Critical Thinking

Ethos

This is a term that is used to refer to the trustworthiness of the writer or the speaker. Ethos is an appropriate strategy that is used to persuade. It is effective because people believe that the speaker does not intend to do them harm, and this makes them to be more willing to listen to what the speaker has to say. Ethos acts as the distinguishing element or guiding principles of an individual or institution. In writing, ethos refers to a plan used by a speaker or writer to attack a certain personality. In most cases, it is perceived to be a form of logical fallacy. The best example is that one of a doctor giving advice, despite the fact that the patient may not understand the instructions that are given by the doctor believing that the doctor knows what is prescribing. Another example is that of a judge commenting on the legal audiences who listen since it is the work of the audience to understand the nature of the past cases that he/ she has handled. For example, in The Big Lebowski, one can see how the dude has a high level of respect such that none of his friend is trying to question anything that he does. This is a part of handling the audience. In this case, the audience needs to fully trust the speaker or writer in order to listen or read their works. Every member of an audience will feel safe when the writer or speaker interacts with them in a trustworthy manner, which represents ethos.

Persona

Persona is a term that in the ancient Latin referred to masking. The word persona can also be used to refer to that which is played by a given character in a film. Although persona cannot be considered to be a falsehood or a lie, it can be used to refer to a certain type of the truth. This is because even in the case of masks, there is normally the real person behind the mask. In films, the persona performs with an aim of expressing a part of their own. For example in the film, The Big Lebowski, in all the scenes, the audience gets a good understanding of the sense of the persona of the dude (Coen). One can see the scruffy appearance of the dude and his interesting ensemble. The most interesting part is how he secures his hair backward with a big clip. The description of his persona in the film is done in a smooth transition motion without comments from the people he is always bowling with. One also notices that the dude has a level of respect that even his friends do not question any of his actions. In this case, it is clear that the persona is interesting when effectively applied by a character. There is a need to match each character in a piece of work to make everything work out.

Tone

The term tone can be used to refer to either the tone or the approach that the take while explaining the work’s main theme or subject. In literature, a film can have several types of tones such as that of solemn, arrogant, distant, solemn, sentimental, condescending and humorous. The emotion that people feel while watching a movie is an example of tone. Every work of literature posses a given tone. Authors utilize various elements such as diction, imagery, and syntax, figurative language and details to create tone. In addition, authors also use words with an intention of conveying feelings and emotions to convey a given emotion. The choice of words that an author uses in conveying a given tone is what should be considered. The tone in a given literature may vary throughout a given art as the narrator’s perspective changes. For example, tone may vary from one scene to the other as plot changes to be more bizarre, complex and dramatic. There may be multiple tones that an author can take towards a given work at the same time. In every piece of work, tone has to be used effectively to avoid depicting the wrong message to the audience.  For example in the movie, The Big Lebowski, the sunny bright and colored locations in the Los Angeles happen to be the complete opposite of the normal dark, dismal tone that prevails in the film. In the Wag the Dog, the movie plays a black comedy from the start to the end (Levinstone). The tone of Wag the Dog changes suddenly when we realize that one of the best guys in the movie developed a heart attack. The change of tone in this situation is too drastic hence it is not effective. The movie, Wag the Dog, maintains a tone of cynicism throughout. On the other side, the Wisdom of Buddha maintains a commercial tone (Levinstone). For every piece of work, tone is a clear depiction of feelings and the message that ought to be depicted in every scene of chapter. Therefore, there is a high need to use tone effectively for each part of work.

Motive

The motive in a film is a thematic element that recurs, in a film motive is repeated in a significant way. Motives in a film include the stylistic devices, word, spoken phrase, line, image or sentences in a film that points to a specific theme in a film. Motives in a film can appear in the form of a short repeated rhythm that is repeated in the various scenes of the movie. An example of motive in the movie, Wag the Dog, is the spin that is used in the various groups in the society such as the churches, the industry, by politicians and by other important groups (Levinstone). In The Big Lebowski, the different motives have been used for the example, Dude is involved in kidnapping and pornography, and the author repeats the bad behavior of Dude throughout the motive (Coen).

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