He must be a good president if he likes the elderly!

In the 1996 presidential campaign ad for President Bill Clinton, running for a second term of office against Bob Dole, the advertisers use inspirational music, clips of women, children and the elderly, and facts to present a persuasive promotion for Clinton's re-election. Already experienced as President for one term, the advertisement emphasizes the good that Clinton has accomplished while in office, listing tax cuts, welfare reforms, and education and work projects to appeal to his credibility. These facts fade in over pictures of smiling women and children with upturned faces, and clips of Clinton mingling with the elderly and disabled. These pictures, paired with favorable statistics and inspirational and patriotic music appeal to the emotions of the audience, who is already aware of how Clinton performs as president. This ad tries to point out all the positive things Clinton has done in office with an emotional appeal to persuade voters who might not be sure they liked Clinton's presidency. The ad appeals to those who are maybe on the fence over which side to vote for, and tries to engage their emotions by presenting Clinton in a positive light as a man who is capable, compassionate and effective. I think this ad was effective towards its audience by combining a logical appeal with an emotionally engaging presentation.

Persuading Men to Come Closer to God

In the 178th Semi-Annual General Conference in April 2008, Elder Gerald N. Lund of the Quorum of the Seventy gave a talk titled "Opening Our Hearts" where he applied rhetorical tools to present a more persuasive and effective address. His talk relied mostly on ethos, while utilizing rhetorical questions to gain credibility and emphasize his points.

In the opening of his address, Elder Lund quotes Nephi and the Apostle Paul concerning the nature of the Holy Ghost and its importance in our lives. Because the audience are the members of the Church, this direct quotation and reference to the scriptures establishes his credibility as a speaker on this topic and gives added strength to his points. Elder Lund then continues directly after his scriptural references to ask two rhetorical questions in succession. This focuses the direction of the talk and adds emphasis to the point he is about to make. He then quotes President Boyd K. Packer, the leader of the Twelve Apostles of the Church, further strengthening his credibility and therefore his "argument."

The rest of Elder Lund's talk is filled with scriptural references and quotations, as he makes direct mention of such ancient and latter-day prophets and leaders as Alma, Mormon, Elder David A. Bednar, Joseph Smith Jr., the Psalmist, and even Jesus Christ. Clearly his talk is most significantly based on ethos, as Elder Lund quotes many of the greatest leaders of the Church, including Christ, the most credible reference one can make. Add to these frequent rhetorical questions to emphasize areas of his talk and drive his points home, and his talk becomes focused and credible. Addressed to such an audience as the members of the Church attending General Conference, his use of rhetorical tools, namely ethos, was effective to relaying his message and convincing his audience to draw closer to the Lord and His Spirit, the ultimate object of his talk.