Question

read the excerpt from president woodrow wilsons speech \the message to congress.\ with a profound sense of the solemn and even tragical character of the step i am taking and of the grave responsibilities which it involves, but in unhesitating obedience to what i deem my constitutional duty... which best expresses the type of appeal in this excerpt?

• pathos, an appeal based on emotions
• logos, an appeal based on logic or reason
• ethos, an appeal based on the speaker’s character
• financial, an appeal based on the audience’s finances

Explanation:

The speaker (President Wilson) emphasizes his “constitutional duty” and his sense of responsibility. This is an appeal to his own character (ethos) as a person who is acting in accordance with his duties and responsibilities. Pathos (emotional appeal) is not the main focus here as there is no strong emotional language to evoke pity, fear, etc. Logos (logical appeal) is also not the case as there is no logical reasoning or evidence presented. Financial appeal is irrelevant to the content. So, it is an ethos - based appeal.

Answer:

ethos, an appeal based on the speaker’s character