"If we shall suppose that American slavery is one of those offenses which, in the providence of God, must needs come, but which,
having continued through His appointed time, He now wills to remove, and that He gives to both North and South this terrible war as the woe due to those by whom the offense came, shall we discern therein any departure from those divine attributes which the believers in a living God always ascribe to Him?" Which rhetorical element is included in this passage from President Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address? ethos theme logos thesis
Before we can determine which of the choices is the best answer, we need to ensure we understand what each of the words mean.
Ethos is one of the pillars of persuasion and it refers to ethics. This means that the author uses an ethical argument in his or her writing to try and sway the audience.
Theme is a central topic of a literary work. This is something that is apparent throughout the work itself.
Logos is another pillar of persuasion and refers to logic. When using this rhetorical device, the author is trying to appeal to the logical side of people by using logical arguments to sway the audience.
Thesis is usually one sentence in a paper or work that sums up the main idea of that particular work. The thesis guides the rest of the paper or literary work by dictating what will be discussed as it progresses.
With these definitions in mind, neither theme nor thesis are good answers here because they do not apply to the excerpt we have been given. However, both ethos and logos are good contenders for best answer. If we return to the text, we see that President Lincoln refers to God and discusses slavery as an offense to Him. With this in mind, ethos is the best answer for this because by discussing how slavery is offensive will appeal to the moral side of the audience that hears or reads this.
