Final Exam Essays: Alec Hammond

Religion and Rhetoric

While many Christians claim their conviction comes from divine sources, rhetoric has and continues to influence their faith and beliefs.

In the early days of the Christian Church, for example,  preachers such as Paul and Peter frequently claimed they lacked eloquence, which to them offered proof of their divine calling. This initially discouraged many rhetoricians from exploring Christianity, especially St Augustine. However, even St Augustine grew to recognize the rhetorical sophistication found in the Bible and began to preach that good Gospel preaching required good rhetorical skills.

During the dark ages, rhetoric manipulated religion to protect the Feudalistic social order. Fear of damnation and hell prevented peasants from rebelling. Clerics and nobles mingled rhetoric and scripture to justify oppression and sin. The crusades, for example, were justified as "holy conquests" to reclaim the holy land.They demonstrated the pride and greed of the church more than anything.

Even today, the LDS church sees how rhetoric plays a large role in the faith of its members. Church leaders use different mediums such as conferences, videos, and magazine articles to teach. Leaders who incorporate more engaging rhetorical techniques, such as stories, connect more with the members and can better fulfill their purposes.

Rhetoric within the LDS church has evolved over time as well. We now a see a growing reliance on social media to preach and propagate church doctrine. Elder Bednar, for example, encouraged members to make better use of tools such as Facebook and Twitter. Even the doctrine preached by church leaders is presented in a more tolerant and progressive way as religious freedom becomes a growing concern. 

Rhetoric is a crucial religious tool that has been used to both manipulate and promote faith.

Rhetorical Analysis of Jacob 2-3

Jacob addresses the Nephites to show how they wrongly justify their sins and strives to persuade them to repent. As any good orator should do, he begins by building his ethos. He explains he is particularly concerned with their welfare and is only speaking so directly because their salvation depends on it. Jacob clearly shows he is addressing his people deliberatively, as he not only exposes their sins, but warns of the consequences of their disobedience and wants them to make the right choice.

Throughout his discourse, Jacob attempts to make his message more personal through the use of rhetorical questions. For example, Jacob challenges them to reconsider their sin through God's eyes: "Do ye not suppose that such things are abominable unto him who created all flesh " (2:14)? The Nephites (and the reader) can't help but reflect on their decisions, noticing that perhaps they have been justifying their sins and that repentance is necessary.

To close his speech, Jacob cleverly compares and contrasts the Nephites with the Lamanites. Traditionally, the Lamanites were viewed as a filthy and wicked people. However, Jacob points out that the Lamanites practice strong family values such as love and fidelity, which the Nephites currently lack (3:7). He asks them to ponder how much better the Nephites really could be if the Lamanites were living a better standard.

Jacob's most dynamic and arguably powerful tool is his audience. Obviously, he is addressing the Nephites. However, Jacob purposefully includes this discourse in the Book of Mormon to address our day. He knows that we as saints will also struggle with justifying our sins. He knows that we too wrongly compare ourselves and rationalize our pride through our faith. Jacob subtly uses Past Fact/ Future Fact to show that what happened with the Nephites will happen to us as well. But just as the Nephites were able to repent and become more humble, we too can follow a prophet's advice and repent.

The Road to Innovation Starts with Regulation

“I can’t work any more fifteen-hour days,” sighed Jack, a seasoned electrical engineer working for Chrome Semiconductor. Chrome was a fairly young startup company, and their CEO, Stan Shwartz, had specifically hired Jack to lead their research and development division. When Jack accepted the offer, he was promised a large lab, a generous budget and freedom to choose his hours in order to be with his family more. Instead, Jack became overly familiar with “budget cuts”. He spent more time in the lab each day while his fellow engineers were constantly being replaced with "marketing consultants".

Jack heard his phone buzz. He looked down and read an urgent memo from Stan: “Great news! Apple has offered to buy out Chrome! Isn’t that great! No more long hours for anyone”!

He was right. None of the engineers would have to worry about overworking. By next week, they’d be looking for new jobs, hoping their “compensation package” would support their family. In the meantime, Stan and everyone else in management would be buying new houses. Jack stared at the wall. He began to wonder how his wife would take this, again.

