Sample Argument

I chose the topic of Mario Lemieux and why he is one the the best hockey players ever for my example of pathos, ethos, and logos. Within the article that I read, the author places Mario Lemieux at an almost divine level as he explains that Mario scored his first goal on his very first shift on his very first shot. He mentions that when Mario joined the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1984 they were the worst team in hockey, and within seven years Mario had them win two Stanley Cups. This argument is supposed to appeal to logos as Mario made a team that was terrible into a champion. The author also appeals to pathos because Mario had many terrible injuries throughout his career that shortened it. In 1989 he had a herniated disk removed from his back, as well as another back surgery in 1993. In 1993 he was also diagnosed with Hodgkins Disease and he was able to overcome this as well. Also appealing to pathos is the fact that on the day he completed radiation treatment, Lemieux returned to the team and still won the NHL scoring title despite missing two months of the season. All of these injuries occurred during the prime of his career, and he still put up incredible numbers by overcoming unbelievable hurdles. He retired in 1997 because of injuries and being tired of playing, but in 1999 he bought the Pittsburgh Penguins whom he loved and saved them as a franchise because they were going bankrupt. This is where the author talks about his character and his image of greatness as an appeal to ethos. The article ends with Mario coming out of retirement again in 2000 and becoming a force once again in the NHL. However, he still had more injuries and an irregular heartbeat forced him to retire for good in 2005. Overall, this article appeals to pathos a great deal because of all the obstacles that Lemieux overcame, ethos for his honest and credible identity which everyone recognizes him as being a great human being as well as a representative for the NHL, and logos because despite missing so many games and years because of injury, he still has some of the best hockey statistics of all time!


http://proicehockey.about.com/od/history/p/mario_lemieux.htm