Persuasion

Prepare to have your pants bored off.

I'm going to say that I agree with the idea that language is innately a means of persuasion. Although, it does sound strange to say it like that, don't you think?
It makes it sound like human beings are indeed selfish and manipulative creatures. Be like me! Think like me! My way is the best way! I keep trying to think of an example of language that ISN'T persuasion, though...and I just can't do it. Maybe I just don't want it to be true because the word 'persuasion' just has this negative aura floating around it in my mind... Of course, you can always be persuasive in a positive way.
In spite of this, i think it's an incredibly interesting way to think about language!

During the lecture I just couldn't stop thinking about this section from Pride and Prejudice. I know that Mr. Darcy isn't specificly arguing for the thesis proposed in class today, but I do think it fits in really nicely. Sorry if this is kind of long...If you've read the book you probably remember the scene. If not, I'll just summarize what's been happening. The party has been sitting around entertainging themselves in various ways. Mr. Darcy is writing a letter. Miss Bingley, who has the hots for him, basically tries to flirt with him by telling him how well he writes letters. He brushes her off. Then there is a conversation between Mr. Bingley, Miss Bingley, and Elizabeth about how a person OUGHT to write a letter and how Mr. Bingley himself writes one. I'll just insert stage-directionesque names to indicate who's talking because it can be confusing sometimes:
Mr. Bingley: "My ideas flow so rapidly that I have not time to express them; by which means my letters sometimes convey no ideas at all to my correspondents."
"Your humility, Mr. Bingley," said Elizabeth, "must disarm reproof."
"Nothing is more deceitful," said Darcy, "than the appearance of humility. It is often only carelessness of opinion, and sometimes, an indirect boast."
Bingley: "And which of the two do you call my little recent piece of modesty?"
"The indirect boast; for you are really proud of your defects in writing, because you consider them as proceeding from a rapidity of thought and carelessness of execution, which, if not estimable, you think at least highly interesting."

I just always thought that was so funny...and true. Bingley, in his conversation, tries to persuade his audience that he's interesting. In a very humble, subconcious way, I think, but persuade he does nonetheless. He does succeed. (With everyone except Darcy, of course.)

I think everyone does the same thing Mr. Bingley just did every day. With everything they do. With varying degrees of success, subtelty, awareness, consequence, and importance.

Right now, it's pretty obvious that I'm trying to persuade someone...anyone...that my opinion is correct.

Yesterday, my boyfriend was talking to his friend...the way so many guys do...in a neverending stream of movie quotes. I believe, subconciously, they were both trying to persuade anyone listening that they were:
1) funny
2) people with great recall abilities
3) cool and perhaps non-conformists, because the subject material being quoted was slightly non-mainstream
4) great friends
They succeeded only in making me believe they were both unoriginal weirdos who hang out with eachother all the time.

I don't usually put on makeup in the morning, persuading people to believe that I am a late riser. I don't think this is a great thing to be, but like Bingley, I do find it to be an interesting personality quirk, and perhaps a conversation starter. I.e. 'Boy oh boy, I sure am tired! Wish we didn't have to be in class today. Share with me, fellow classmate, your similar story of how you too did not enjoy waking up this morning!'

I chose black for the background color of this blog because it reflects my dark and miserable soul in order to persuade everyone that I am different and no one can understand me! lol jay kay.

Blog numero uno

I have a tendency to talk in wobbly ovals so...if I don't make sense I'm terribly sorry =) Also, my examples are ridiculous.

I think that it is impossible to say that humans are innately good or evil objectively. And because of this I don't think you can say that language has the ability to make people (objectively) good or evil.
For instance, if I was a great orator and an excelent writer I could concievably start a cult and convince masses of people that it was evil to have a pinky finger. The pinky is the source of all evil. We would chop off our pinkies and those of our offspring at birth.
So, my little cult of wierdos would certainly believe that the great majority of people are indeed born with malice in their hearts. I convinced them that to be born with a pinky was to be born sinful and inclined to do dastardly deeds.
In my theoretical cult it is considered noble to cannibalize and a great honor to be thought worthy of being eaten by another human being.
Eating popsicles on days when the temperature is below 35 would also be evil.
So would changing the channel on tv as soon as the commercials came on....and then changing it back every few minutes only to find that you've missed part of the stinking show. Erratic channel changers would be punished severely....But I digress....

I guess what I'm trying to say here is once again, that language doesn't give humans the ability to do good or evil, but it DOES give us the ability to think in those terms. Our mental capacities give us the ability to reason and judge and decide and convince.
Language allows us to CREATE good and evil, to create the idea of selfishness or selflessness, to consider it and decide whether or not one or the other is an acceptable or unacceptable thing.

So, I guess I do agree that composition is the ultimate human endeavor =)

And just to clarify in case I scared anyone, no, I do not actually want to start any freaky cults or cut off anyone's pinky. My personal definition of evil includes dismembering other people.