Hotspots in Electrical Engineering

Component Assignments:

1. Communication and Persuasion in My Field 
Communication is essential for electrical engineers who work in both technical positions and business positions. Several tools, such as email, phone, conferences, and messaging are used to communicate and persuade across different customs and cultures in today's global economy.
2. Storytelling in My Field 
An engineer uses the story of the Nixon scandal to persuade his coworkers into doing the right thing. Scandals are common, and strong emotional appeals through stories can be an effective tool in preventing them.
3. My field within the history of civilization 
While major developments of electrical engineering have mainly taken place within the last 200 years, society has always been interested in electricity and its implications. Electrical engineering has driven society to a higher standard of living and motivated discovery and exploration throughout the ages.
4. Institutional Authority and Communication 
Professional organizations such as IEEE help regulate engineers to both protect their ideas and improve productivity. They publish magazines, hold conferences, and create committees that update the field on new developments and commit everyone to a code of ethics.

Hot Spots:

• Hotspot #1 (in the field): Engineering isn't always black and white; sometimes unethical decisions are made that can harm many people. Effective communication can persuade engineers to make ethical choices.  
• Hotspot #2 (historical): The greatest developments in Electrical Engineering have occurred during times of war and destruction. Ironically, the need to be destructive has fueled today's dependance on technology and production.
• Hotspot #3 (personal): The story of me building a robot arm. I realized that engineering was more about working constructively with others than actually developing a product.

Institutional Authority and Communication in Electrical Engineering

Bobby's interests in engineering really developed in college, where he graduated with a degree in electrical engineering and began working for Texas Instruments. He began to realize, however, that researching, developing, and inventing were a lot harder than he previously thought. Every time he proposed a new idea to his team, he was shut down.


"It's already been done".

"We don't have the budget".

"Corporate is looking for something else".


Bobby grew sick of these typical responses and approached his boss. "Steve, I feel like I'm missing something. It seems everyone else has an edge over me. They know something I don't! Their ideas are put into action while mine are always rejected. What can I do?"

"Well Bobby, when was the last time you compared your ideas with the IEEE standard (Authoritative Organization)?"

"IEEE? Well, never! I've never even heard of IEEE!" he replied, somewhat exasperated.

"You see that's the problem with universities these days," sighed Steve. "They teach the theory and ignore the real world application. IEEE -- pronounced 'I triple E' -- is the world’s largest professional association advancing innovation and technological excellence for the benefit of humanity. IEEE and its members inspire a global community to innovate for a better tomorrow through its highly-cited publications, conferences, technology standards, and professional and educational activities".

"How exactly does that help me?" asked Bobby.

"Look. Every month they produce hundreds of publications informing EEs about the latest technologies, inventions, and ideas. You should really subscribe to their main magazine, IEEE Spectrum (Authoritative Publication). They have also set up specific standards when designing new product interfaces, safety requirements, and many other guidelines that will ensure your ideas are compatible with today's market (Regulating Standard)."

"In all honesty", started Bobby, "I don't like being regulated. I feel like it inhibits innovation".

"Ha oh Bobby. Your ideas simply don't work because you don't follow the IEEE guidelines (Challenging Authority). That is why you're here with me, is it not?"

"Steve I guess you're right... It's time I inform myself about this IEEE thing. How should I start?"

"Bobby you're in luck. This weekend they are hosting a conference here in Dallas. These conferences are international and designed to bring out the latest trends and standards (Influential Event). Our company will pay you to go. Just make sure you take advantage of your time and be prepared to report to the team once you're done."

"Steve thank you so much! I really appreciate it!"

Biblical Eloquence in Joshua 24

We really sympathize with Moses, Joshua, and their successors after we see how stubborn and fickle the Israelites were. Despite several specific divine manifestations, their doubts often overcame their faith and they faced the consequences. Their leaders, especially Joshua, had to be persuasive when speaking in order to effectively call the Israelites to repentance.

Joshua 24, for example, is rich with rhetorical devices that incite both logical and pathetic appeals. Joshua uses contraries, a topic of invention, to offer the Israelites an option: "choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell" (v 15). He relies subtly on past fact/ future fact (another topic of invention). When their fathers served God, they were happy. He also alludes to the fact that they only dwell in the land of the Amorites because God led them there. 

He shows his power and authority through climax. While the Israelites can choose for themselves, he offers advice through his example: "but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord". Joshua maintains credibility because he doesn't obligate. His choice to serve the Lord seems resonates with us because we see the consequences of deciding not to serve Him right before. This clever mix of climax and antithesis --both of which are schemes of rhetoric-- makes the passage that much more memorable.

This small verse touches the hearts of the Israelites as they "covenant" to serve the Lord in all of their days. By effectively manipulating the structure of his rhetoric, Joshua was able to persuade the Israelites to change their ways.

History of Electrical Engineering

As was mentioned in class, electrical engineering is a fairly recent development that has seen the majority of its growth within the last 200 years. EE, however, has a very significant history that starts with the Ancient Greeks.

