Whether you have started dating or not, this is an important talk about dating in our current culture. Listen to this presentation and take notes. When you are finished, analyze the presentation by discussing the type of diction used and how that establishes the tone of the piece. Does Jason Evert use imagery or figurative language? Give examples of each. Also identify any rhetorical shifts in the presentation and explain how they enhance his message.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/810680/LH_Y_27-How_To_Date_Your_Soulmate.mp3
In his presentation, Jason Evert very quickly establishes his tone in the way that he utilizes diction. As his audience consists primarily of teens, Evert is sure to use speech that both makes sense to them as well as attracts them. He frequently uses humor to appeal to the young audience, as well as to ensure that they remain intrigued. In doing so, Evert relates with his audience and allows them to feel a sense of understanding for his words. When diverting to a specific story in his presentation, Evert often exaggerates certain elements in order to ridicule common scenarios and point out their flaws. For example, when presenting his third point entitled "Make Commitment Clear," Evert suggests a scenario where he asks a teenage girl if she is dating anyone. The girl then responds with "Well, we're not dating but I guess we're kind of a thing." Evert then outbursts with "No, no. A 'thing' is something that grows out of the side of your foot." In using humorous examples such as this, Evert is able to further captivate his audience, and establish a tone that is both relatable and comical.
ReplyDeleteA tremendous deal of imagery is utilized in this presentation. Most of Evert's presentation consists of a variety of stories relevant to the topic being discussed. Each of these stories are described rather vividly, and create somewhat of a mental image for the audience. For example, under his fifth point "Keep it Pure," Evert picks a boy named Danny out of the audience. He explains a potential scenario for the boy in which he gets married and has a daughter. Years later, Evert explains, Danny opens the door to a boy with various piercings and other sketchy characteristics. He then proceeds to ask the boy "how far would you want this boy to go with your daughter?" This story as well as a plethora of others provides a mental image that affects the reader's perception of Evert's words, and even inclines them to consider his points more carefully.
Figurative language is also quite prevalent in this presentation. In the very beginning, Evert urges his audience to create strong friendships with an individual prior to dating them. He then proceeds to explain that this process is not unlike flying a kite. He states that if you want a kite to ascend, you must pull back on the string. Likewise, if you rush forward too quickly, it will only weaken the kite's flight. This example can also be considered imagery, as figurative language and imagery are quite closely linked. Another example of figurative language/imagery is the story about the man whose arm was crushed by a boulder. After telling the story, Evert explains that the man's urge to love caused him to persevere through that horrific event. He then states that pornography is quite similar to a boulder, as it weighs one down and inhibits them from truly loving.
Finally, rhetorical shifts are evident throughout this presentation. Each time that Evert diverts from his main "point" to tell a story, he uses a rhetorical shift. Evert has ten primary points that he expounds upon in his presentation, but he often enhances these points with a story or mental depiction. This causes the audience to remain captivated, and prevents Evert from simply lecturing without supporting his claims. If he were to stand there and simply present his points to the teens without any humor or mental imagery, he would most likely find it much more difficult to appeal to the audience.
Mary, I found it very interesting that we both had many of the simular views. They were really the many points of the speech that were his strong points. When I posted mine, I was like now for the comments. As I was reading yours I kelt going back to mine and I was like "wow! We have the same thoughts!" I agree with your points on how if he didn't use imagery, his points would have been forgotten by the students listening. This to me was very impacting and I loved the way he present it in such a metter.
DeleteMary, I believe that Jason Evert got his point across so seamlessly because of his extreme use of imagery. Some of the stories he told made me sit there and think "Oh my gosh, this is honestly the cutest thing ever." Also, he made so many points, like how girls think so deeply into relationships at three AM and how boys are so dumb when it comes to relationships that they have no idea how to act when a girl likes them. His imagery makes teens so drawn into his presentation.
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ReplyDeleteJason Evert's speech on dating your soulmate is lengthy, but it considers the audience, is captivating, and is extremely well-put. The diction used is colloquial, making way for a relaxed atmosphere. Also, the informal nature leads to establish the humorous but instructive tone. This is one of Jason's talents; he takes the audience into consideration (tough, challenging teenagers in this case) and delivers his speech in a tone suitable for the situation. He is not too funny that nothing gets taken seriously, but he comes across as more of an aqua intense than an instructor. Teenagers are hard to get to at times, and as a Catholic speaker, it is important to talk about chastity in a unique way to keep them intrigued in the faith. They are the ones building the future, and if they hear the message bad at first, it will be hard to change their minds on the topic and side with the church.
