Chap 1 and 2 Questions

Chap 1:

1) Is it better to use visual or verbal rhetoric?

2) How do you know when it is better to use a black & white rhetoric?

3) Does it only apply to cartoons?

Chap 2:

1) How is a brochure an effect technique for persuasion?

2) What role does ethos play in persuasion?

3) Is exaggeration an effect technique in persuasion?

Final Paper- St. Mary's

On any given Sunday, the parking lot begins filling up, church goers make their way into a beautiful church, with snowy white bricks, stain-glass windows, and red oak doors. Enchanting and breathtaking this building possesses fantastic architecture and exquisite frescoes that reflect perfectly upon the unity between the earth and the unseen kingdom of angels, in such a manner that one cannot say where one ends and the other begins. The way in which the church was built is also a vivid testimony of a medieval period. Although it is a place that can sometimes be cold and demanding of respect, it is also where prayers are answered, hope is restored, and faith is answered. An overwhelming feeling of inner harmony and tranquility engulfs a person as they enter and God seems just that much closer.
The incoming church goers shuffle around trying to find a seat within the pews, greeting each other, some heavy eyed from lack of sleep. Most of which were parents, trying desperately to keep their children from running throughout the sanctuary. Entering the sanctuary, the vocals of the choir can be heard singing a hymn; the candles near the pulpit give off a warm, earthy glow that leads the congregation to their seats. After receiving a program and sitting down an elderly gentleman and his wife took a seat in the pew that was one from the back. After talking amongst themselves for awhile they were suddenly interrupted by a swift kicking to the back of their seat. The elderly man turned around to find a young boy, of about 7 years old, with a very determined look on his face. His mother deftly grabbing his shoulder, telling him to knock it off, telling him to apologize for being so rude. He replied with a quick “No,” and that is when it could be seen. The look. The look that each child gets every so often after they misbehave, the condescending look that makes children everywhere feel as though they were only a foot tall. His face suddenly changed, he mumbled “Sorry,” and immediately folded his arms, defeated. The gentleman turned around, with a smile that spread from his face to deep within his being, one that suggested he was experiencing a memory of perhaps one of his grandchildren. This church possessed a certain “homey” atmosphere that made everyone feel comfortable at the church, even a new member, with no familiar faces nearby, could feel welcome.
Soon, it was time for the sermon to begin, promptly at 8:00 everyone had piled into the sanctuary, and it was absolutely packed. The sanctuary was filled with many different groups of people, each with a different reason for being there. Many college students seemed to be in attendance this particular morning, either continuing a tradition from back home, or perhaps looking for guidance in a seemingly overwhelming period of time in their lives. Many of them most likely intellectual beings, seeming slightly unsure of their beliefs, they seemed out of place, lost. The acolytes walked into the sanctuary, up the aisle, and to the altar to light the candles to begin the precession. After the last candle was lit, the priest began his sermon, “Procrastination,” oddly appropriate considering it was something almost every student in the congregation had done at least once in their life. Everyone appeared instantly became transfixed upon his words, and found myself reflecting on every word he spoke. “Do we have any procrastinators out there this morning? I don't know about you, but I have been known... on occasion... to procrastinate just a bit.” “By nature I'm a pretty punctual individual, but I have been known to have things that I know I need to get done, and I wait until the last minute to do them. Sometimes it's just fine. They get done with no harm. However, other times it leads to a good deal of unnecessary stress…” he trailed off. I could not help but agree with everything he said.
I began thinking about all the times I have been told that procrastination was a bad thing. I mean, a couple hundred years ago. Benjamin Franklin shared with the world the secret of his success. “Never leave that till tomorrow, he said, “Which you can do today.” This was the man who discovered electricity; you would think more of us would listen to what he had to say. I don’t really know why we put things off, but if I had to guess, I would say it has a lot to do with fear. Fear of pain, fear of rejection, and most importantly fear of failure. Sometimes, the fear is just of making a decision. Because what if you are wrong? What if you are making a mistake you cannot undo? Whatever it is that we’re afraid of, one thing holds true, that by the time the stress of not doing anything, gets worse than the fear of actually doing it, we can feel as though we’re carrying around a giant weight. Something that outweighs us. And for me, that is the weight of my future. Everything that I do from here on out will impact my future, and for someone who has had parents to look to for instruction, that can be a horrible feeling. And many of us will make mistakes along the way, but that is how we learn to not procrastinate. But for me, I need to learn my own lessons, make my own mistakes, and sweep tomorrow’s possibility under tomorrow’s rug until I cannot anymore. Until I finally understand for myself what Benjamin Franklin really meant: that knowing is better than wondering, that waking is better than sleeping, and that the biggest failure, even the worst, most intractable mistake, beats the hell out of never trying. I heard his booming voice once again and I was suddenly brought out of my reflective state as he finished, “In the name of the father and of the son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.” After the sermon was I was left with a new feeling of enlightenment and understanding. The feeling that I had been searching for since I have been here, while desperately trying to transition from high school to college, and grow up. I am not an extremely religious person, nor do I fully know what I truly believe in, but I feel as though there was a reason that I, as well as all the other college students, was supposed to go to that church on Sunday. An assignment that I felt was going to be just a time consuming task turned out to really be something that completely changed my perspective on the way I was living my life and I am really very thankful for that.