Final Exam Essays: Kapri Beus

Short Essay

As a missionary serving in Brazil, rhetoric and religion surrounded me.  I was often pushed away as I heard the yells of a preacher, calling down hell-fire to the congregation while crying repentance to the people.  The persuasion in his voice spoke louder than the doctrine of the scripture.  For a time I didn’t believe in rhetoric and persuasion in religion, because I’d seen it carried out to the extreme.  

The tension between religion and rhetoric is an issue that has existed for thousands of years.  Through ancient religious leaders, as well as modern, I have come to realize that if used correctly, religion and rhetoric can not only coexist, but can serve to build each other.    

In book four of On Christian Doctrine, St. Augustine explored the relationship between Christian truth and rhetoric.  Before his time, many would separate rhetoric and religion, holding to one or the other.  Augustine didn’t condemn the use of rhetoric in scripture, but recommended the authors of the scriptures as some of the best models of eloquence; that they were better than many of the other rhetoricians, using the best form of wisdom and rhetoric.  He wrote of how men ought to study the scriptures and learn them well, being diligent in studying, along with turning to God for direction in prayer.  This produces the best form of writing and teaching.

Isaiah, one of the most profound rhetoricians in the bible, was quoted by Jesus Christ himself, who exuded the people to study and learn from his teachings.  What makes Isaiah so powerful is his ability to speak with such persuasion and fire while spiritually expounding the revelations of God. He proves that it works.     

Today, missionaries, teachers and pastors alike have the responsibility and privilege to combine religion and rhetoric.  In LDS General Conference, listeners are more likely to pay attention to those speakers who are well versed in the art of speaking, capturing their attention, and then showering them with the spirit.  An audience likes to be audibly pleased, as well as spiritually filled.       

Short Rhetorical Analysis

Jacob is a rhetorical scripture power house.  It is obvious to see that he understands many different types of persuasion.  He organizes his “speech” to the people in such a precise way as to cut to the core of the hearts of the people.  

Ethos

A common set-up is to have a strong ethos, but Jacob digs deep to show his sincere desire to reach out and touch the hearts of the people.  In the beginning, he reminds the people of his responsibility from God, as well as his anxiety for the welfare of his brethren.  “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care” (Theodore Roosevelt).

Branches of Oratory: Epideictic Oratory

Jacob is speaking in the moment of here and now.  His “speech” to the people clearly displays the blame they hold.  His words in the first few verses he powerfully states the seriousness of what they are doing at that time.  He “admonishes [them] according to [their] crimes, which are continually occurring.  According to Aristotle’s conception of Epideictic Oratory, “The present is the most important; for all speakers praise or blame in regard to existing qualities, but they often make use of other things, both reminding [the audience] of the past and projecting the course of the future.”  (Aristotle Rh 1358b).  Jacob uses reminders of the past and talks about the children (the future) to magnify the importance of recognizing what is going on now, and how it must change.

Topics of Invention: Degree

Throughout these two chapters, Jacob uses degree to compare these people, the Nephites, to their brethren, the Lamanites.  What makes this so powerful is the wicked reputation of the Lamanites.  The Lamanites are usually known as the most sinful, animal like people that exist, and yet Jacob is saying that “Ye have done greater iniquities than the Lamanites, [their] brethren…”  Again in verse 5 he continues saying “the Lamanites… are more righteous than you”.  The comparison and degree really pushes them to recognize just how wicked they have become.

Schemes: Anadiplosis

In chapter 3 verse 7 Jacob, in speaking of the love within the Lamanite families, uses anadiplosis to demonstrate a point.  He states,  “their husbands love their wives, and their wives love their husbands; and their husbands and their wives love their children”.  The repetition of using the last word to begin the new phrase allows the reader to recognize the ordering of the phrase.  First, husbands need to love their wives, and wives will naturally love their husbands.  He is speaking first and foremost to the husbands.  As husbands love their wives, their wives will love them, and then they will both love their children.  First wife, then children.  Loving their wife solves the problem.  His whole speech is based on having one wife.  It’s powerful that the answer to their problems can be shown in such simple rhetoric.

