Persuasive Personae: The Appeal to Religion and the Construction of Ethos in Political Discourse

Politicians have often managed to influence an audience and
win their support through appealing to religion and creating a positive
self image that exhibits personal wisdom, virtue, and integrity. Building
on Aristotle's modes of persuasion, appeals to ethos, logos, and pathos,
explicated in van Eemeren, et al. (1996), the present study investigated
the appeal to religion as a rhetorical strategy pertinent to the
construction of ethos. Within the theoretical framework of Critical
Discourse Analysis (CDA) (van Dijk 1993; 1998; 2000; Fairclough
1992; 1995; 1997), the paper analyzed Sadat’s Speech to the Israeli
Knesset (1977), as a remarkable example of persuasive discourse. The
study revealed that the appeal to religion was the most dominant
rhetorical strategy of building ethos in Sadat’s speech. This ideology was
manifested in three main parameters: firstly, establishing virtuousness
and integrity; secondly, the appeal to universal humanistic values and the
call for peace; and thirdly, drawing attention to the common grounds
shared with the audience.