ReplyDeleteJason Evert uses, imagery, figurative language, and literary shifts to appeal to the audience. Anecdotes were used that contained imagery. One beautiful story that he told was the one about the man getting caught in a cave. He used imagery to create the image of a dark cave, large boulder, beautiful child, bloody arm, then finally, a perfect family sitting together. This story delivers a scary view in the minds of the audience, but nevertheless, gets the point that "love is a motivation" across. The figurative language Jason used brought humor to his presentation. In regard to pre-marital living arrangements, he warned against "putting one toe in the water first." He then continued to explain that living together before marriage was a sign of weakness in a couple, and that it is important to marry someone and learn to love their faults. Literary shifts were used in this piece as well and contributed to the overall message of finding the perfect spouse. One example is when they used the similar-sounding words "bind" and "blind." The hormone oxytocin impairs critical thinking in a women and binds a couple with trust and fraudulent love. At the same time, it blinds them, making sexual intercourse outside of marriage extremely dangerous for a relationship. This is one example that he gave in order to shift from his main ten points to tell a story.
Overall, I think that this approach to teaching chastity when dating is effective. With goals, main points to accomplish, and a numbered list, listeners know how much longer the presentation will be. It is not painful to sit through which is part of Jason's goal, and it is humorous yet educational. His stories all have nice endings but he does stress that life is not a fairytale and that there is suffering to go along with abstinence and marriage both. His speech was made credible with statistics from multiple scientific and historic sources and his use of satire was ingenious. This was definitely worth listening to and it should be shared with more people.
Grace, I strongly agree with you on his humor. He presented his humor in a modest and effective way which did not distract the viewers from the main points. I know I can recall myself engaging in the videos. The way he presented his humor was in the comments about the stories and the messages he had to share. I believe it is the humor in his presentation which made the length feel like a few minuets. I really enjoyed the presentation and feel as if more people should view what he has to say because it is truly effective.
DeleteWell...that was certainly interesting. Not exactly something I planned on listening to. His genre is not exactly something I was totally interested in. But what the heck, it's Valentine's Day. It's not like I was going to do something else that was more interesting. After about five minutes of listening to it, I realized I was wrong. I could be doing something a lot more interesting. But perseverance is one of my strong suits (not really) so I persevered through and got some pretty good notes. While I am writing this though, I am setting up my telescope. The andromeda Galaxy and Jupiter should be visible if the clouds clear. So I apologize any typos. Thought you'd all love to hear those little stories.
ReplyDeleteThe first thing I noticed, was that this Jason Everett guy was the same guy from last year. So I kind of knew what to expect. He hasn't changed at all in his style of speaking. He was talking to an auditorium full of teenagers, so he didn't use the most sophisticated diction possible. If he did, his talk would be rather unappealing. He also used a good bit of humor to make his talk appealing. Talks devoid of humor are usually just rather boring. I have a very low attention span. I found myself though actually paying attention. Usually I only pay attention to things I found interesting, apparently this was interesting or else I wouldn't have paid attention. The humor definitely helped me stay focused. The one but of humor that stuck out to me most was when the girl said that she wasn't Ina relationship but they were still kinda a thing. Jason then remarked that a thing is something that grows on the side of your foot.
He also tells lots of stories to create imagery. The story that stuck out to me was where the climber got pinned to the wall of the cave by the giant rock. The climber had given up, and was just going to die. But then he saw a hallucination of his future son and decided he was going to escape. This story implies that love should come first and people should be willing to do whatever it takes. The imagery was obviously effective, cause the guy ends up cutting off his arm in the name of his future son. I'm going to be honest, I'm pretty sure I'd never be able to cut off my arm. So this story invoked lots of emotion on my part and also made me respect this guy I had never met a lot more.
The subject of this presentation was not really a topic everyone wants to listen to (including me). But it is something everyone needs to hear. Jason makes it a bearable by using humor, imagery, and simple diction. When I say bearable, I didn't think it was bad. This was just not exactly my cup of tea. But, who's cup of tea is this? Exactly. That's what I thought. I certainly think everyone in our grade (some people more than others) need to hear this presentation. That's all I have. Hope I see what to want to see tonight!