Johnathon Barnes, a scholar on Greek Philosophy, describes how early Greek philosophers began experimenting with and hypothesizing the nature of static electricity. In his book, Early Greek Philosophy, he describes how philosophers began to work together to form very advanced models of the atom based on their observations of static electricity.

Unfortunately, interest in electricity remained dormant for many centuries. It wasn't until the mid 16th century that physicists once again became interested and observed its relation with magnetism. Once the nature of electricity was better understood, it became the focus of all physical studies.

Many scientist became obsessed with the strange behavior of electricity and dedicated everything to study it. Benjamin Franklin, for example, sold all he had to continue funding his experiments. He reportedly risked his life by tying a key to a kite during a thunder storm to observe the arc, proving that lightning was indeed electricity. Gauss, Voltaire, Ohm, and Faraday were all great contributors to the field who began helping society learn to harness the power electricity offered.

Once Thomas Edison built the first power plant in Manhattan in 1882, society truly evolved. Everyone strove to make life easier by implementing electric power. While standardized power really improved the quality of life and was fundamental to all future developments, I wouldn't consider it the largest contribution of electrical engineering.

During the 1890s, James Maxwell showed that light, magnetism, and charge,were all interconnected and that their fundamental properties depended upon each other. With this, electrical engineering was truly born. The whole course of both WWI and WWII was determined by how well each nation could use and understand these principles. Radio, advanced weaponry, and many medical techniques were developed through this new breakthrough. Nazi Germany showed itself to be a true threat with its sophisticated electrical engineering. The world was forced to respond.

My dad is an electrical engineer as well. He's been in industry for about 25 years and specializes in
signal processing/ EM transmission. When asked about the history of the field, he talked about the most recent developments. He mentioned that the invention of the transistor, processor, and the computer all redefined our society. However, he believes the most significant development EE has to offer, is that of the internet.

The internet started our current information age where everything and anything we want to know can be instantly accessed, reproduced, and transmitted. As we've discussed in class, it brought social media and with it a new way to interact with friends. Life without electrical engineering would mean a more primitive, underdeveloped society, with little advancement.

Begging To Give

First Version
Begging to Give

Kairos/Audience: I often tell this story to friends who express that they want to be more charitable.

As a missionary in Mexico, life was typically hard. We usually had enough money to buy dinner, and relied on other members to provide us lunch.  We walked all day either full and satisfied, or hungry and desperate. 

We weren't the only ones that were hungry, however. Many beggars and drunks wandered the streets looking for food. They knew us as "holy men" (as they would say) and typically asked us for help.

Although we didn't have much, we gave what we could. Some days were harder than others. We knew that what we gave out could be used later that night for dinner. But we held our purpose above our own interests and continued to help.

We were surprised by one homeless man who empathized with us. He noticed how hungry we were one day and gave all he had. He bought us tacos, and expressed how much he cared for us.

Most importantly, he didn't do it regrettably, or even hold anything back. He was happy he could sacrifice something to help someone else.

At that point I was determined to do the same. I was going to give all I had, and truly care for them. [199]

Second Version
The Gift of Giving

Kairos/Audience: I can use this to show we can learn something from everyone.

Day after day, for 5 months, I greeted "Don Juan" in the street. He wore the same tattered pants, dark overcoat (no shirt), and dirt always painted his feet black [personification]. He was usually drunk too [litotes].

Everyday he would ask, "can you help me with just a few pesos"? We usually carried around apples or bananas or mangos [polysyndeton] from all the visits we made, and offered him what we were carrying. He eagerly took our fruit and would "bless" us as we continued with our routine.

There was one day particularly difficult for us as missionaries. All of our appointments fell through, we hadn't eaten, and we had no money.  It was late and time for us to return back to our apartment. When Don Juan asked for his daily donation [alliteration], I promptly informed him we had nothing, displaying my irritation for the first time.

Don Juan noticed. "Have you eaten today?", he asked.

"No, we haven't had anything all day", I replied, once again showing my irritation.

At that moment Juan disappeared around the corner for a few minutes. He came back with a basket full of tacos al pastor. I couldn't believe it.

"As you know, I don't have much," he started, "But what I have is yours. I can't see you both so tired and hungry. Will you accept all I have?"

Those were the best tacos I have ever eaten (I've eaten a lot of tacos). Never before had I seen such compassion and selflessness. Were all beggars like this? [definition]Don Juan touched me that day [cause and effect]. After that, I no longer offered Don Juan food out of pity, or obligation. I willingly gave him what I had because I truly cared for him as he did for me [similarity/difference]. 

