Atlanta Exposition Speech

Washington draws on the three modes of persuasion described by Aristotle (384-322 BC): ethos (establishing the credibility of the speaker), pathos (appealing to the listener’s emotions), and logos (appealing to the listener’s reason).  Washington establishes his credibility (ethos) by presenting himself as concerned for the whole South rather than just the Black South and by eschewing radical activism in favor of patience and hard work. Such a self-presentation was likely to appear to his audience of mostly white Southern businessmen. He appeals to the emotions of his listeners in his descriptions of the love and devotion that Black people have shown to white people in the South and by alluding to the moral responsibility white people bear for the continued oppression of Black individuals. Finally, Washington’s motif of the buckets—that both Black and white people should “cast down their bucket[s] where they are” (Paragraphs 3 and 5)—demonstrate his appeal to logos (reason): By helping their Black neighbors, white Southerners will also help themselves.