Nick, I too get very distracted easily. The idea that I sat down and listened to it all at one time was surprising to me. I doodled all over my notes though.. so who knows how well I caught everything, but to me I caught many of the main points needed for the blog while I got others that were written down for my well being. This in turn also helped me get more out of the assignment rather than just doing which made me really happy. I also want to wish you the best of luck that they Kyle clears and you can see what you want to see. Stupid snow.
DeleteYour first paragraph is so funny, Nick. When I started listening to the podcast, I automatically thought about how you would react to this topic. Even though it is not a fun topic for you to explore (I learned from my brothers that boys can find better things to do in the little free time that they have) , you are right about what Jason Evert is saying. The foot "thing" was funny, along with many other stories he told. The audience is considered because like you and your telescope, students listening to his speech were thinking about all of the other ways they could be spending their time. Jason captured his listeners, however, and engages them in the topic at hand. I also think that many students in our school, town, and country would benefit from listening to this, especially on Valentine's Day. On a side not, I hope you find your space objects. Did you read about them in that book? You have a good start on your astrophysicist career.
DeleteI agree that Jason Evert's use of humor appealed very greatly to his audience. Many teenagers, as you've mentioned, have very low attention spans, and consequently find themselves zoning out on a presentation about some old Catholic man's idea of love. However, through his humorous tone and use of imagery, Evert's presentation was made much more intriguing. I think that this is the reason that Jason Evert is so successful with teenagers. He realizes that teenagers are not interested in listening to a ninety year old nun tell them not to have sex lest they go to hell. He knows that teenagers will be much more apt to pay attention if he relates to them on a personal level, and let's them know that he understands what they are going through. Evert delivers his message with humor, but also with a certain urgency. He knows that teens need to hear this message, and so he uses as many devices as possible to ensure that his message is perceived. On an irrelevant note, I too wish you luck in your celestial endeavors.
DeleteHis use of humor was great Nick. I was not exactly what I wanted to hear either, but I ended up liking it in the end. I think that it was crazy about how that guy saw his future son. I could not image that happening. But, I guess that shows you how love can make people do crazy things and be something that they never thought possible. I ended up not taking notes, but just listening to it and picking out points that I liked. But I can get distracted too! Hope you saw your stars/planets/space stuff!
DeleteNick, I thought that this presentation was going to be really boring and something that I did not want to listen to, especially when that guy in the beginning was talking about Jason. However, when I continued to listen to Jason speak, I realized that I really liked what he was talking about, well I did not "like" it, but I thought that it was really funny, and as you have said, it is what we need to hear. I also really enjoyed all of the stories that he told while doing his speech. He made it really funny. I literally laughed out loud and my mom thought that I was crazy. I think that this Jason Evert is a really good speaker.
DeleteGizzy, I hope your stargazing went well. I agree with all of your points. Usually, I hate these kinds of videos but this one was really touching. The speaker was great and I had a fun time listening to it. Evert uses a lot of rhetorical strategies throughout his work which makes the piece even better to listen to. I really enjoy reading your blogs because of of your tone which is very humorous.
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ReplyDeleteJason Evert uses many of his personal stories as well as others that help him make his teachings eligible to connect to his audience made up of teenagers. This allows him to set his tone throughout his speech. His use of imagery grabs the teenagers attention because they are an alternative way to teach the lesson. He also uses figurative language to show the relationships.
His tone is very well suited for his audience. He makes them laugh multiple times throughout the speech from many of the stories he uses. He not only makes his stories to one sex, if he does he seems to alternate it between girls and boys or combining the two. This shows how he is not just focused on one gender but both. This is because they both have to work together in order to be successful in the relationship. The stories work well with the audience because they can really connect with it because of the imagery it has. This helps the students picture the lesson and learn the true meaning of it rather than him talking about it separately. My favorite story was under number 4 which was meet the parents. Here Evert told the story how the couple was together and they really cared for each other but the father was concerned that it wasn't the right timing for a relationship. The boy respected that knowing that he might never get to talk to her agin. What he didn't know was that they father was eventually going to allow them down the road and that they would soon get married. This to me really showed that parents truly know best for the road ahead.
He goes on to use many metaphors to show how relationships need to be. He uses two in particular that I seemed to like the most. The one with the kites how it needed to be pulled in directions in order for it to keep flying. He then compared it to a relationship that each person has to pull their own weight in order to the relationship to be successful. He goes on to tell about the foundation of a relationship in how you have to build up to a relationship. This in turn reminded me on building a house because of starting with a foundation then building your way up to the top.
