After the story of Gordon B. Hinckley responding to a
reporter about our church’s leadership and then sharing his purpose, Elder
Bednar states that he “speaks about this topic from a decidedly distinctive
perspective” as he’s served as alongside many, much older apostles and prophets
as the youngest member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He then contrasts
their physical weakness with their spiritual strength, relates scripture and
testifies of the truth and power of their priesthood positions. Towards the end
of his talk, he quotes some of these men, parallels each quote with the phrase “______’s
message is a powerful lesson of a lifetime from a man I love” and then ends his
talk with a promise that if we heed the words of General Authorities, our
testimony of Christ will increase and we’ll be able to receive specific,
individual guidance. 
The reason that this structure is so effective is because it
persuades us from all sides. The story in the beginning provides a pathetic
appeal as we imagine the smile on President Hinckley’s face as he responds confidently
to the reporter. We remember President Hinckley’s positive personality and how
much we respected his counsel. Next, Elder Bednar sets the stage for his talk with
logos by explaining his ‘distinct’ perspective and statistics on his age
compared to the oldest average age of the apostles. In the middle of his talk,
the testimonies and scriptures that he relates combine pathos, logos and ethos
because of the culturally common way that Latter-day Saints perceive scriptures
and testimonies as emotional, logical and reputable evidence. He ends his talk
with a strong ethical appeal as he quotes the respected apostles and prophets
and then uses his own authority to make his promise.
Ultimately, all of these
aspects come together powerfully to communicate the validity and strength of
Heavenly Father’s older, earthly servants that Elder Bednar intends.
Nicely summed up analysis! I really enjoyed this talk as well, and it hit me hard in the realms of all three persuasive forces (ethos, logos, and pathos). This talk was INCREDIBLY kairotic--many members and non-members alike have made comments about their concern with regards to having a church led by an older generation, and it was scary for everyone to watch as President Monson struggled towards the end of his talk. Bednar was firm, and his vote of confidence was empowering!
ReplyDeleteI really like how he intertwined quotes from past prophets and apostles to work for the benefit of his own ethos. I think whenever any prophet or apostle mentions another personal experience with another general authority it adds so much credibility to who they are... just like Elder Bednar.
ReplyDeleteI thought that his repetition of the phrase, "A life lesson...from a man I love" helped tie the whole talk together. It made it more than a random list of lessons. It also created pathos for the audience as they reflected on how these WERE good life lessons from men THEY loved.
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