Previous
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 34
Explanation and Analysis—The Civil War :
Mr. Armstrong, history teacher and guidance counselor at Demon's school, uses logos and a simile in his argument that it makes "no sense" to fly an American flag alongside a Confederate flag, a symbol of the pro-slavery Confederacy in the American Civil War. When a pickup truck bearing both flags drives around the parking lot of the school, Mr. Armstrong presents his objections:
“People,” Mr. Armstrong finally kind of yelled, like he did whenever we were ignorant in class. “Are you following me here? A war. Opposite sides. Flying both those flags at once makes no sense. It’s like rooting for the Generals and the Abingdon Falcons in the same game.”
Whoah. We were all like, Crap. Because that’s unthinkable. Some guys started mumbling heritage and nothing personal [...] “Whose history are we talking about?” he asked. “Because Virginia voted to join the Confederacy, that’s true. To support the plantation owners. But the people here in this county were not represented in that vote.”
Mr. Armstrong emphasizes that the United States and the Confederacy were on "opposite sides" of the Civil War and reasons that the values represented by both flags are irreconcilable. Using a simile, he says that flying both flags together is like rooting for two rival football teams simultaneously. Though some of the students do not accept Mr. Armstrong's argument, citing "heritage" as a reason for flying the Confederate flag, Mr. Armstrong argues that this is illogical, as the people living in the mountains of Lee County were politically disenfranchised and, unable to vote, never voted to join the Confederacy. The novel presents Mr. Armstrong as a voice of reason, who urges his students to use logic and to think about the complex history of their region.
Related Themes:
