Which of the following is an example of an appeal to emotion?
Select one:
a. “Of course it is wrong to let young people miss out on quality education.”
b. “I have read that one out of every seven adults is unable to read today.”
c. “The minds and hearts of our children depend on our loving care to grow.”
d. “To give a proper speech, proper lighting and attire are generally needed.”
The Correct Answer and Explanation is :
The correct answer is:
c. “The minds and hearts of our children depend on our loving care to grow.”
Explanation:
An appeal to emotion is a persuasive technique that seeks to elicit an emotional response from the audience in order to sway their opinions or decisions. Rather than relying on facts, logic, or evidence, an emotional appeal taps into the audience’s feelings, such as fear, love, pity, or anger, to convince them of a particular viewpoint.
Option c is a clear example of an appeal to emotion because it uses emotional language—“hearts” and “loving care”—to engage feelings of empathy, care, and responsibility for children’s well-being. By focusing on the need for “loving care” and the emotional development of children, the statement is designed to evoke a compassionate response, making the audience feel responsible for nurturing young minds emotionally.
Let’s briefly analyze the other options:
- Option a: “Of course it is wrong to let young people miss out on quality education.” This sentence expresses a moral or ethical judgment, but it doesn’t specifically target the reader’s emotions. It leans more on an appeal to ethics or fairness (ethos).
- Option b: “I have read that one out of every seven adults is unable to read today.” This is a fact-based statement. It uses a statistic, which appeals to logic (logos) rather than emotion.
- Option d: “To give a proper speech, proper lighting and attire are generally needed.” This is a straightforward guideline about public speaking, appealing to the practical or logical aspect of delivering a speech, not emotions.
In contrast, option c uses emotional wording that appeals to the audience’s feelings of love and care, making it a prime example of an appeal to emotion.