The also uses Rhetorical shifts in order to recreate his points by using stories that connect to his audience. He uses this for many of his points which is one of his stronger points in his speech.
The story about the letters made me so happy, Madison. There was struggling involved as the couple had to be separated, but the ending was like a fairytale. That story has to do with chastity, but can also be looked at on a bigger scale. Life is also filled with struggles but ends with the fairytale reward of heaven. Is this ironic? God promises those who follow him great rewards, and the couple in the story did just this. By honoring the women's father, mother, and the women herself, the man proved himself. The imagery made him out to be very handsome in my mind because I know that he is a respectful gentleman. All of Jason's stories give me hope because there are very loving people out in the world. Another point that he made (it might not have been at the same point in the podcast) was about abstinence. We have to raise our standards to find a boy that will wait with us, not just respect our decision and wait for us. This topic can often be uncomfortable, but the stories Jason uses make it interesting.
DeleteI think that each person does need to pull their own weight in a relationship. The stories about the letters made me happy too! I love how his purpose suited both sexes and not just girls or not just boys. I can't imagine how hard it must have been for that couple to realize that they may never talk to each other or get to have that happy ending, but they did. It is so amazing about how two people can find each other again. I think that the father was right, and that maybe they need to find themselves before they found each other. They got to experience one of God's great rewards.
DeleteMaddie, As Grace mentioned I really like the letters as well. It was a heart warming story that actually made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. The couple received so much by following God and his teachings and respecting other people. A true relationship can only survive if it is based on respect of all people and Evert did a great job of showing this and I think he highlights the important parts of what a relationship needs to truly last.
DeleteI went into listening to this blog with such a bitter attitude simply because, as most of you know, I hate the idea of love. It makes me actually upset to try and fool myself into the idea that one day someone will just smile at me for no reason, just simply for my existence, or that they will willingly want to talk to me everyday about all the stupid thoughts that run through my head like a freight train. Jason Evert does a very good job of going about the idea of dating, however.
ReplyDeleteHe establishes the tone with a story about an old woman who was suffering from dementia and how her husband stood by her side through it all. When he tells this story he forms a bond in a way to the females in the audience and the males as well by showing how that is a goal for a relationship. Then, when he states that most people would shut down that story because it involves older people instead of teenagers and how they are wrong. It is good to have #relationshipgoals, but we need to be realistic and see that we are not going to become Nick Jonas and his girlfriend overnight.
Jason uses a lot of imagery throughout his presentation, mostly thought stories, and my favorite description of what girls do at 2 AM. I am so guilty of staying until all hours of the morning discussing the crushes I've had on people with my friends, but it takes those conversations for me to realize the most important thing in the world: boys are dumb. They really do not know how to handle the idea of a girl liking them. They see that a girl likes them, then they push that person away and go make a joke out of them. Okay, sorry I thought your awful eyebrows were cute.
I really loved his last point about trying to not give up hope even when we are not in a relationship or things are not working out for us. However, I still feel that way too often.
I do not think love is real because we all have too high of expectations that will never be filled. We look at certain people and wonder what it would be like for them to love you, then you wonder what it would be like for them to text you at 3 am, and what I would be like to do simple things like meet their family and have them hold your hand when you cry. Then, you realize that it is a glorified image of what a relationship actually is. You realize that what you imagine a person being is not even close to how they are in real life and you are blinded. I think this talk was wonderful, but it will take me actually being in love to believe anything that he says.
I agree with your statements regarding #relationshipgoals and how completely unrealistic they are. It seems that with love these days, everyone is so focused on what they will get out of the relationship. Girls long for a boy who will buy them roses and practically kiss the ground they walk on. Boys are often obsessed with what the girl will do with him sexually, and what he will get out of it. Now of course, this is not true for everyone, but it seems to be what is popular among the kids these days. It is so sad to witness, because this idea of "love" is so far from what Jason Evert suggests to us in this presentation. Evert gives us an insight on how to create long lasting relationships that are much less likely to end in divorce. Everyone wants an ideal relationship, but no one is willing to work through the hardships and to keep God the center of the relationship. As for your thoughts on love, I say you should give it a chance. God has a special plan for you, so start praying for your future husband so that he can soften you up to the idea of love someday. :)
DeleteJenna, you have almost completely took the words right out of my mouth! I always tell myself that I never want to fall in love because I know that no one that I meet will EVER be what I want them to be. This is primarily he reason that I love fictional characters (not love like "OMG I want to marry this fictional guy," more like I enjoy the idea of fictional characters). I know who they are and I love their personalities. However I do not want to fall in love because I know that I could not possibly have the love that I have dreamt up in my subconscious.
