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.