Rhetorical Analysis #11 - Speech

"Because of Your Faith"
-Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
October 2010

Argument: Elder Holland’s argument is that every church member is loved by God and known as an individual. They are also the center of this church.
Audience: The audience is all church members around the world.
Goal: The main goal of Elder Holland’s talk was to reiderate the fact that the members are what is central to our church and the gospel. All members are individuals and Heavenly Father loves each the same.
How: Ethos – Elder Holland is in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. For all church members world-wide, there is a specific love and respect for the apostles and because of this, during conference, the member listen to what they have to say. Elder Holland is well-respected so the members are more willing to listen to what he says.
Pathos – overall, Elder Holland uses pathos by appealing to the audience’s emotions. He targets their sense of importance and need to feel loved. Every person wants to feel important, especially in a big organization. He is aware of this desire and targets his message to meet this.
Typical – The words and message Elder Holland gives is typical and acceptable to the audience. It is a message that every person knows deep down, but needs to hear every once in a while to be reassured of their importance.
Relevant – The message of Elder Holland’s talk is one that connects to the audience and is relevant to their daily lives and what they need to hear. He knows how to reach each member and make his talk relevant to them.
Is It Effective: Overall, his talk is very effective and touched a lot of members. It was a great talk to open up conference with and create a sense of warmth and love between everyone.
Word Count: 296