DeleteJenna, I completley understand you. Love is so overrated :P Someday when you're rich and famous, you won't have to give any of your money to a slacker of a husband. I'm just kidding. As Evert says, there's always someone out there for you. But anyway, the reason I commented on your blog is that you said boys are dumb. THIS IS SO TRUE. I literally cannot think of any boys in our grade who will get inducted into national honor society. Beyond that, I don't know that there is any boy I would trust to actually be there if I ever needed him. So yeah. I'm totally there with you. I wish there were some boys in our grade who are not complete morons or take drugs or a combination of the two. Actually, there are 4 boys I can think of that do not fall into any of those categories. But anyway, sorry. I always feel like venting about our class and when I saw your sentence about boys being stupid, I knew this was the place to vent. I love venting.
DeleteI went into this podcast thinking that it was going to be a guy preaching to teens about how they should not move into love too fast. I figured he was going to quote every single thing from the bible on how teen relationships can be bad. But he didn't. And surprisingly, he did not reference the bible in every single thing, but talked directly to teenagers. He did not use archaic diction, or use old fashioned words like "Fornication." Instead, he talked to teens about sex in realistic way, and used personal stories about himself. I thought it was funny when he talked about how all of his ex-girlfriends married his friends. You can definitely paint a picture of that in your head, and although it is funny, it is also kind of sad. I also could relate of the image of the girls talking about boys at 2AM. I am guilty of this one. While you are so worried about this boy you like, chances are he is in his dorm, playing angry birds and not caring too much about you. But then again, there are some boys who do care about their girlfriends. But, I'm pretty sure that does not happen until much later. My favorite story of his is the one about the boy and the girl. So many parents want you to stay away from dating in your teens, because it can destroy you. When your young, you have so much ahead of you. If you let a relationship destroy all that, then your future is ruined and you never know what could have been. I guess that is what the dad was trying to do for his daughter; protect her and her future. I can see why they decided to date in secret though, because we always think we know better than our parents. I have to say though, if I was in her position, I would have done the same thing. I have never been one to believe in high school sweethearts, but I think that if you leave each other but find your way back to each other, then you are meant to be. His proposal was so adorable, but I can't help but wonder about what would have happened if the father would not have called the boy. Would he still have found his way back to her. That is an image that I have replayed over and over, and the diction used about the father called the boy "son." Overall, I think that the speech was very effective, considering it was given to a group of skeptical college students. Evert is not super- preachy, and kids can relate to that. In my experience, you just shut down when being preached too. Evert gives the children the notion that they can experience dating for themselves, but there are certain ways to go about it. I am not sure the occasion or exactly why he chose to speak about chasity to these students,but he did a great job. I think he conveyed his purpose well. I certainly believe that to love someone, you have to worry about both of your futures, and getting each other to heaven is certainly a great future goal.
ReplyDeleteJason Evert presents his message to an audience consisting mainly of teenage boys and girls who are starting to become more involved with different types of relationships, one which is dating. Evert provides five dos and do nots to show how a healthy relationship can last and the reasons they should last.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first saw the actually time of the video, I thought to myself, well this is going to feel longer than an hour. However, it turned out that this video felt like he was only talking for twenty minuets. The reason this presentation felt so short was because of his diction and tone with the use of imagery, figurative language, and rhetorical shifts. All of these aspects along with a few other rhetorical assistants, helped use humor and anecdotes to engage the audience to really listen to what Jason Evert has to share on how to gain a healthy relationship.
