Monday, November 28, 2011
Elder Callister's Use of Rhetoric
Elder Tad R. Callister is one of my speakers, probably my favorite outside the Quotum of of Twelve. He just seems to be such an authority figure in whatever he talks about, probably because he chooses to speak on things that he knows a lot about.
I think the first thing that I see him as such an authority is because I know some of the things he has done. To begin with he was just called to Presidency of the Seventy and has been a general authority for a while. If you believe in the organization of the church then this will immediately establish ethos because we know he has to be a credible source. He has also written some great books, one of the most well known being "The Infinite Atonement." His voice and the way in which he speaks just portrays a feeling of complete confidence and authority. You can't help but listen to what he is saying.
One literary device he uses a lot are rhetorical questions. My favorite in this talk is, "Can He come up out of the water if is not down in the water?"Some of these, like this one, establish logos because he sounds so logical when he explaining something and then asks you a question about it. You almost can't help but agree with his logic. They also often help establish pathos in the audience because they become involved in what he is saying and keeps them engaged. They also motivate the audience to agree with him because of the way he words them.
He uses one specific example of a little girl talking with her friend at school. This example establishes a great amount of Pathos. As you listen you tend to put yourself in her shoes. It motivates you to action because she stands up for what she believes in and you want to just jump up and do the same. This story also establishes logos too because the way she explains how she gained a testimony is so logical and that no one can gain one without reading the Book of Mormon. So you can't deny it until you've read.
I think Elder Callister is the greatest at using logos because almost everything he says is backed by a logical argument of some sort. He doesn't use emottion but makes you understand the why behind almost everything.
Click here to watch Elder Callister's Talk on the Book of Mormon.
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