Nurses Voices: The Scrub Life

Kami could not wait to finally start working at the hospital.  Sure, she’d done nursing shifts as a nursing student, but she’d graduated and now she would get to stay in one place and be able to really make a difference in the lives of her patients.  A year passed by and Kami was already exhausted.  This is not the life and career she had dreamed of.  She spent 12 hours a day being ordered around by demeaning, demanding doctors, running around without having sufficient time for each of her patients.  As she spoke to the manager, he just nodded and then went on with his life.  “I cannot go on like this,” she thought, “Something needs to change.”   

Kami’s story is a nursing story among thousands of others, all with a similar message.  Nurses are not given sufficient voice in defending their rights and giving new ideas.  Isn’t it only fair that those who work the closest with the patients should at least be able to speak for themselves?  Although many improvements have been made over history in the field of nursing, the lack of voice that nurses hold in hospitals, physician’s offices, and other healthcare facilities has scarcely improved, and nurses should hold an equal say alongside with doctors, chief nurses, and hospital administrators.        

History of Nursing: What can we learn?

Nurses are trained individuals who care for the sick.  It is a practice that has existed for hundreds of years.  It’s been through all sorts of changes and developments, especially of the last couple of decades.  Earlier nurses were educated by locals, or family members, and would usually stay with a specific person in their home.  Some of the wealthier families would have a nurse who would stay in the home and really get to know the needs of the patient.  In the more recent years of history- specifically the 1800s until now, nursing has begun to really develop and become more of a specific profession that is highly sought after rather than just a partially educated helper.  

          

Annotated Working Draft of Final Project and Hot Spots in Nursing

1. Communication and Persuasion in Nursing:
   I had always had the desire to help in the physical and spiritual healing of an individual.  As a nurse, clear and educated oral and written communication is crucial, especially because lives are dependent on that communication.  It’s also important to have honest and open patient/family to nurse communication in order to show professionalism and care.
2. Storytelling in Hospital Care Nursing
   Oftentimes nurses will tell “stories” to help the new nurses and nursing students to understand what to and what not to do.  The story I told was a sad story about a nurse who worked too long and made a mistake with a patient, causing a preventable death.  The new nurses would be motivated by a desire to really focus on the people rather than just their routine job.
3. History of Nursing  
   Nursing began with more of a holistic approach, and we are seeing today the recognition of how helpful that really was.  Educational training really exploded when Florence Nightingale and a few others began schools for nursing.  The students or “sisters” had a life similar to that of a nun and a servant- little pay, and no marrying- which relates to many of the difficulties nurses face today: being taken advantage of and taken away from family.
4. Institutional Authority and Communication in Nursing
   This blog was about a nurse who wants to file a complaint about the long and strenuous working hours that nurses have, cutting it down from 12 to 8 max.  There are certain authorities that she must go through to be heard, as well as finding ways to unite nurses together to be heard.

Hot Spots

Hot Spot #1 (Field/Personal): Nurses have the opportunity to communicate with a variety of people; but as far as their voices being heard, it doesn’t seem like they are able to communicate effectively to authorities.  If we want good nurses, then they should probably have more say in decisions for nurses.      

Hot Spot #2 (Historical):  The history of nursing goes way far back and has developed tremendously in many aspects- especially in technology and nursing education.  One aspect in patient care, however, especially in communication and treatment with the patient in holistic care (taking care of the whole patient: body, mind, and spirit) nursing seems to have actually digressed.  

Institutional Authority and Communication in Nursing

Kami had just ended her third 12 hour shift of the week. As a 40 year old woman, the demand was harsh on her body.  By the 9th hour of the shift, she was usually dragging and praying for strength to finish the tasks at hand.  “I cannot continue on like this,” she moaned, “something needs to change.”

The next day at work Kami began talking to Tracy, one of her good friends and co-workers.  She discussed with Tracy her thoughts and complaints about the work hours for nurses- especially the lengthy shifts.  Tracy piped in, “You should write to the Utah Nurses Association (1. Authoritative Organization), they exist to be an advocate for nurses in Utah, and I’m sure if you wrote a letter and got enough people to sign it, they would listen to your complaint. Who knows, maybe they would even discuss it at the annual Utah Nurses Association Conference (3. Influential Event)?”

