Saturday, September 6, 2014

The Persuasiveness of a Name

At first, like most, I began to notice the similes and metaphors that were so compelling. I saw the comparisons of people to animals and groups of animals; I saw the comparison to children or men. These all initially struck me as very persuasive techniques. These techniques invite deeper thought and cohesiveness. They invite a sense of purpose. They encourage behavior through praise and insult alike, but this is not what I found most persuasive about the writing.
The more that I read and the more that I got tangled up in names of people and places, the more I realized how motivating those names and places could be. Like the people and places mentioned in The Bible and the Book of Mormon, they were included for a certain purpose. Not only do they help the reader (or listener) to become familiar with the times, places, and people, but they also carry a heavy message with each name. Again and again I saw names of people leading troops and commanding armies. I saw familiar names of warriors and mighty men. I saw names of Gods. I saw powerful cities and leadership. Of course, there were a lot of people and places that I did not know, but to the people of that time, those names would have stood for more than a person, place, or thing. These names were enough to prove power, strength, and plenty. To someone of that day, hearing that a certain god was siding with a certain leader, and that one city just joined the ranks would be enough to encourage any man to choose a side to fight on. I don't know about everyone else, but if I knew that a son of Hercules was fighting on my side, I would be much more inclined to enlist myself. These types of logos and pathos are subtle but powerful. Not only does he use logic (showing how beneficial it would be to have such strong people on your side), but the pathos plays on peoples' loyalty to an individual or a city.

2 comments:

  1. You make a good point. That was something I was impressed by on my mission, the way that a certain word or phrase could make such a difference to me or to someone else, just by reading or hearing it. I suppose it a spiritual context, it relates to the power of the Holy Ghost to testify of the truthfulness/spiritual nature of a certain person, place or thing. It is certainly interesting though along the pathos/logos side how so much can be conveyed beyond the strict definition of a word or phrase; the connotation behind it can be so strong, the various thoughts, concepts, feelings or ideas that it carries, and that can change quite a bit with peoples different backgrounds and experiences. You're exactly right when you say they are subtle but powerful; they can have such and influence on the audience without them even realizing it. Thanks for sharing!

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  2. I understand what you are saying about a name, look at ulysses and how he only changed his mind once he had talked to a goddess. Do you think he would have changed his mind on his own given more time?

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