Examples of Pathos

Pathos is a feeling of sympathy or sorrow that that affects emotions or feelings. Pathos can be expressed with words, pictures, or sensory details.

Understanding Pathos

Here are some examples of pathos:

Empathizing with a friend who lost a family member
Feeling proud as your country’s athlete receives a gold medal at the Olympics
Richard Nixon declaring, “I am not a crook”
Saying “welfare mother” instead of “person who needs assistance” or “He’s on crack” instead of “He has a substance abuse problem.”
“There is a cancer growing in our nation” may refer to the drug problem or violence.
Using the word “heartbroken” instead of sad
The plays of Shakespeare have strong emotions: comedy in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, tragedy in Romeo and Juliet, and guilt in Macbeth.
Using humor can make your audience happy and that makes an emotional connection with them
Personal stories or testimonials add pathos to a speech or writing, especially if they are intense

Examples of pathos in advertisements:

Animal shelters showing abused animals to make the watcher feel empathy for the animals and donate money
Ad for Subaru airing in 2013: “I’m overprotective… that’s why I got a Subaru.” “Love, it’s what makes a Subaru a Subaru.”
Images of small children in ads showing pathetic living conditions to urge you to donate to the cause or to sponsor a child
Any kind of ad that implies that good parents buy certain products because they love and care about their children
Ads meant to stop people from driving drunk that show people injured or killed.

Positive pathos is obvious in many ads:

Food ads showing people having a good time while eating
Drug ads showing active and happy people whom the drug helped
Personal product ads showing people with sex appeal that used cologne, perfume, etc.
A company that boasts that their products are “Made in America” is appealing to patriotism to get you to buy their product
Some ads, like designer or luxury goods ads, imply that if you buy their product, you will be part of a small group with a glamorous lifestyle
A group of party-goers dancing and smiling are seen to be drinking a certain alcoholic beverage, so you should drink it to be like them

Here are some examples of pathos in music:

Sarah McLachlan’s Arms of an Angel played on ASPCA commercials “You’re in the arms of an Angel; may you find some comfort here”
The song God Bless the USA is a song by Lee Greenwood that became very popular after the 911 attacks.
A Sousa march can inspire and evoke patriotism
A song or musical composition written in a minor key conveys sadness or lost hope
Weird Al Yankovic’s songs appeal to the sense of humor of the listener and can make him feel happier
Songs with a fast, energetic beat are often used to lift a listener’s mood
Soft instrumental music can make the listener contemplative or help her wind down
War protest songs stir the emotions, like: “Turn, Turn, Turn” by the Byrds and “Blowin’ in the Wind” by Bob Dylan.

Whatever the format of the expression, pathos is a successful way to generate emotion.