Ethos Analysis of 1

Amber L. Bentley
Ethos analysis of "Academic Dishonesty Troubling"
JAC 420-02
February 25, 2014















Ethos Analysis of 2

The word rhetoric deals with verbal means of persuasion allowing for an agreement on
the reasonable (Amossy, 2009). A rhetorical analysis is used to interpret works found in speech,
written materials, and various forms of mass media (Berger, 2014). When conducting a rhetorical
analysis, the concept of ethos is one of importance. This form of persuasion is based on the
personal character of the speaker, and its credibility (Berger). This concept is better defined as
knowledge assets or additions to the studied item that ultimately create deeper meanings and
thoughts (Matsudaira, 2010). The ethos concept is one that is fairly easy to decipher, and many
examples are found in Williams' article, "Academic Dishonesty Troubling."
Ethos is what makes the studied item logical, it states reasonable facts, and provides the
support for the article (McLaughlin, 2005). Williams reports solid examples of the ethos concept.
He names specific universities such as Harvard, Columbia University, and Boston University,
which makes the readers more capable of relating to the article. Knowing that studies were done
with the specific example of academic dishonestly in these highly esteemed schools can make
readers think this issue could happen anywhere (2009). There are also very highly regarded
scholarly journals quoted in the article such as the Boston Globe and the Wall Street Journal.
This provides a sense of trust between the readers and the topic the author is discussing. It
persuades one to believe that the information written is factual and accurate. Statistics are also
closely tied with that. Numbers always attract readers (Yalch & Elmore-Yalch, 1984). This gives
one a visual impression on the importance or unimportance of the topic.
A rhetorical analysis can be conducted on images, articles, artifacts, and much more. The
concept of ethos is very evident in Williams' article with statistics, scholarly articles, and
universities mentioned. The logics, reasonable facts, and support, better known as ethos,
provides the foundation for the context that is studied in "Academic Dishonesty Troubling."
Ethos Analysis of 3

References
Amossy, R. (2009). The new rhetorics inheritance. Argumentation and discourse
analysis. Argumentation, 23(3), 313-324. doi:10.1007/s10503-009-9154-y
Berger, A.A, (2014). Media and communication research methods: A introduction to qualitative
and quantitative approaches. (3rd ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
Matsudaira, Y. (2010). The continued practice of 'ethos': How nissan enables organizational
knowledge creation. Information Systems Management, 27(3), 226-237.
McLaughlin, T. (2005). The educative importance of ethos. British Journal of Educational
Studies, 53(3), 306-325. Retrieved on February 20, 2014, from http://www.jstor.org/
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Williams, W. (2009, October 14). Academic dishonesty troubling. Daily Press, 16.
Yalch, R.F., & Elmore-Yalch, R. (1984). The effects of numbers on the route of
persuasion. Journal of Consumer Research, 11(1), 522-527. Retrieved on February 20,
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