Many people and organizations use written and visual methods to persuade readers to share their point of view. In such articles, the author will use many different tricks and appeals in order to attract the reader to his or her train of thought. According to Andrea Lunsford in her educational book The Everyday Writer, these appeals can be divided into three main types: logical, emotional, and ethical. A logical argument uses facts, statistics, and surveys to support what the author is saying and is commonly called logos. An ethical argument is one that attempts to develop the author's characters and prove to the reader that the author is qualified to give his or her point of view on the topic at hand. Ethical arguments are commonly called ethos. Finally, the most effective (and perhaps misleading) appeal is emotional. Pathos, as it is commonly called, is achieved by simply appealing to the emotions or by making the problem more “human” (Lundsford 115-116). Any kind of compelling article, whether an essay, video, or editorial; uses ethos, pathos, and logos to try to prove his point. "The Myth of Torture" is a short anti-torture essay written by journalist Anne Applebaum four years after the attacks of September 11, 2001 and before the Senate vote on the nomination of pro-torturer Alberto Gonzales for attorney general . Applebaum does not use ethos directly in his essay; however, a short bibliographical passage in The Seagull Reader shows that she is more than qualified to write on the matter. Applebaum's use of logos is rare and imperfect. While Applebaum uses first-hand testimony from men experienced in "aggressive interrogation tactics," she attempts to use two men to express the opinion of interrogators from across the U.S. military. Moreover, Appleba...... middle of paper ...... their points and hit the reader. These appeals can either strengthen an argument and provide much-needed support, or they can function as thin stilts to make an argument appear larger than it really is. Regardless of the writer's intention, the effective deployment of ethos, pathos, and logos can transform a work of unsupported opinion into a masterpiece of persuasion. Works Cited Applebaum, Anne. “The myth of torture”. The Seagull Reader: Essays. Ed. Joseph Kelly. New York: WW Norton & Company, Inc., 2008. 35-38. Print.Lousiana Right to life. “Louisiana Life March 2011 Promotional Video (Louisiana March for Life.)” October 31, 2010. YouTube. February 5, 2011. Lundsford, Andrea A, Paul Matsuda and Christine Tardy. The everyday writer. 4th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009. Print. Bartlett, Steve. “Overregulation hurts the economy.” Editorial. USA Today February 10, 2010: 7A. Print.