What component does ethos represent in rhetorical appeals?

Ethos, as a rhetorical appeal, represents a speaker's or writer's character and trustworthiness. It emphasizes credibility and ethical appeal, positioning the communicator as reliable and knowledgeable on the subject presented. Establishing ethos is crucial in persuasion because it helps the audience to believe and trust the message being conveyed. When a speaker successfully demonstrates their competence and moral integrity, the audience is more likely to be receptive to their arguments and ideas.

In contrast, the other choices describe different rhetorical appeals: emotion conveyed by the writer relates to pathos, which appeals to the audience's feelings; logical reasoning refers to logos, which involves the use of facts and logical arguments to persuade; and examples and factual evidence also pertain to logos, as they serve to bolster the arguments with concrete data. Each of these elements plays a distinct role in rhetoric, but it is ethos that specifically pertains to character and the trustworthiness of the communicator.