For my "This I Believe" speech, it was surprisingly difficult to find a topic since I've written two before. I mean, there are only so many things I strongly believe in that I could talk about for a whole essay. After coming up with a topic and writing my essay, then listening to the classes' essays Thursday, I realized how big of a role rhetorical styles play in speeches. Ethos, the values and character of the speaker, is obviously present because the speech was about something we believed in, or valued. The speeches showed others our character, and who we are. Pathos, the emotional aspect, is also present because when you believe in something, some sort of emotion is provoked and expressed through the presentation of the speech. The last, logos, the rational thinking, may be heard in the introduction, as a means of setting up the audience with background information.
The most common style I heard in the classes' speeches was ethos. Some people, myself included, came right out and said "I believe...", while others made you analyze your way through the details to find the value, or belief, held by the speaker. Either way, the point was made and a speaker's character was revealed. I loved hearing the essays and hearing people's beliefs. It gave me an idea of individuals' personalities, and I feel like I know the people in the class after these three weeks than most people in my other classes after a whole semester. Pathos expressed in a speech shows whether or not the speaker truly cares about the topic, and I did not hear a single speech lacking some sort of emotional attachment to their belief.
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