Jason Evert starts from the very beginning with his unique ability to entertain and present information. He starts the presentation off with two anecdotes, stories of an elderly woman with Alzheimer's and the young couple who underwent a surgery. These two anecdotes guide into his diction. The humorous representation is what makes Evert so unique to every other Chastity and relationship presenter. The humorous tone is built up around his simple, yet instructive choice of words, which make the audience relaxed and engaged. Though he tone and diction are very strong it is his numerous examples of imagery, figurative language, and shifts. He uses anecdotes to portray his imagery. By giving a short story of a relationship or stories that he has witnessed and experienced, he ties them into a larger picture portraying the meaning behind the stories. This can be seen with example with meeting the parents. He begins by sharing a story about and young couple who married two years after the hard, yet mature, decision that at the time it was not the best relationship and focus for them as a high school couple. This anecdote causes the audience to think of situations that could have resulted or situation the could have been avoided. All of these scattering thoughts are lead to the audience's own imagery. When looking over the figurative language in this presentation, the example which stuck in my head was the kite. A person must step back and steer/pull the strings in order to set the kite flying successfully. Jason Evert uses this as an example to show how relationships grow. By starting with friendship you begin to understand and "dig up" information from past relationships and from the group of people they tend to hang around. Rhetorical shift is what allows him to relate situations to his moral meanings. In the section of meeting the parents transition to a pure relationship he uses a shift. Evert discusses the effects of oxytocin and how this hormone can impair us. By using the words binds an blinds shows the change of order. This hormone causes a woman to feel emotionally attached causing them to be blind to harms of the individual. This binding and blinding can be dangerous outside of marriage because all harms are vanished. All of these examples and devices are what assists in Evert's tone.
Jason Evert uses a humorous and informative tone to connect with the generally young audience. I feel as if by using humor the young adults will have more of a connection to what is being said and that these teens and young adults can take into consideration what is being said. If this presentation did not contain humor of engaging topics most viewers would zone out and just remember the presentation as another "Don't have sex because it is wrong" topic. This is what draws and engages the viewers to finish. I found this to be very moving and true because all your actions build up and the kind of person you are is the type of person you will meet, so respect yourself and others because everyone deserves a chance in a joyful relationship filled with love.
Sydney, I agree that Jason's humor is what helped his audience stay engaged throughout his presentation. The humor gave his talk a new approach on an old topic. As you mentioned, most teens have heard talks about chastity presented simply as "don't have sex because it's wrong." This approach is didactic and boring, and most teens quickly tune out the speaker's message. However, Jason uses a different approach in order to hold their interest. By focusing on love, not sex, Jason exposes the inner working of a true relationship. He provides his audience with five points to follow, and five actions to avoid. His points a valid, and are supported with stories about himself or other people. These stories captivate the audience, drawing them in and giving real meaning to his message. Jason's humor takes his presentation over the top. The humor helps the audience relate to him and his message, and keeps them engaged. Without the humorous stories and quips, his presentation would still have been good, but it would not have had the same effect on his audience.
DeleteSydney, I agree that Jason Everts sense of humor was what essentially kept me engaged the entire presentation. When I saw the length of the podcast, I was in the same boat at you when thinking that this was going to drag out forever and that I was going to loose my mind. Then, when I got into his stories and imagery, he made such an impact on the way I think about love.
DeleteI agree with you completely, Sydney. When I first saw the blog this week and saw the length of the video,I decided to hold off on doing it. I felt the length was going to be too much and a complete waste of time. When it began, I also feel as if the speaker was just going to tell me to be chaste until I was blue in the face, but instead I was really engaged and really moved by his talk. I also enjoyed him using scientific research in his speech. It validated what he was saying. My favorite was he hormones because it is amazing what the female body does with babies and men.
DeleteJason Evert had a very effective speech aimed towards college students. His tone was friendly instead of authoritative. This made kids more willing to listen because Evert made his talk as talking with them instead of at them. He even included kids by calling them out in the middle of his speech. In his speech, he made sure to not focus on a single gender, but both genders. Many times people blame one sex for the problems of relationships, but both genders play a role in the success and failure of relationships. His use of figurative language, imagery, and other rhetorical strategies help keep the audience interested and engaged.
ReplyDeleteI personally really enjoyed Evert's speech because I am the most hopeless romantic anyone could ever meet. I am in love with the idea of love. With that being said, Evert's imagery of a family in a car with an elderly woman with Alzheimer's really got me engaged in listening to what he was saying. He gave the audience imagery of the elderly lady asking her husband where they were going every twenty seconds, and him answering like she hadn't asked before. Then when she forgot about him and he was taking care of her, she said, "I don't know who you are, but you're the best." I think this is effective with an audience of young adults because of their dreams and goals of being loved so much that someone would stay even if they could not remember them to appreciate everything they've done for them. I will admire there were a couple times I started crying during this. I may be too in love with the idea of love. Another image Evert gave in his opening was the story told by a surgeon general of a woman who had a tumor removed and was left with a twisted mouth. The husband twisted his lips to kiss her, and the surgeon thought, "finally a man who loves his woman more than his own convenience." Although it is not a main point, it is effective in showing the audience that anyone who loves you will love you for your flaws and imperfections and they will help you through what seems like a tough time.
