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Irony
Definition of Logos
Logos, along with ethos and pathos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective speaking or writing). Logos is an argument that appeals to... read full definition
Logos, along with ethos and pathos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective speaking or writing). Logos is... read full definition
Logos, along with ethos and pathos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective... read full definition
Chapter 27
Explanation and Analysis—The Justice System:
In the 27th chapter, Dr. Primrose shares his reflections on the justice system from within the prison. He uses logos throughout the chapter in order to prove his point that the law and justice system should seek to reform rather than to punish.
First, Dr. Primrose uses his own actions in the prison—that he instituted "fines for the punishment of immorality, and rewards for peculiar industry"—to show that it is possible to create an obedient atmosphere in a prison through humane methods. He goes on to bring up examples of other places that take a more reformative approach in the exercise of power:
Then instead of our present prisons, which find or make men guilty, which enclose wretches for the commission of one crime, and return them, if returned alive, fitted for the perpetration of thousands; we should see, as in other parts of Europe, places of penitence and solitude, where the accused might be attended by such as could give them repentance if guilty, or new motives to virtue if innocent.
Dr. Primrose employs logos both when he draws a comparison between England and other parts of Europe and when he carefully lays out his line of reasoning. In his view, the way the English justice system works merely sets prisoners up to carry out more crime after they are released, which results in a harmful never-ending cycle of incarceration. Dr. Primrose compares England to the rest of Europe a second time, invoking data to prove his point:
I cannot tell whether it is from the number of our penal laws, or the licentiousness of our people, that this country should shew more convicts in a year, than half the dominions of Europe united. Perhaps it is owing to both; for they mutually produce each other.
Although he doesn't cite any numbers in this passage, he relies on statistics in a comparative way. He goes on to suggest that the large number of laws in England merely produce more crime. Over the course of this chapter, Dr. Primrose uses logos to develop his ideas regarding the justice system.
Related Themes:
Chapter 29
Explanation and Analysis—Religion vs. Philosophy:
The 29th chapter consists of a sermon in which Dr. Primrose lays out the differences between philosophy and religion. Over the course of the sermon, Dr. Primrose combines logos, ethos, and pathos to convince his audience of his points:
To us then, my friends, the promises of happiness in heaven should be peculiarly dear; for if our reward be in this life alone, we are then indeed of all men the most miserable. When I look round these gloomy walls, made to terrify, as well as to confine us; this light that only serves to shew the horrors of the place, those shackles that tyranny has imposed, or crime made necessary; when I survey these emaciated looks, and hear those groans, O my friends, what a glorious exchange would heaven be for these.
In this excerpt, his use of the word "then" signals that he is articulating a conclusion based on what he has laid out until this point. This indicates that Dr. Primrose relies on logos in his sermon. Ethos can be located in his certain, authoritative tone. As a vicar, Dr. Primrose wants to be seen as fount of knowledge when it comes to questions concerning religion and the afterlife. He reinforces his authority when he invokes heaven and his trustworthiness when he uses the first-person plural ("us" and "we"). He may be a figure of authority, but he is nevertheless one of the prisoners. Dr. Primrose employs pathos when he describes the prison's gloomy environment as well as the emaciated looks and groans of his fellow inmates. This appeal to his audience's emotions reaches a climax at the end of the sermon, when he reminds them that "we shall soon lay down the heavy burthen laid by heaven upon us" and that "the time will certainly and shortly come [...] when our bliss shall be unutterable."
After the dramatic turn of events in the previous chapter, Dr. Primrose's sermon offers the reader insight into his state of mind. Although he is dejected, he remains strong. To convince the prisoners, his family, and perhaps most of all himself that all will turn out well for those who are miserable in life, Dr. Primrose makes use of ethos, pathos, and logos.
Related Themes:
