Political Ad Rhetorical Analysis: "Train" Reagan '84

Aw, how precious! Look at the cute old man with the little flag, the farmers playing checkers, and the cub scouts waiting with anticipation! It was a snapshot right out of a Norman Rockwell painting that is meant to be identified with by the millions of working class citizens in America.
In 1984, Reagan was just completing his extremely successful first term during which the economy boomed, oil prices were rock bottom, and inflation and taxes were low. He didn't need to use this ad to brag about these things, though. Instead, "Train" was needed as a pride booster for the common man. This ad was patriotic, image rich, and inspiring, and I believe it was probably quite effective for the campaign in general. People felt a sense of unity and fulfillment when they watched as thousands gathered to see Reagan's train pass by (an impeccable use of the band-wagon technique.) These were people just like them: the parents of large families, the elderly, and the hard-working little guy. They wanted to get out and see Reagan, maybe to "tell their grandchildren that they saw the president," or maybe they "just stopped by to say, 'thanks.'"
The train idea in and of itself is a brilliant metaphor for progress and closeness between leadership and the governed. It put Reagan on a level field with his constituents and made him more relateable. Those who did see him on that Friday would then be more likely to vote for him just because of that connection. It's like when you go to a concert or are voting for someone of your favorite reality show, if there is that connection, it doesn't really matter how good they are, they become your favorite.
On the whole I think this ad was very effective in terms of the working class audience. It did not need to rely on statistics or bashing the other side, because it's merit was in making a connection and inspiring Americans to believe in the "Leadership That's Working."

Russell M. Nelson: Eternal Marriage

This afternoon, Elder Nelson gave an amazing talk on marriage that pretty much could've convinced anyone that the temple is the ONLY WAY to go. He used all three forms of persuasion and multiple rhetorical tools to accomplish this.
Establishing credibility is crucial in convincing people, and Elder Nelson has it in spades. However, he did not just ride on his own laurels on this one, he drew from multiple sources to strengthen his point. For example, he made a list of olden day prophets have spoken on the same issues and have had the same opinion such as Moses, Noah, Adam, and Elijah. He quoted numerous scriptures that also backed him up. This solidified his stand point and brought attention to it.
Credibility is important, but if you're logical, you appeal to a wider range of people. Logos was employed many times over the course of the talk in order to say, "See? It just makes sense." He frequently said things like, "It is the only to get what we truly desire." and "Exaltation is a family matter." These types of phrases are meant to appeal to the minds of his listeners with the hopes that their logic will overrule the "natural man."
The final persuasive tool Elder Nelson used is called Pathos, which is an emotional appeal. He said things that almost guilted listeners into change so that we don't "reject God's gifts." He taught us about "real love" and the best ways to "gain faith." The pure emotion in such phrases stirred hearts and turned heads in a very convincing way.
This talk also included other rhetorical tools such as an analogy about shopping, jokes about marriage that help the audience identify with him, and most importantly, a call to action in the final passage. The call was a firm one where he said that we must stay true and focus on the temple. This "highest quality" goal is one that I personally have committed a little more to because of this great talk.

My Hometown: The Greatest EVER!

Rexburg, ID is a superb place. The mountains, the farms, the Mormons everywhere you look, and not to mention BYU-Idaho right in its heart, all make this town the best ever. There are only about 22,000 people living there, but the small-town feel is one of its best characteristics. You know people everywhere you go and they all have one thing in common: they live in the most dense population of LDS people in the world and in the most dense population of Conservative Repulicans in the nation. It's true. They've done studies. The residents take pride in their unity of purpose and direction and even of the little closed-on-Sundays Wal-mart. There is so much to be proud of.
Just down the hill from the newly dedicated temple sits Madison High School: the jewel of all secondary education. From nation renowned choirs, orchestras, and dance teams, to the current 5A State Boys Basketball Champs, to an extremly high average GPA, this institution demands the highest of quality in all aspects of academic and extracurricular activity. It's no wonder that its graduates go on to do great things in the world. (Almost like a mini BYU.)
All in all, little Rexburg may only have two main roads, but it's population affects big things!

Opposite View Point: My MOST Favorite Thing About BYU

Ok so it's BYU. Heaven on Earth. On the whole, we can do no wrong! Of course we make a few mistakes here and there, but they are obviously attributed to the influences of the devil and therefore, we are all unaccountable. This is the Holy Land and we should be allowed a little pride... or A LOT of pride. Silly little errors can pass through the system undectected because, after all, who is it really hurting? Not the people who work here!
Take One Stop for example: it's this ingenious system for handling all kinds of student accounts at the same time. Because it's a multi-tasking establishment, those who work behind the desks have a great excuse to be under-trained and lacking large resources of data. But as long as they smile and tell the naive freshman that everything is ok, the system works. The question of a possible mistake can therefore be quickly dismissed as paranoia and the student can be on their way. WHEW! That was a bullet dodged! The "customer service" representative can then say a quick, silent prayer that the HUGE accounting error on the books will be fixed by Heavenly Father through his "mysterious ways." That is, after all, the Christ-like thing to do!

My Least Favorite Part of BYU

BYU is a very unique place. There are innumerable benefits to attending school at a place like this, but try as we might, it's not quite Zion here yet. It is important to remember that though this is a church school, it is still run by people, and people make mistakes. It seems that it is difficult for people to admit that these mistakes could ever exist at this "heaven on Earth" university, and that is my least favorite part of attending school here.
I had a more than frustrating ordeal with a particular administrative office on campus that lasted from this last February, all the way until last week. The issue would have easily been resolved in just minutes if one person in that office would've admitted that they had made the mistake. Instead, I had to deal with months of worry and stress, dozens of dead-end phone calls and emails, and even a 13 hour round-trip visit to see the administrators myself. I can't count the number of times I was told that everything was just fine and that all I needed to do was wait. This was not the case as a huge programming error was discovered in my account that could've cost me nearly $8,000. Even then, it was difficult to get anyone to take responsibility for the issue.
Maybe it was just a freak accident, maybe I'm the only one who's had this experience, and maybe I'm all wrong about the quality of the student services available, but probably not. I believe that people just need to recognize that there is possibility for error at "the Lord's University" and that they need to take responsibility for their actions. I do believe in and laud the ideals and concepts of BYU, but I will no longer take them for granted.