* Personal Experience and Credibility: Thoreau establishes ethos through his own personal experience of resisting unjust laws. He spent a night in jail for refusing to pay a poll tax that supported slavery. This firsthand experience lends weight to his arguments, showing that he is not just theorizing but has lived out his principles.
* Intellectual Authority: Thoreau was a well-educated man, a scholar of literature and philosophy. He draws upon respected figures like Socrates and Jesus to support his points. This intellectual background enhances his credibility in the eyes of the reader.
* Moral Standing: Thoreau presents himself as a man of strong moral convictions. He argues against the government's unjust actions, specifically slavery and war, and highlights his willingness to stand up for his beliefs even at personal cost. This moral stance makes him appear trustworthy and worthy of respect.
* Simplicity and Honesty: Thoreau's writing style is straightforward and clear. He avoids complex rhetoric or emotional manipulation, relying instead on logic and reason. This simplicity and honesty further contribute to his ethos, as readers perceive him as genuine and sincere.
Examples:
* Personal Experience: "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."
* Intellectual Authority: "It is not desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as for the right." (Quoting from Socrates)
* Moral Standing: "If a thousand men were not to pay their tax bills this year, that would not be a violent and bloody measure, as it would be to pay them, and enable the state to commit violence and shed innocent blood."
* Simplicity and Honesty: "Must the citizen ever for a moment, or in the least degree, resign his conscience to the legislator? Why has every man a conscience then?"
By effectively using ethos, Thoreau presents himself as a credible and trustworthy source, making his arguments about civil disobedience more persuasive.