What is Logos?
Logos is a way of persuading an audience with reason, using facts and figures to support an argument. It appeals to people’s logical and rational thinking. The writers use logos to persuade the audience to present a logical way of thinking illustrated through the means of supporting their positions with sensible information. This tactic proves to be most effective where the audience appreciates facts and figures. It is less effective when the audience prefers thoughtful statements.
Origin of Logos
The concept of logos comes from ancient Greece. It was one of the three modes of persuasion introduced by the philosopher Aristotle. The other two modes are ethos (appeal to ethics) and pathos (appeal to emotion).
Function of Logos
Logos is the most prevalent type rhetoric design used in communication. Argumentative writers by using and providing logical data positive influence their audience. s type, you will meet the thoughtful and logical argument which is supplied with figures, data and evidence.
This kind of persuasion management is good to exercise with the audience by encouraging their qualities of the logos.
It renders them to accept and believe in the point of view, just by being logically valid. By means of logos, the credibility of the message is raised and the audience is provided with data-based information onto which they might ground their decision making. This way they cease to engage in emotional or personally biased decision-making.
Common Examples of Logos
- Four out of five doctors recommend this treatment.
- Research shows that students who study daily perform 50% better on tests.
- History teaches us that without innovation, economies do not grow.
- If we do not cut costs, our company will not be profitable.
- Drinking and driving lead to an increase in car accidents.
- A diet high in fruits and vegetables decreases the risk of chronic diseases.
- Data indicates that regular exercise improves mood and energy levels.
- Countries with higher education standards have more technological advancements.
- Studies demonstrate that reading to children promotes language development.
- Lowering taxes increases consumer spending, which boosts the economy.
- Increased screen time is linked to higher levels of anxiety.
- Energy-efficient appliances reduce monthly electricity bills.
- Vaccinated communities have lower rates of infectious diseases.
- Regular maintenance extends the life of your vehicle.
- A structured schedule helps improve productivity in the workplace.
Examples of Logos in literature
Example#1
“The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald
“He stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward – and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock. When I looked once more for Gatsby he had vanished, and I was alone again in the darkness.”
In the passage, the Green light does not only represent Gatsby’s hopes of living with Daisy again but also his dream of coming from nothing and making something remarkable out of his life.
By lacing the story with this image all throughout the novel, Fitzgerald implies that Gatsby is after money and that social privilege occupies an important place in his mind.
Gatsby’s actions including purchasing the mansion on the pick of Daisy’s estate, hosting an extravagantly lavish party; and his obsession with wealth can all be traced psychologically to the fact that all this is done to persuade Daisy to turn her love back to him.
This particular usage of symbolism largely winds up resonating with his rational choices that in their turn tell us about his non-logical motivations and calculated strategies employed to get this aim.
Example#2
“To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee
“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.”
Atticus Finch shows his daughter, Scout, about empathy and her ability to look from the other people’s shoes. He reasons that to know a person you must go into his life with him to see the issues from his angle of view by presenting walking in his shoe as the comparison of this process. This plays the role of logics to explain why we tend to feel empathy toward others.
Example#3
“Animal Farm” by George Orwell
“The animals were happy as they had never conceived it possible to be. Every mouthful of food was an acute positive pleasure, now that it was truly their own food, produced by themselves and for themselves, not doled out to them by a grudging master.”
The writer explains the reason to start their own government and revolution. Orwell by emphasizing that the food they now consume is produced by their own effort and for their own benefit, highlights a straightforward logical appeal:
It is apparent that the animals want to go all the way to the roots of Marx’s theory and take the means of production under their control so that they can earn the advantage of their own activity.
The thoughts of the Animals prove that they have greater interest in their own self-governance system than in the corrupt oppressive rule of the humans.
By this, the author gives his justification for the animals’ actions and for the success, taken in the beginning, of their team farm, where they all shared equally and achieved more than they did when they lived with humans, which in the end came to oppression of the animals under the increasingly tyrannical rule of the pigs.
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Example#4
“Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley
“Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge.”
The excerpt warns others about the dangers of unchecked scientific exploration. He uses his own experiences as logical evidence to support his argument.
This caution is logically structured: Putting across this belief that others should also get the realization about the repercussions of similar god-like knowledge through his own example.
Example#5
“1984” by George Orwell
“War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.”
In spite of their contradiction, the writer shows these slogans in “1984” how the totalitarian-minded governments do the mind control by abusing the logic.
Those slogans may serve as a genre of how persuasion is used to rationalize a paradoxical or dangerous proposition by logos in red a warning about the causes of political rhetoric.
See also: Literary Devices That Start With L
Difference Between Logos, Pathos, and Ethos
Logos focuses on logic. It uses reason and proof to convince people. For example, a speaker might use statistics or data to support their argument.
Pathos appeals to the audience’s emotions. It aims to stir feelings to sway people. For example, a charity might show sad images of animals to prompt people to donate.
Ethos relies on the speaker’s credibility or character. It makes the audience trust the speaker’s argument by showing they are reliable and ethical. For example, a doctor talking about health will be more persuasive because of their professional background.
Literary Terms Related to Logos
I- Deductive Reasoning
Deductive reasoning starts with a general idea and moves to a specific conclusion. It’s a logical process where you start with a fact and use it to reach a personal conclusion.
Example: “All birds have feathers. A robin is a bird. Therefore, a robin has feathers.” This uses a broad statement to reach a smaller, specific conclusion about robins.
II- Inductive Reasoning
Inductive reasoning begins with specific details and moves to a general statement. It takes particular facts and uses them to create a general idea.
Example: “I see ice on the pond. The air is cold. Therefore, it must be winter.” This takes specific observations about ice and cold air to conclude that it’s winter.
Both deductive and inductive reasoning help make arguments stronger. They allow a writer or speaker to build a case from what the audience knows and can see or from general rules to specific examples. This approach makes the content more convincing and easier to understand.
See also: Limerick in Literature
