And this leads me to the source of why ethos is the most powerful of the three artistic forms of persuasion. We are convinced by ethos, despite the logos shield. The logos shield has no power to counteract the effect of ethos. They don't need to. But more important than the parents' words are their actions.
Children see their parents act, and then act like their parents.
Abused children often turn out to be child abusers. Perhaps the most significant of all the ethical lessons that children learn from their parents is that they should bow to authority. And this message, learned through the painful experience of the ruler, or the hand, or restriction, or the loud tone of voice, or whatever punitive measure that the child's parents take to enforce their will, is what allows ethos to be most persuasive of all. Ethos is effective because people have learned how to let it be effective. This relationship to authority is at the center of our beings.