[290 words]

Personal Stories Catalog - Alec Hammond

1.) Story of getting arrested for throwing "works bombs" [mistake story, story about maturity] I often tell this story while reminiscing with friends about dumb teenage mistakes.

2.) Story of fighting for my fiancé [love story, dedication story] I tell this story to show that those things that require the most work are often the most rewarding.

3.) Story of seeing murder on my mission in Mexico [perspective story, compassion story, gratitude story] When people rant about "first world problems", I find myself retelling this story (or stories).

4.) Story of deciding to come to BYU [faith story, decision story]  When people ask for advice about major decisions, I usually share this story to show that life works itself out.

5.) Story of spending countless hours trying to build a robot arm, only to watch it disintegrate the day it was due [diligence story, journey matters most story, experience story] I relate this story to emphasize how much more important an experience can be over an end result.

6.) Story of when I looked up at night and finally realized the size and significance of the universe [spiritual story, pivotal moment story, greater purpose story] I feel like I share this story to illustrate finding purpose and meaning in life.

7.) Story of the street beggar who offered me food [compassion story, empathy story, service story]  When people struggle to share what they have with those who don't have, I share this story.

8.) Story of me, throwing up in my dad's ear as a kid [parenting story, reminiscing story, gross story] I tell this story to explain why I no longer eat Cheetos.

9.) Story of me breaking my sister's leg [forgiveness story, family story,] I share this to show that mistakes happen, but we can always reconcile.

10.) Story of me almost killing my best friend on our go-cart [friend story, scary story]  I usually tell this story to show the power of friendship (he forgave me).

Storytelling in Electrical Engineering

Forward:
In electrical engineering, different outcome scenarios are often told as stories to motivate and even persuade team members who are working on a project together. Often one engineer foresees a problem that no one else does, yet no one else is willing to adapt because they can't validate the issue. By personalizing the issue as a story, either by email, in a conference, or even over water-cooler-talk, team members can gain more perspective and avoid future problems. Engineers tend to be skeptical, so plausibility and length are huge factors. If a story is too long, too absurd, or too abstract, it loses credibility.

The recent Volkswagen scandal is a perfect example. Upper level management assigned a team of embedded systems electrical engineers to rig environmental tests to improve ratings. This unethical project naturally pricked the conscious of several engineers, and many of them tried to escape.

Example Story
Let's remind ourselves of another scandal:

Richard Nixon and his administration assigned several people to thwart their opponents. They bugged offices, infiltrated meetings, harassed opponents, and misused government resources. While Nixon himself escaped through resignation, several of those directly involved who were simply "doing their job" were arrested and lost everything.

Analysis
The watergate scandal is a well known cause/effect story that triggers a strong emotional response. Everyone knows that it was ethically wrong. By comparing the Volkswagen project to the watergate scandal, engineers can help their colleagues realize the danger of their predicament.

Retelling the Story
John will write an email to his colleagues, drawing connections with the watergate scandal in hopes that they will rise with him against their leaders.

"I lost everything". 
"I was only doing what I was told". 
"They threatened my career and family". 
"I wish I had acted before". 

Many everyday government workers found themselves suffering the consequences for their loyalty. Fathers disappointed their kids. Wives felt betrayed by their husbands. Had these men exercised courage by standing up to Nixon and his administration, watergate would have never happened, and many families would still be intact.

However Nixon and his administration deceived his followers into justifying crime. They used job status and pay to motivate them into doing things they otherwise never would do. They proved more loyal to their superiors than to their own moral values and families. Worst of all, for them, there is no going back. 

Instead of focusing on the actual sequence of events, I emphasized the consequences of the original story. I changed the order so that the government workers were the subject, and not Nixon. By doing so, John's colleagues become the intended audience and can now resonate more with the story.

Communication and Persuasion in Electrical Engineering

Whether you're reading this on your laptop, tablet, or smartphone, you can thank electrical engineers. Companies such as Google, Apple, Microsoft, and Intel mainly consist of electrical engineers and are largely responsible for the information age in which we live.

Electrical engineering often carries a stigma: socially inept brainiacs who spend their lives bleaching their skin behind a computer screen. While product development forms a large part of their job description, it wouldn't be possible without proficient communication and persuasive skills.

In product development, judicial oratory dominates. Electrical engineers tend to work in teams. They communicate in many cases on a global basis through means of email, calling, video chat, and in person. They hold conferences, submit reports, and research together. Because engineers can come from so many different cultural and technical backgrounds, understanding and being sensitive to your co-workers is a must.