Evert also uses a metaphor of a kite to verify the fact if we move forward too fast, it will actually set us further back. My favorite part was when Evert compared how girls saying they have a "thing" with a guy to a thing being something that grows out of your foot. It is funny because how many times do we head girls say, "yeah, we are not dating, but we have a thing." What is a "thing?" Can you define this meaning of "thing?" I know I am guilty of saying it, but I als am confused by myself when I say it.
I was really skeptical of this speech being interested, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and I stayed very engaged. Evert made kids feel as instead of attacking their lifestyle, he was giving them a better alternative.
Lauren, I think it is wonderful that you pointed out the responsibilities of both genders in a relationship. This point is very true, but is often overlooked by people when they look at a relationship. Both the man and the woman have similar duties to each other, but they also have duties that are not similar at all. One of the most important responsibilities men and women have to each other is communication. People may think that woman overanalyze a situation or that they create drama where none exists. Others believe that men do not speak of their feelings at all, leaving others to wonder how they feel. Evert points out that women do overanalyze their potential relationships, but only because men rarely tell them how they feel. Women like to feel safe and secure, and today's relationships are notoriously unstable. In order for a woman to have some piece of mind, she will think through every possible scenario in order to evaluate it. This process could be eliminated if the man she was stressed about just told her how she felt.
DeleteJason Evert makes the tone of his speech very clear by taking a humorous approach towards his audience of college students. He takes the best approach by using humor. Usually when talking to a group of students at any age, the speaker would want to be funny to keep the audience's attention. Personally when listening to the speech, I could not stop laughing. He makes so many valid points that most people know in the back of their minds but are too afraid to actually say it. In this speech, Jason is a humorist that is using the unspoken truth to further his points.
ReplyDeleteOther than his humorous tone of his speech, Jason also uses allusions to help his topics. One of the stories that really touched my heart was the one about the two Seniors in high school who loved each other so much that they wrote each other love letters. When the girl's father told them to break it off, however, the man respected her father enough to do so. They loved each other so much that they had to continue their love in secret. After that, the father found out, and the man told her father about his love for her. The man agreed to break it off until the father said that it was alright for them to get back together. The man took back all of the love letters that he had written to the girl. After two long years of college, the girl's father told the man that they could get back together. They started dating again and at Christmas, the man gave the girl the present of a tree. They went out to plant the tree and the man was digging until he got to a box that he had buried all of the the letters that they had written to each other the day that they agreed to break up their relationship. There was one letter that she had not read, however, and it was a letter that he had written to propose marriage. The night that he buried the letters, he asked God to watch over the girl and make her happy, which meant if there was a better man out there for her than he, that she marry that man instead. This story really touched my heart and the hearts of most of the people in the audience. Other than this allusion, he also uses biblical allusions. He was talking about a time in the bible where a married couple prayed to God to tell Him that their marriage was not with lust before they consummated their marriage. Jason uses many allusions to prove his points well. He tells these stories to prove his point that if one trusts in God then God will deliver what He has promised.
Evert does a tremendous job at connecting with his teenage audience and bringing across important lessons in a meaningful way. He is able to relate with the audience in a way that only furthered their experience in learning. Usually, when you put an adult in front of kids and have them talk about love, it does not produce positive results. In my own experience, when an adult talks to us about love, it is like we are living in two opposite worlds. However, Evert actually made this talk interesting and I was able to really connect with him and his lessons. Evert's tone was directly influenced by his diction in the respect that he was addressing teenagers. He used words and phrases that a teenager would understand and did not try to make a large, complex lesson out of all this. His use of small lessons which gave potent lessons, was able to keep the listener's attention. Evert's tone throughout the piece is humorous. A humorous tone is effective in all audiences because it keeps a work interesting and appeals to a listener's sense of humor. His humor also points out how stupid some situations are when dealing with dating, which is extremely funny.
