which ethos

Ethos can be one of the most persuasive rhetorical strategies, and most protesters are keenly conscious of the ways in which they present themselves. As observed in the speeches of Civil Rights Activists Fanny Lou Hamer and Stokely Carmichael and the modern protests of Malachai Richter and Cindy Sheehan, a wide variety of ethos can be useful. Fanny Lou Hamer and Cindy Sheehan are both try to appear to be everyday, ordinary people who have been strongly affected by the forces they are protesting. They appeal to a sense of familiarity and normalcy, in the hopes that their audiences will be moved by their commitment. Carmichael, on the other hand, speaks with intelligence and experience, citing his activity with well known civil rights groups.
In some ways, however, the ethos of Sheehan and Carmichael are more similar to each other than to that of Hamer. Hamer tells her tragic story and hopes to appeal to the goodness in her audience. Sheehan also presents herself of having first hand experience of the tragedies of war, as her son was killed in the Iraq war. However, she speaks loudly and attempts to incite crowds to radical changes in ways that Hamer does not, often blaming politicians and the White House for policies. Stokely is similarly radical, sternly blaming the racial problems of America on stubborn and ignorant whites. The ethos Malachai Richter’s protest is far more difficult to discern. His self immolation definitely presents him as being extremely committed to his cause, so much so that he was willing to endure excruciating pain and death in order to convey his message. His protest is problematic however, as it raises questions of the morality of suicide, even of self sacrifice, and of insanity.

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