"Love and Law"

“Love and Law”
Elder Dallin H. Oaks

Audience: The target audience is parents of wayward children, particularly Latter Day Saint parents. This talk was given at the October 2009 general conference of the LDS church.

Enthymeme:

Claim: Obeying the law of God will bring choice blessings
Reason: because obeying the law of God prepared and enables us to feel His love and mercy.

Goal: The goal of the argument is to help parents to realize the need for balance between love and discipline in their family relationships. This recognition will also help parents to find a way to create unity in their families in times of hardship, such as when a member of the family is being disobedient.

How:

Relevant: The examples are relevant to the message and provide support for the point Elder Oaks is trying to make. Also, Elder Oaks includes a variety of examples that demonstrate different aspects of his message. He uses the example of a child living in cohabitation, and relates the common points of misunderstanding and contention between the parents and the child on this subject. He also mentions children who are using drugs or alcohol, and acknowledges the difficulty in dealing with this problem. The examples are fairly general, but the audience is more likely to connect to the subject matter by not using very specific examples. This helps the audience to relate more personally to the message, thus making it more meaningful to them.

He also uses examples from the Savior’s life. This provides a connection with the audience that will lead them to want to implement this message into their life. The audience is trying to be the best parents they can be, and they are also striving to become more like Jesus Christ. Therefore, by giving examples from the Savior’s life about the law of God and the love of God enables the audience to become better parents while at the same time helping them progress in their striving to become more like Jesus Christ.

Tone: The tone of the talk is of a serious nature, and denotes the importance of the message; however, it is not too stern or compelling. There is an expression of love incorporated in the seriousness of the subject matter.

Ethos: The sources that Elder Oaks uses to make his argument are credible, especially to the audience. He uses scriptural references, which the audience will not likely question or doubt. Elder Oaks presents these scriptures in such a way that the audience can gain a new perspective and draw new insights from existing truth.

Is it effective? Yes, the audience not only view the sources that Elder Oaks uses in his talk as credible and trustworthy, but they also trust Elder Oaks as a leader of the church. They will listen to what he has to say, and to the best that they can to implement the message into their own lives.