Ethos

Ethos is the root of the word "ethical." That's right, the word relating to moral principles.

Richard Nixon, the guy who resigned from the presidency because of a seriously messy wiretapping scandal, is rarely seen in the same sentence as the word "ethos." But hey, we like to push the envelope here at Shmoop, so we're going to do it anyway.

Because Richard Nixon's "The Great Silent Majority" speech is all about the rhetorical appeal of ethos.

Nixon's appeal to America's "great silent majority" is basically a call to your average Joe Schmoe American to stand up and do the right thing.

This may sound great and all, but there is a dark side to Nixon's speech-giving force.

Part of his call for America to "do the right thing" is also to "sit down and shut up." He doesn't want to witness any more college students chanting anti-war slogans. He doesn't want to hear any more songs about peace and love. And he definitely doesn't want any more anti-war protests sweeping through the nation.

These were not the Nixon way to get things done. The Nixon way to get things done was the right way to get things done. And thus, this speech is Nixon telling everyone in America the right way to deal with Vietnam.