Rhetoric

Rhetorical devices are everywhere. It had never occurred to me that the prophets and apostles of my church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, would use rhetorical devices in their talks also. This week has been an eye opener for me; I always thought that rhetorical devices were used by liars that wanted to persuade their audience that what is bad is actually good. In this sense, I considered rhetoric to be a minor form of evil that the devil himself would use in order to persuade us to do what is wrong. In my writing class this week, I learned that even the good things in history that have brought about benefits to society were only carried out because of leaders that knew how to use rhetoric. In this way, rhetorical devices can be used for good. As we discussed in class ways in which rhetoric is used, someone suggested that the leaders of our church utilize these persuasive techniques in General Conference in order to portray their thoughts. I now understand that rhetoric is used as a base for persuading, whatever the cause or intent may be.