Ethos

Ethos is one of the three most important elements in writing an effective rhetorical paper.  Ethos is an element that gives your paper credibility.  Credibility is very important because if you do not know what you're talking about, then what reason does the reader have to believe what you say? Without Ethos in a paper, you cannot convince anyone of anything.  There are a few things you can do to add ethos and credibility to your paper. One of which is sharing a personal experience that has to do with the topic at hand.  By doing this, you show the reader that you have experience in this topic, and that you know what you are doing.  I, for one, would be much more obliged to read a paper in which the writer has topic on the experience than one who does not.  Another way to add ethos to your paper is by siting credible sources.  In order to cite a credible source you need to find people with opinions similar to yours and experience in your topic.  Through doing this, credible peoples opinions are aligned with yours making your argument that more effective.