might not be famous, but he does have authority, making this an example of ethos. Our confidence in this treatment grows because we trust that a doctor understands how to address back pain. What mode of persuasion is this?Think about: The framing The model The text She does look fashionable and the ad mentions stylists, so it’s possible that this is ethos. There are no statistics or arguments being made, so the answer probably isn’t logos. Pathos is possible, but despite having a heavily made-up model, this ad is far less about sex appeal than the previous one. But the text mentions a specific holiday- New Year’s- suggesting that this is kairos. Kairos can, and often should, be combined with all the modes of persuasion to be even more effective. In this case, the model’s appearance could suggest either ethos or pathos in addition to kairos. The message here is that you should act now, at the beginning of the year, to take advantage of the deal and to start the year off with a new style, much like the one the model is sporting. A crying child is almost certainly pathos. Key Tips for Identifying Ethos, Pathos, Logos, and Kairos Now that you know the difference between all the modes of persuasion, you’ll have a much easier time identifying them. If you run into trouble, you can always ask questions about what you’re seeing, hearing, or reading to understand what mode of persuasion it’s using. #1: Is It Related to a Specific Time? If the argument is based on a specific day or context, such as Valentine’s Day or appealing only to a select group of people, such as people with dogs, it’s more likely to be kairos. #2: Does It Involve a Celebrity or Authority Figure? Celebrities are often a dead giveaway that an argument is using ethos. But authority figures, such as doctors, dentists, or politicians, can also be used to appeal to ethos. Even regular, everyday people can work, particularly when combined with pathos, to appeal to you based on a mutual connection you have. #3: Does It Involve Statistics? Statistics are a huge clue that an argument is using logos. But logos can also just be a logical argument, such as that if plants need water, and it’s hard to remember to water them, you should buy an automatic plant waterer. It makes perfect sense, making you more likely to buy it, rather than changing your habits to remember to water your plants more frequently. #4: Does It Influence Your Emotions? If an argument tries to change your emotions, whether by making you sad, happy, angry, or something else entirely, it’s a good indicator that it’s using pathos. Sex appeal is one of the biggest examples of pathos in advertising, appearing everywhere from makeup ads to car commercials to hamburger advertisements. What’s Next? Need help understanding the historical context forThe Great Gatsby to perfect your kairos-based argument? You can always combine the modes of persuasion with literary devices to make your arguments even stronger! Learn how to say "good morning" in Japanese! Even if it's not a mode of persuasion, it's just good manners. Have friends who also need help with test prep? Share this article! Tweet Melissa Brinks About the Author Melissa Brinks graduated from the University of Washington in 2014 with a Bachelor's in English with a creative writing emphasis. She has spent several years tutoring K-12 students in many subjects, including in SAT prep, to help them prepare for their college education. Get Free Guides to Boost Your SAT/ACT Get FREE EXCLUSIVE insider tips on how to ACE THE SAT/ACT. 100% Privacy. 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