Audience
First, when Minerva enlists Ulysses' help to rally the troops, she observes who she's talking to and then she uses her observations to her advantage. Ulysses is standing alone--an individual amidst the "countless throng" (19). He is "grieved and sorry" for the army's rush to return home. So Minerva tells him to "go about at once among the host...that they draw not their ships into the sea" (21). Her word choice appeals to the desires that Ulysses probably already had, based on his distressed solidarity, to stand against the crowd and change the situation.Speaker (Ethos)
Second, Hailee Richards pointed out in her blog post that when the audience recognizes the authority of a speaker, the audience is more likely to respond positively. Homer writes that "Ulysses knew the voice as that of the goddess" (21) when Minerva spoke to him. Her ethos came into play because Ulysses immediately recognized and knew her divine character, and then he obeyed her orders. Had she been a maidservant or just another soldier, he may not have decided to act.
Have you seen similar examples of audience and ethos in your life? (For example, I know the voice of my professors, so I obey without further questioning.)
I totally agree! When serving a mission those are exactly some of the skills that they teach you, observe your audience and their needs, then establish a relationship of trust so that they will listen enough to try it out for themselves. It's pretty cool to see how this stuff is used every day.
ReplyDeleteI always have found it easier to pay attention in school when my professors used these techniques of knowing their audience and playing on their good character. Nobody wants to listen to some random guy off the street, or even some fancy-schmancy educated man, if he isn't a good person and doesn't understand his listeners. When I know that my professors 1) are good people, and 2) understand me and use examples relatable to my life, it is much easier to listen and obey. It makes me feel like they are "on my level," so to speak.
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