TOW #18- On Transience by Sigmund Freud

            Transience is any given fact or state that lasts for only a limited amount of time. Transience could be exemplified in a tree’s beauty when snow coats its branches, or in a country such as Austria. Sigmund Freud, father of psychoanalysis, applied his scientific knowledge to his own country’s suffering in his essay, “On Transience”. Freud alludes to his own scientific theory and implements a personal anecdote to convince his fellow Austrians that they can rise up again.

            Freud implements a personal anecdote as he speaks of an instance in which an acquaintance of his showed a negative reaction at the idea of trees loosing their beauty in the winter. Freud tells Austrians that; “My conversation with the poet took place in the summer before the war.” Explaining the occasion of them walking in the park, Freud is able to give validity to his scientific information though his own experience and tie science into real life and the nature of the war. Additionally, he is able to connect himself to the community through this experience, and thus connect himself to his audience.

            Scientific theory is implemented in order to give relevance to Freud’s beliefs about the country’s recovery. Psychological terms and theories, which Freud developed himself, assist in establishing a logical reasoning and thus convincing his audience that what he believes is in fact true.  Freud tells his fellow citizens that, “When it has renounced everything that has been lost, then it has consumed itself, and our libido is once more free (in so far as we are still young and active) to replace the lost objects by fresh ones equally or still more precious.” As the entire country and community are in mourning, a topic that Freud discusses, they are not likely to immediately see the light at the end of the tunnel. By using psychological theory and diction, Freud is able to make his fellow people see the possibilities by giving a sort of scientific proof that they are there. Through this, his audience is able to grasp that theoretically, their rise from the ashes is inevitable.

            Freud, a man who was primarily a psychologist, wrote this essay to convince Austrians that they could rise up again after a devastating war. Implementing his own scientific theory and a personal anecdote, he succeeds in achieving that endeavor.

Sigmund Freud: Father of Psychology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freud_family

Source of Essay: http://www.freuds-requiem.com/transience.html

IRB Intro post 3: Lost Girls by Robert Kolker

The book I am going to read this marking period is Lost Girls: An Unsolved American Mystery by investigative reporter Robert Kolker. Lost Girls is essentially an account of the search for a serial killer in Long Island within a story about an unsolved murder. I chose to read this book because it is a different genre then something I have read before and is about something I am interested in. From this book, I hope to learn about a topic that I find interesting and read something written in a different style from things I have read before

TOW #17- Gettysburg Address: Abraham Lincoln

The Civil War, a dark time in American History, was filled with battles that took place in Abraham Lincolns attempt to restore the united nature of the United States of America. Abraham Lincoln, president of the United States for the duration of the war, gave a famous speech after one of the most famous battles of the war. The Gettysburg address was named such due to the fact that Abraham Lincoln gave it after the battle of Gettysburg. Lincoln implemented an allusion to the Declaration of Independence and Inspirational diction to both honor the dead and inspire his people to keep fighting.

            Lincoln implemented an allusion to the Declaration of Independence to inspire his people. One of the most famous and well-known documents in American history, the people of the United States would presumably be familiar with it. Lincoln told citizens that, “this nation shall have a new birth of freedom and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." By alluding to one of the most well known quotes of this well-known document, Lincoln intended to strike at the patriotism of his people, and remind them what they were fighting for. Freedom, one of the ideals that founded the United States of America was an ideal that Lincoln knew would inspire his people to continue on. Thus, Lincoln’s allusion successfully inspired his people by reminding them what they were in the war for.

            Inspirational and tactical diction was implemented to honor the spirit of the fallen soldiers and put a good name on the war. Or, in other words, to make the war seem like a task of honor rather then one of pointless demise. For example, Lincoln refers to the civil war as “great”, rather then dark or unfortunate and refers to the fallen as “Brave” and “noble”, rather then simply people who had been killed. By doing so, he puts a positive spin on the war and successfully reminds the people what the fallen soldiers died for, and what the living citizens should continue to fight for.

            Lincoln’s Gettysburg address successfully struck at the spirits of American citizens, and with the use of allusion and inspiring diction, inspired them to fight on.

Gettysburg Address
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/gettysburgaddress.htm

Actual Speech Source: http://www.ushistory.org/documents/gettysburg.htm