ReplyDeleteEvert uses imagery extensively to work towards his points to which he makes to the audience. He uses extensive details which allows the listener to see the situation they presented in their head. This makes the points brought across much more vivid than if Every used bland language and did not try to make a scene. My favorite example of imagery is the man getting stuck in the cave. Evert gives details that make the story clear and even more meaningful. This story also shows how love drives people to do amazing things and try harder than they ever have. Evert also uses figurative language in a variety of ways. To give his lessons more dimension, he uses figurative language to make more sense. The first time he does this in the presentation is when he uses the flying of a kite analogy when dealing with getting to know a person. This analogy really makes sense and brings the point across to the readers.
I really liked this presentation because it adresses points about love in a very unique way. I have been dating and this presentation actually gave me some really unique advice. Usually, I'm very close minded to talks of these sorts but this one opened my eyes and reiterated what love really is. This presentation also touched me because it showed what God truly wants in a relationship and this is what I will strive for in the future.
Abbey, I agree with you on what you said about these types of talks. Many of the times adults speak to teenagers about love or chastity or anything else along those lines it turns into an argument or dispute on which idea is correct. However, Jason Evert was just the opposite in his way of holding the attention of the audience. I know when I first saw the length of the video I was not looking forward to it because I believed that it was going to be just another presentation. What was said to be over an hour felt like twenty minuets, and I believe this is because of his tone and style.
DeleteI agree, Abbey. This speech is definitely something I will carry along into my relationship. It is something I believe everyone in a relationship should listen to and contemplate because it is immensely helpful. I never thought I would agree with what an adult had to say about relationships, but this proved me wrong. I felt as if a fellow teenager was talking to me for ten minutes instead of an adult talking to me for over an hour. I enjoyed how he was able to make his imagery vivid, yet he stayed conise in explaining to his audience. He did not drag it out and make his audience lose interest.
DeleteAbbey, I have to agree with you on many things you said. He made it very easy to relate with. I felt teenagers would be able to understand him very easily. His stories also stirred up emotions and made people really get what he was saying. He also used a good humor, just to make sure nobody could fall asleep. I found myself laughing many times throughout his presentation. I thought it was a very good presentation, and I think everybody needs to hear it.
DeleteJason Evert's presentation about dating was insightful and captivating. His use of diction, tone, and rhetorical strategies helped him create the most appealing presentation possible.
ReplyDeleteEvert's diction was simple yet strong. His words were common, but they conveyed his message clearly. Limiting his vocabulary helped him relate to his audience, an auditorium of teenagers. Using too many complex words would have created a barrier and made them less receptive to his message. He would have seemed to be a pretentious adult come to give yet another talk about relationships. Instead, the audience relates to him and understands his message. By limiting his vocabulary, Evert could have lost some of the depth and meaning of his message. However, he chose words and phrases that retained the core of his message even if they may not have sounded as intelligent.
Evert's tone was personal, confident, and comical. Evert speaks to a huge crowd of people, but it seems as though he is talking to an individual. He uses examples that are easy to relate to, creating a sense of closeness between himself and each member of the audience. Evert is confident of his message. He knows what he believes, and is not afraid to share it. He knows that his message is controversial, but he speaks confidently. He never hesitates to say what he means. Evert uses many comical stories and sentences during his presentation. His humor allows him to connect the audience and focus their attention on what he is saying.
Evert uses both imagery and figurative language in his presentation. His imagery comes in the form of the short stories he tells. The most striking use of imagery for me was the story of the young man and woman who planted a tree. After waiting for two years to date a girl because of her father's wishes, a young man decides to marry her. He gives her a tree for Christmas, and they go outside to plant it. In the spot they plant it, he unearths their love letters. He pulls out one he never sent to her, the letter asking her to marry him. This story was vivid in my mind, and illustrated the concept of obedience perfectly. Evert also uses figurative language. His figurative language is mainly comical, such as his comment about "the Ryan Gosling of Catholicism." This comment helped him illustrate what a true gentleman was without the need for a lengthy explanation.
Evert also uses many rhetorical shifts in his presentation. These rhetorical shifts are seen most often when Evert uses a story to prove a point or explain an example. These shifts enhance his presentation by adding realism to his message. Without the use of the short stories, his message becomes hypothetical and unrealistic. Using the stories to show how his points are valid and applicable in today's society vastly improves his presentation.
Jason Evert's presentation about dating was skillfully delivered. His use of several rhetorical strategies helps to captivate his audience as they learn about love and dating in today's culture.