Logos is a persuasive device that uses reason and logic to convince an audience. It can be found in many literary genres, but it is most commonly used in speeches and essays.
The term “logos” comes from the Greek word for “word,” and logos can be found in many forms of writing, including poetry, essays and speeches. However, logos is most commonly associated with arguments and persuasive speeches.
The concept of logos was developed by Aristotle as one of three modes of discourse, along with pathos (emotion) and ethos (ethical character). The argument that Aristotle makes is that logos is the most effective form of persuasion because it appeals to a person’s rational side rather than their emotions or ethical character. In other words, logos is more logical than pathos or ethos because it persuades an audience based on facts rather than emotion or ethics.
In literature, logos can be used as a persuasive device to convince readers that a certain point of view is correct or preferable over another. It can also be used to support or counter another writer’s arguments by using facts and statistics to back up one’s own point of view.
Because logos relies heavily on reason and logic, it’s often contrasted with pathos — appeals based on emotion rather than logic — which are more common in literary works than appeals based on reason alone.
