tools of persuasion

As I read The Glass Castle over the summer, I felt the radiant emotion and passion from the little, innocent girl who had so many life changing ups and downs from a very poor background. Jeannette presents her story with lots of pathos; she probably intended of making the reader become more aware of the hardships that some people face and what it is like to try to fit in a world which can be so cruel. I felt the message she was trying to send. Innocent and poor children are powerful tools for making an argument. They touch the hearts of people (the ones who have hearts). What I'm saying is that I beleive that pathos is the more effictive type of persuasion compared to the others. It has lead to the many types of charities that exist today, such as invisible children to help those in need in the corrupt regions of Africa, and it has even lead us into war after the tragic day of September 11. It lead many Americans to vote for Obama in the election of 2008, on the grounds that he would focus on the middle and lower class to survive and revive from an economic crisis that pushed so many families into a paycheck-by-paycheck lifestyle. I'm not saying that I've started a charity or anything, but I definitely have a new view and respect for those who are less fortunate than the middle class. So am I right to think that pathos is the most powerful persuasion tool?