Final answer:
Emotional appeals, such as pathos, are part of rhetorical strategies that include ethos, logos, and pathos. Understanding the audience is essential to determining the correct emotional appeal to use. Considering audience culture, relationship, and context guides effective communication and emotional engagement.
Step-by-step explanation:
Underlying the concept of an emotional appeal is the practice of audience analysis, which is crucial for determining the most effective way to convey a message. Emotional appeals, such as pathos, are designed to elicit a response by targeting the audience's feelings, such as sympathy or fear. These appeals are part of the larger set of rhetorical strategies that include ethos (credibility), logos (logic), and pathos (emotion).
Rhetorical analysis requires the identification, explanation, and evaluation of these appeals to assess their effect on audience perception. The consideration of factors such as cultural context, the relationship between the speaker and the audience, and the timing (kairos) are also integral to tailoring the argument effectively.
Pathos, in particular, aims to engage the audience's emotions to support the speaker's position. To do this effectively, the speaker must critically evaluate the audience, including their cultural norms, beliefs, and experiences, to choose an appropriate vocabulary and emotional appeal that aligns with the audience's values and expectations.