Many engineers, in fact, are very capable of managing crucial conversations, where emotions and stakes are high. Those who can't often make poor, impulsive decisions, which can lead to production delays, bugs, and lower quality products, which ultimately cost the firm more money.


Electrical engineers that focus on business development are very proficient in legislative oratory. Apple, for example, pays hundreds of millions of dollars for wireless testing equipment each time they roll out a new iPhone. They could easily find a cheaper vendor. It is far more important for them, however, to contract with a reliable and committed engineering firm. In this case, building healthy relationships through rhetoric is just as important as the product itself.

My dad is an electrical engineer who specializes in business development. While growing up he would take me with him to his international conferences where I could see firsthand how engineers literally sell their ideas through rhetoric. It became my dream to innovate just like them.

Take a swim!

We mainly attribute athletic dominance to the greeks. The Olympics every four years reminds us how important athleticism was to their culture. Athleticism was just as important to the Romans as well. They didn't restrict themselves, however, to the standard Olympic events we would have seen in ancient Greece. They incorporated several new sports, including swimming!

I love to swim. Whether it be in a pool, river, pond, the ocean, or my bath tub, I love swimming!

Apparently the Romans liked it too. Boys (and some girls) learned early how to swim. In fact, it was part of their education! Many Romans were known for their swimming ability, including Julius Caesar.

An ancient Roman Bath house used as a swimming pool

Dylan mentioned that the Romans built several bath houses. While many of these were in fact used to bathe, several others were also dedicated as swimming pools. Usually the bath houses used for bathing were extremely large (to accommodate several people) while swimming pools were built smaller (as small as 13 meters). The first heated swimming pool was built by Gaius Maecenas of Rome in the 1st century BC!




My house will one day will have a large, heated pool. I can officially thank the Romans for their ingenuity, and will remember them this Saturday when I go swimming.

Midterm Essays

1. The Irrational

Every culture strives to explain the unexplainable, especially through theology. The Greeks are no exception. They rationalized mystical phenomena through their gods. The rising of the sun was attributed to Apollo, who dragged it across the skies on his chariot. Hades was the god of the underworld, and all were sent to his dominion upon death. Even unfortunate events were rationalized through the gods’ reckless and careless behavior.

It can be difficult, however, to communicate theology convincingly. The Greeks used drama as a medium to explain how theology could rationalize and even justify the irrationalities of life.

In the play Electra, for example, Orestes receives instruction from Apollo to kill his mother and avenge his father. Killing in any context is difficult to rationalize, especially killing your own mother. However, the Greeks found that attributing the motive to the gods relieved their guilt and removed their personal attachment to things as heinous as murder. We see further forms of theological rationalization in Euripides' follow up tragedy, Orestes.

Electra is a dynamic and enticicing (at times) medium that can better use theology to understand the irrationality of life. It’s not a true dialogue, so persuasion and rhetoric can be intertwined (as Plato does in Gorgias). Counterpoints can be masked or simply ignored.

In our own culture, dramatization is used as well. The dramatization of the First Vision, for example, is much more effective than other representations (like written) or other forms describing the origin of our beliefs (explanation of prophets, Book of Mormon, etc). The First Vision story answers many common questions (existence of God, love of God, how to return to God, etc) that we have, just as Greek drama attempted to answer their philosophical and physical questions and doubts.

3. Homer and Rhetoric

Homer is considered to be the first and greatest of the ancient Greeks’ epic poets. His works, such as the Iliad and the Odyssey, were well known by all and greatly incorporated into day-to-day life. Homer’s widespread fame and recognition laid a foundation for rhetoricians to connect with their audience and evolve their techniques.

We find references to Homer’s stories in several pieces of rhetoric. Gorgias, for example, defends the the character Helen from Homer’s Iliad. Gorgias needed a general basis to demonstrate his rhetorical skills. He knew that everyone was familiar with the Iliad, and he knew that successfully defending Helen (a very hard task) would bring him recognition.

The Socratics relied heavily on Homer’s works as well. Plato’s Republic for example, quotes Homer several times. While today we rely on footnotes and other sources to clarify such references, we can expect that the Greeks recognized and connected with these references, building Plato’s credibility.

Even today we rely on literary frameworks to persuade and communicate our ideas. General Authorities use scriptural stories because members (and non-members) are familiar with them. We can relate, and even feel a sense of security from the authority that scriptures give General Authorities and their messages.

Homer’s works not only became a widespread and well-known source for entertainment, but established and unified the Greek culture. The kairos and audience are always important factors when writing or speaking. The uniform foundation established by Homer made it that much easier to interpret the kairos, address the audience, and allow rhetoricians to better develop their ideas.