“Yeah, maybe.  I’m just not sure if I can get enough people to get on board with me to make a difference.”

“Well, you can start with writing an article in the Utah Nurse magazine- I know that’s how I stay connected with other nurses to know what’s going on with changes in our field and comments from other nurses (4. Authoritative Publication).  I think if people saw your bravery to stand up on this issue, they would want to join your cause.”

Kami pondered on what Tracy had said.  “You know, that’s actually not a bad idea.  Even though it seems almost impossible to change much in our behalf, it can’t hurt to try.”

Kami worked on her idea for the next couple of weeks, collaborating with other nurses about how to be heard.  She read through the endless Utah “Nurse Practice Acts”, and many of the other statutes and rules that applied (2. Regulation Standard).  She wanted to have all of it sent in and seen before the next Utah Nurses Association Conference, so they would take it seriously enough to have it submitted to the Utah Board of Nursing, which is held monthly, and where the real changes take place (5. Challenging Authority/ Changing Standards).  With all the support she was getting from nurses across the state, she knew their voices would have to be heard; even if it didn’t mean instant changes, the seed would be planted.

Bible Eloquence in Isaiah 5:26-30

The power that comes from ancient scripture often seems to be much more bold than any words we hear today; maybe our hearts are more tender, or maybe more people would become offended and distort others’ views to make it offensive, or maybe writing and rhetoric is just not the same as it used to be.  For whatever reason, Isaiah has no fear or shame in speaking of things as they really are and will be.  In these verses, of what I understood, Isaiah is speaking of how the Lord will call forth His people, and how those who are ready will respond.

26 ¶And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly:

27 None shall be weary nor stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken:

28 Whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent, their horses’ hoofs shall be counted like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind:

29 Their roaring shall be like a lion, they shall roar like young lions: yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry it away safe, and none shall deliver it.

30 And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof.

In verses 26 we find an onomatopoeia: “And will ‘hiss’ unto them from the end of the earth”.  It’s interesting that this word is used, because there is quite a negative connotation with the word “hiss”.  It’s a sound that isn’t the most pleasing to the ear.  After more studying, I found out that hiss can mean “to whisper something in an urgent way”.  It shows an expectation of quick reaction when the Lord calls for His people, and it’s in a bit of a whisper so only those who are really listening will hear.   Another is found in 29 and 30- “Their ‘roaring’ shall be like a lion…”  In 30 “like the ‘roaring’ of the sea”.  Both instances demonstrate power and strength.  The sound of “roar” is intimidating and adds to the verses in that those who come unto the Lord when He calls them will have that power.  

The second topic of invention, although clearly not the only other, is alliteration.  It’s spaced out throughout the verses and comes up more often than I first noticed: in verse 26: end of the earth, speed swiftly; 27: slumber nor sleep, loins be loosed; 28: bows bent, horses’ hoofs, wheels like a whirlwind.  At first it’s a bit trickier to catch the alliterations because they are only two words, rather than more words with the same beginning, but as you continue to read, the more prominent the alliterations become.   So many short alliterations side by side help the flow of the passage to just slide off the tongue as one is reading it.  Isaiah definitely knew the art of rhetoric.

History of Nursing

Nurses are trained individuals who care for the sick. Caring for the sick started thousands of years ago- basically at the beginning of human existence as soon as sickness occurred. The aspect of educational training for nurses is of a more recent date. Nurses of the late 18th and early 19th centuries did most of their work in the home, which allowed them to more completely care for the individual- a more holistic approach- in a comfortable environment. Early hospitals were looked upon more as poorhouses, or asylums. Danette Barnes, my aunt and a nurse, commented that the biggest change in nursing during her her time in this career is the increase of focus on holistic nursing, especially patient satisfaction. They want to help them feel comfortable, at home, and support the family as much as possible. They are also focusing on more aspects than just the apparent problem at hand- which working as a nurse in a home allowed.

Florence Nightingale was one of the early leaders of education in nursing. Her story of wanting to become a nurse, implementing sanitation rules- which cut death rates during a war in Turkey from 42% to 2%, and starting schools and a college for nursing, was a huge building block in the history of nursing. Many others followed and set up nursing schools. The nurses were sometimes called “sisters”, and had a life similar to that of a nun. They were not paid and often had to do the dirty work and were highly taken advantage of. Kami, a family friend, expressed her strong feelings toward how negative the change of nursing has been over the last couple of decades. What used to be a fun, high satisfaction job, has now become an industry to work nurses in whatever way it takes for companies to earn more money. Because of the need for money, the nurses are taken advantage of and have to work 12, 14, and 16 hour shifts- often working nights, holidays, and weekends. “Forget being a mom”, Kami says, “you have to dedicate your entire life to the career.”

Sounds a bit like a nun to me.

It seems as though many of the problems that were “solved” in the past, were actually just pushed aside, or temporarily satisfied, but are problems we are still facing today. Rather than pushing me away from nursing, learning about it’s history helped me to recognize just how important this career is, and how people can stand up so that we don’t keep living in the past- but bring about change to have a brighter future.

When Someone Else Poops Your Pants

First Story:

When Somebody Else Poops Your Pants...

Audience/ Kairos: I usually tell this story to people I’ve known for at least a little while, and usually when I want younger children to like me and think I’m funny.  

It all happened when I was working at a Dude Ranch in Wyoming.  Every week we, the staff, would take the guests to the Rodeo to experience the “cowboy life”.  It was getting pretty late, about 10:00, and the guests were ready to make the 30 minute trip back home to the ranch.  As everyone was getting back into the vans, I realized I needed to use the bathroom really quickly.  I ran to the outhouse, went number one, and quickly got ready to step out the door when I smelt a disgusting odor.  I put my hand in the moonlight to see- and sure enough, there was poop on my hand.  I was confused- I hadn’t gone number two... I looked at the toilet seat, and sure enough on the back seat poop had been smashed, only it wasn’t mine- and now it was in my already done up pants.

I could hear the guests leaving and realized there was no time to clean up (and no supplies), so I ran to the staff car and sat in the back.  A good looking guest my age decided he wanted to come with us.  Great.  I squished to my side so he wouldn’t smell me, and boy did I stink.  All I could think the whole ride home was that literally, someone else had pooped my pants.  We arrived at the camp and walked the quarter mile to the cabins- longest walk of my life.  My friends invited me to join them in fun and games, but I kindly declined and raced to my shower.  Let’s just say I never wore any of those items I was wearing ever again.  I honestly couldn’t help but laugh at what had happened, even if I was totally disgusted.  What did I learn?  I guess that you should always look at the toilet seat before sitting down, especially in an outhouse.

Second Story:

Can We Please Just Be Mature... For Once!

Audience/Kairos:  Telling the story to the dear random citizen in whose poop I had in my pants, as well as all those who try to be funny and act without thinking of the effect it will have on others.

Not only were my pants, shirt, belt and underwear ruined, but my pride as well came to a crashing halt.  I sat there staring at my poop-stained clothing.  Disgusting and ruined.  The worst thing was, it wasn’t even my own poop!  I began thinking of how utterly violated I had felt just moments ago.  Just moments ago [anadiplosis] I had been working my tail off [metaphor], doing my best to help the guests feel comfortable, enjoy the rodeo, and to give them as much of a “cowboy” experience as I could offer [degree].  It was 10:00 pm, it had been a long day of work- and the guests were ready to leave the rodeo and head back.  I was exhausted but desperately needed to make one last trip to the bathroom before the 30 minute car ride back.

Some people are those “spur of the moment” type of people; they don’t think about how if they do something mean now, it might really negatively affect someone later [cause/effect].  Well, needless to say, I was that negatively affected someone later.  I used the bathroom as fast as I could as to not make the guests wait.  Before I could leave the outhouse, however, I smelled the most disgusting outhouse smell… and realized it was coming from my hand.  

“Oh crap!” [paronomasia]  And literally, there it was, on my hand; but it doesn’t end there because not only was it on my hand, but it was all over my backside and all over the toilet seat and then it was in my pants and it was on my shirt and it was on my belt and did I mention it wasn’t even my crap in the first place [polysyndeton]!?  Because of the lack of time, I was forced to leave having pooped filled pants, and a loss of pride.  As I left I looked around at all the people.  What ungrateful, immature, inconsiderate creature of a human could have done this?  They had to have missed the hole on purpose.  If only they could see the damage of what they’d done [judicial oratory].  Fortunately enough I came out of the situation with no diseases, or long lasting health problems, but I wish that for every prank one does, they too have to suffer the consequences, just so they’ll think twice before causing someone a severe loss of pride... or worse.     

David's Real Goliath

Names and Naming,  Anadiplosis,  Rhetorical Question 

The bird, Providence, flew down to the rescue, only to realize he'd come too late.  He heard the cry from David, the doe, as she lamented in her last breath of life "Why am I so foolish?", and then she was gone.

 Just moments before, Providence had been flying over the sea when she'd spotted a crew of sailors heading toward the cliff.  On the cliff stood David, Providence's friend since birth.  Even as a child, Providence had kept a close eye on David, who had always been courageous as she'd been forced to stand up for herself at an early age.  At an early age her parents had been killed by the Goliath's of the forest- the hunters in whom existed no mercy.  No mercy indeed, for David herself had been terribly injured as she stood up to them being left alone, completely blinded in one eye.

It was for this reason that David was at the cliff that evening with her good eye on the lookout for those Goliath's of the forests; and facing toward the sea, consequently, her blinded eye.  Little did she know, her lack of caution toward the sea, a beauty she'd thought of as being so harmless and pure, would be her doom.  All her life she'd stood up to the Goliath's of the forest, only to realize too late the more treacherous fate was that of the sea- to which she'd kept a blind eye.     

Personal Stories Catalog - Kapri Beus

1. The story of my worst “food” experience on my mission- cat hair banana bread [comedy story, disgusting story].  I tell this story because it is funny and disgusting, and also proves that you don’t have to serve in a foreign country to have “foreign” experiences.
2. The story of how I got the massive scar on my arm at a sleepover/ gymnastics party
   [injury story, accident prone story].  I tell this story because people see my scar and ask where it came from.
3. The story of my roommate passing away our freshman year during the semester [tragedy story, value of life story].  I don’t bring this story up super often, but I tell it when relating to death of close ones and to help myself as well as others realize there is good in all things.
4. The story of the road that led me to nursing [educational story, self-defining story].  I tell this story because people like to ask “What’s your major?” and “What made you decide that?” so, over telling it again and again, I am finally figuring out why.
5. The story of how my sister and brother-in-law met and why their relationship is so awesome [romance story, story of patience and hope].  I often tell this story to girls who are stressed about relationships and hopeless for finding “the one”.
6. The story of how someone else “pooped my pants” while working at a dude ranch [really disgusting story, entertaining story, story of learning to laugh].  I  tell this story to make people laugh, and to help them think of me as a funny, down to earth person.
7. The story of running the 100m hurdles at state and losing because I lost focus of the goal [athletic story, story of focusing on our goals].  I often tell this story to help me remember that as we compare ourselves to others we lose sight of our goals and who we are; and it helps me be identified as an athlete.
8. The story of my cancelled flight that led to opportune time with my grandpa before he died [story of family, happy memories story, story of irony].  I tell this story to remind people that everything happens for a reason.
9. The story of unfair treatment toward me because of gender from my high school math teacher [sexist story, ridiculous story].  I think I tell this story to blame my teacher (bad, I know) and to help me remember that I really was in the right- and he the wrong.
10. The story of almost dying in midnight moonlight white water rafting [adventure story].  I mostly tell this story so people will think I am brave and adventurous.

Storytelling in Hospital care Nursing

Foreward:

In nursing, there is a lot of hands-on practice involved.  Nurses often learn from mistakes and successes either of themselves or of others.  These stories are usually passed down verbally, oftentimes by nurses who have worked for many years.  The stories are often told with a specific emphasis on what many nurses do wrong- or what they did right that was crucial.  They help new nurses and students to learn what to do and what not to do.  

I made up an example of a story of a nurse Sarah with two viewpoints  

Example Story:

• A nurse who already works at the hospital might tell a story of another nurse who had messed up, hoping to convince the new nurse not to do the same thing.

• Story: “Sarah was working late one night, completely exhausted- she’d been working for 24 hours straight and with no breaks.  She’d covered a shift for a friend and was in her last hour before she had to go home.  All night she’d been running from place to place and she was exhausted.  Sarah knew she should be making her rounds one last time before the next nurse got there, but the patients were all fine just a half hour ago, they’d be fine.  She sat for a bit, allowing her legs to relax and passed on the charts to the incoming nurse.  As she was heading out the door, she heard a scream.  One of the patients, Eric, was on the floor, lifeless.”   

Analysis:

As an incoming nurse, or a student studying about nursing, there are many errors that are pointed out in this story to help persuade the nurses to be on their guard, giving 100% until the end.  It also persuades nurses to be smart about their working hours- focusing on the importance of the patient.

Retelling the Story:

• If the nurses telling the stories really want to persuade the new nurses to work better, they should focus on love and care as a motivator so they’ll keep pushing even when they don’t feel like it.

• “Eric was about 5 years old when he was rushed to the hospital because of a heart malfunction.  He was the youngest of 4 brothers and sisters who loved him very much.  He had been in the hospital for about 2 months.  There was excitement Eric’s family’s home as they knew he would be coming home in just 2 short days.  They couldn’t wait to play with him and just hug him.  Little did they know, after that night they wouldn’t get to see their brother again- something that could have been prevented had Sarah, one of their favorite nurses, made her last rounds that night (had he been helped immediately, he would have survived.  The family came into the hospital with tear stricken cheeks.  Eric was gone.  Sarah sat, helpless.”  

This focus takes more of an approach on the family and allowing those feelings of loving the people to help persuade the nurses to be at the top of their game, and not allowing themselves to slack off. They think of what good can happen if they do their job.  Everyone gets exhausted, but they need to recognize lives are at risk here.  Stories can also help more people to want to go into the profession of nursing when the nurse does do her job and saves a life.

Communication and Persuasion in Nursing

I remember many experiences growing up where I would come upon the scene of an injured individual- bleeding or in some sort of immense pain- and get really anxious because I didn’t know how to help.  I’d never felt so helpless as I watched- wanting to give comfort, but having no idea what actions to take.  As I began to learn more about methods and procedures of basic aid, I was filled with satisfaction knowing that at least in some small way I was giving assistance to the individual and bringing some comfort to their mind and body.  I think that most people in the world have an innate desire to want to help people.  There comes a certain satisfaction in being a part of the healing of an individual- coming to their aid in a moment they need it most.  

Everything that Nurses and medical workers do is built upon good, clear communication.  There are many times when the life of an individual depends on it.  No matter where the communication is taking place- a hospital, the sight of an accident, a doctor’s office- it is important that things are stated clearly, confidently, and in a timely manner.  Most of the time, the communication is done orally, a nurse speaking to a patient or a doctor, but there are forms of written communication as well. The nurse must adjust his or her way of speaking depending on the person receiving the message.  It’s obvious that to a doctor they would speak with professional words and medical terms- stating all of the facts and risks.  When it comes to speaking with the patient or the family of the patient, they would “dumb it down” in a sense and maybe not go into as much detail- striving to comfort them while also being realistic.   

There are many different situations where communication occurs.  When first getting to know the family, the nurse needs to really build his or her ethos.  This family is putting a lot of confidence in them and the nurse needs to show they are trustworthy and professional, as well as being a good listener.  They can give a lot of comfort and reassurance in a time when people are in the most fear and anxiety.  It’s interesting, however, because they must also speak in a way that doesn’t show guilt for mistakes or allow too much hope or dependency on the medical workers.

I’ve come to find out that nursing really is founded on being a master of communication; without it, nothing runs. Lives depend on it.

An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure

As a pre-nursing student, I had the opportunity to job shadow a Nurse Practitioner at a family health clinic.  I remember that most of the people who came in to see the doctor were people who had a lot of health problems mostly due to the fact that they hadn’t taken care of their health throughout their lives, and now were in need of a lot of medication and help.  Although not always the case, I believe many health problems could be solved by taking action to prevent, rather than to repair.  

The Romans were great believers in a healthy mind equalling a healthy body.  They spent more time focusing on ways to keep fit, clean, and healthy rather than on doctors.  In the clinic, I observed that most of the patients were part of the lower social class.  In Ancient Rome, the focus was for everyone to have good health- not only the wealthy.  The working people needed good health to work hard, as did the soldiers.  Romans were one of the first groups to introduce a public health program for every social class, not just the wealthy.

As Nate Brown stated, the doctors were not very popular in Rome.  Unlike today, it was actually often a “last resort” type of career- can’t get another job, might as well just .  Many people didn’t trust their techniques or knowledge- and I can understand why because honestly, sometimes I don’t trust the doctors of today, and look how much more educated and experienced they are!  These ancient doctors would often advertise their services on the streets by performing public surgeries… which I’m sure often didn’t work out, explaining why many people didn’t trust them. Maybe people today would focus more on staying healthy if our doctors were as bad as theirs.

Although the Ancient Romans didn’t help us out all that much with doctors, they did make a huge contribution to public health awareness for all social classes, and prevention rather than repair; something we should still be learning from!

1. The Irrational
How is Greek drama (specifically, Euripides) a way of dealing with the irrationality of life?

Euripides was a genius of his time in relation to Greek drama.  Much of what he did helped people to recognize just how unfair life can be.  My focus with Euripides is on a topic to which I personally connect with because of his decision to use something so important at a time where it was very unpopular.  He showed a lot of sympathy toward society and its’ victims- but I especially loved how he reached out to the audience of women.  Now, excuse me as I get on my women equality soap box for a moment and focus on the great deed Euripides did by choosing to focus on women.  It may seem like he didn’t understand decorum- his audience probably being made up of mostly males in a male dominate society.

In my life I have come across and studied some ancient literature including scripture, stories, and plays.  It seems that so often it is only the men who are the main characters- the heroes, the villains, and those who receive the most focus.  Yes, I can relate in some ways to them, but it is another realm of connection when the woman is the hero, that her role of being a mother or wife is just as difficult if not harder than what these men going off to war must encounter.  By allowing women to be the more important or popular characters- especially in such a time in ancient Greece where women heroes were almost unheard of- he passive aggressively helped the women recognize their importance in society.  He also called attention to the men, calling for them take a step down off of their high horse and have more respect for the women.  No, obviously gender equality issues were not solved and still exist today- but Euripides helped create (or added to) a ripple effect that has strengthened and helped ignite women for centuries.

3. Homer and Rhetoric
Homer was not a rhetorician, and the Iliad or The Odyssey are not rhetorical treatises. Why, then, is Home so significant to the history of rhetoric?

 The stories of Homer are some of the most well-known, thoroughly studied stories passed through time, coming second to the stories of the bible.  They influenced all types of people and even helped shape the history of rhetoric.  Although his works were not technically rhetorical treatises, Homer was able to emotionally connect his audience with his stories through his themes.  The very purpose of rhetoric is the art of persuasion- to persuade the audience emotionally to change or develop an attitude more strongly than they currently felt. The stories Homer wrote, like the Iliad and the Odyssey, are filled with timeless themes that ignite a similar feeling.

One example of the power of his connectable themes is the obligation of men to their leaders.  In the Iliad, the leader Odysseus tears down on Thersites- a common soldier- for stepping out of place and speaking when he had no authority.  With this, Homer writes so even the readers feel inferior to the great Odysseus and remember where they stand in society.  It causes many to contemplate whether or not they stepping out of place?  He continues throughout the story with other powerful themes such as the pride of man.  The destructive influence of pride and how selfish the characters are being is almost tangible.  A reader cannot help but question their own motives behind their actions.  Isn't that exactly what rhetoricians want? To move their audience to really listen and be touched to the point of persuasion.  Homer planted this power of themes and many other seeds for rhetoricians to develop from.  He, although not a rhetorician, is a part of shaping rhetorical history.