“I am so livid and angry right now.”
Now, looking back, I could have calmly made that statement jokingly, with a smile on my face or I could have yelled it with fury as I simultaneously punched my neighbor in the arm. What both Elder Bednar and Socrates understand is that the way one communicates his or herself is crucial. I cannot help but grin as I imagine Gorgias trying to be clever and rhetorical, yet getting circles ran around him by Socrates who knows how to use rhetoric to prove that rhetoric isn’t everything! It’s pure irony and the key is that Socrates knows how to communicate himself. He points at the little things that Gorgias gets tripped up on and exploits them. He is a powerful rhetorician. It’s incredible the way he uses that and ironically enough, it seems to me, he is building ethos there. He is proving himself to be a worthy source who knows what he’s talking about. I would even consider the fact that he is demonstrating kairos because of his impeccable timing and sense of the “when” to communicate himself as he breaks down certain concepts, similar to what Mindee Sharp said.
Elder Bednar is extremely similar in multiple ways. First, this is a terrific example of epideictic rhetoric as he stands before millions of viewers. One of the first things he says is “I pray that the Holy Ghost will teach and edify us…” as if he is literally calling down the powers of heaven. I believe that this statement has multiple rhetorical appeals, however I think more than anything he understands the setting which is a form of kairos. Also, right off the bat he breaks his speech down to simple concepts which demonstrates logos. He is an overall powerful speaker and though it’s already been said in past posts, I too think that if Elder Bednar and Socrates teamed up, they would be explosive.
