Logos
Logos - a rhetorical
appeal in which the speaker attempts to persuade his or her audience through a
logical presentation of arguments and evidence to support those arguments.
Through this appeal, the speaker provokes his or her audience’s sense of logic
by taking a clear position on a certain controversial topic and providing
evidence such as quantitative data (i.e. charts, diagrams), statistics, facts,
expert testimonies, case studies, and detailed examples to illustrate and
support his or her position. In using logos, a speaker conducts in-depth
research, makes broad connections, and challenges generalizations in order to
effectively and compellingly deliver a message that will enlighten his or her
audience.
Visual Example
This UNICEF advertisement is an example of a visual text
that effectively employs logos as a rhetorical appeal. The ad delivers a clear-cut
message about the fatal hazards of polluted drinking water. It presents an image
of exploding water that resembles the Hiroshima nuclear explosion in an attempt
to depict the alarming dangers associated with polluted drinking water. UNICEF
places the water bomb within the context of a nuclear bomb in order to
emphasize the severity of this global issue and blatantly depict the liaison
between mass death and contaminated drinking water. Next to the image is a
statistic derived from the research conducted by UNICEF professionals in
countries around the world. The statistic is a type of quantitative data that
helps to illustrate the urgency of the issue of water sanitation in communities
around the world. Through the statistic, UNICEF presents its audience with
concrete evidence of the very grave and very real toll polluted water takes on
impoverished societies. The soaring 1.5 million children who are killed every
year at the hands of contaminated water threatens to skyrocket if the issue is
not addressed immediately. In this ad, UNICEF delineates a clear, rational
argument and supports it logically with the use of evidence.
Textual Example No. 1
"Declaration of Independence -
Text Transcript." Declaration of Independence - Text Transcript.
N.p., n.d.
Web.
21 Sept. 2013.
Declaration
of Independence
The Declaration of
Independence is an ideal example of a
text that effectively employs logos. Heavily rooted in rationalist ideals, this
integral piece of American history marked the official separation of the
American colonies from the British Crown. Through a logical approach, the colonists
requested that all ties with the Motherland, Great Britain, be broken and
proceeded to delineate evidence of why they were entitled to complete autonomy.
In exposing the various ways in which the Crown laid upon them an oppressive
hand of tyranny, the colonists effectively asserted their rights to have a
voice in government and provided proof that their grievances were of sound
reason. The colonists further appeal to logic in defining the various
components of their argument – namely the ideals of equality, immutable rights,
and a social contract between the government and the governed – that contribute
to their sense that the time for separation has arrived. The appeal to logos in
this text is strong as the audience can easily identify a central argument –
entitlement to freedom from arbitrary rule – and the various reasons and examples
that support this argument and make it rational.
Textual Example No. 2
Lifeboat Ethics by Garrett Hardin
Shea, Renée Hausmann, Lawrence Scanlon, and Robin Dissin Aufses.
"Chapter 6: Community." The
Language of Composition: Reading,
Writing, Rhetoric. Second ed. Boston: Bedford/St.
Martin's,
2013. 365-68. Print.
In his article, Lifeboat
Ethics, human ecologist Garret Hardin makes an effective use of logos to
present an argument about the detriments of overpopulation in the global
community. He supports his position in a number of unique ways. Firstly, Hardin
illustrates the world and its countries through a metaphor of lifeboats, which
he substantiates with facts about overpopulation that depict how lifeboat ethics
transpire in the real world. In doing this, Hardin delineates his central
argument that suffering in the world is caused by overpopulation and the unequal
distribution of resources. He goes on to make projections about swelling reproduction
rates and their inherent link to the creation of a wider gap between the rich
and the poor. By employing the use of quantitative data, calculated
projections, and metaphors, Hardin appeals greatly to logic. His argument is
structured, clearly divided into several parts that explore how overpopulation
is an issue and how spaceship sharing is not the solution to the world’s
suffering. The combination of these various components make for a thorough and well-supported
argument. By using his research and his accumulated knowledge as a human
ecologist, Hardin succeeds in rationalizing his argument, presenting it in a
logical manner, illustrating and supporting different areas of his position through
details and examples, and finally drawing a conclusion that appeals to his
audience’s sense of logic.
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