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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
Key Examples in Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man
Chapter 5
Explanation and Analysis—Artistic Prowess:
In Chapter 5, the narrator uses logos and ethos to argue against the idea that Black Americans are inferior to white Americans:
It is my opinion that the colored people of this country have done four things which refute the oft advanced theory that they are an absolutely inferior race, which demonstrate that they have originality and artistic conception; and, what is more, the power of creating that which can influence and appeal universally.
Related Themes:
Chapter 10
Explanation and Analysis—The Texan's Logic:
In Chapter 10, the narrator passes for white and listens to a conversation between a Texan and a former Union soldier. The Union soldier uses logos when he points out the situational irony of the anti-intermarriage laws in the South:
Unlock with LitCharts A+[“]As to the mulatto South, if you Southerners have one boast that is stronger than another, it is your women; you put them on a pinnacle of purity and virtue and bow down in a chivalric worship before them; yet you talk and act as though, should you treat the Negro fairly and take the anti-intermarriage laws off your statute books, these same women would rush into the arms of black lovers and husbands. It’s a wonder to me that they don’t rise up and resent the insult.”
Related Themes:
