Ethos in Class

In English Class this semester, a major part of writing our papers was learning how to use and implement ethos into our writing. Dictionary.com defines ethos as “The disposition, character, or fundamental values peculiar to a specific person, people, culture, or movement.” Personally, I think of ethos as implementing my ethics, morals, and values into my writing. For example, earlier this semester I wrote an ad analysis paper on smoking. In my paper I made it clear that I thought smoking was unhealthy and wrong. My stance on smoking was my ethos because it is a value that I may not share with other people. Some people, such as smoker, may believe that smoking is not wrong, but actually beneficial. In the paper I expressed my ethos by stating, “I am not a smoker, so I don’t identify with the smoking part of this advertisement. I believe that smoking can be hazardous for one’s health, so the ad does not entice me into smoking.” I have always had a problem with showing my personality through my writing, and I still think that I have that problem. I think that my personality comes through my writing in spurts. Sometimes I make outrageous statements in my papers. I thought it was really funny this semester in English class when I got one of my papers back from my teacher because he wrote the word “Yikes!” next to the statement I had made. The statement was in a paper in which I wrote about the views of smokers vs. non-smokers. “Smoking is a stress reliever, and stress has been a proven factor that causes death, so either way one is bound to die.” think I reflect some of my ethos in these kinds of statements because the audience gets the impression that I am a direct person, which I am. I don’t like to dance around an issue; I would rather state the issue and talk about it. I like the fact that people say that writing is a reflection of the person who wrote it. Whenever I get the chance to read something written by a person I know, I enjoy seeing their personality come out through their writing. As I mentioned before, showing my personality through my writing has always been a weakness for me. I have learned through the years to show a little bit of myself through my writing. When I think of someone showing their personality through their writing I realize how personal and intimate a person’s writing can be. Throughout the semester, I do think that I have improved in my writing, and my writing style. The most valuable thing that I think I will take away from this semester is how to get my point across to my audience, but also taking into consideration the opposition and it’s rebuttal. I’ve also learned to consider my audience when writing. One thing I enjoyed learning about the most in class this semester was learning about common ground and the power it holds. Forming and searching for common ground can be considered challenging at times, but when it is found, common ground can serve to complete and polish a paper.