Conclusion

I have a friend that would constantly be bombarded with compliments such as, "Hey! You look so cute today!" or "Oh my... you are so smart!" and "You are way too talented for your own good," as well as, "You are one of the funniest people I have ever met!" Being the humble lass that she was, she'd smile and sincerely reply, "Oh, I'm just following your example." Such a response has always stuck with me. It really got me thinking that we are products of what and who we surround ourselves with. We learn from others, and follow those inspiring examples who have set the path before us, because their life is also a product for how they've been trying to live.

Hence the name of this blog, I tried to focus my design around this theme, as well as write most of my posts on either specific people as examples, examples of character traits, examples of lessons learned in life, or examples of what was learned in my Writing and Rhetoric class. Knowing that my class was going to be reading this blog, I had them in mind as my audience, as well as a few family members that I knew checked up on the blog every once in awhile. Also, this blog was a good reflection for me to think of the many great examples in my life that I've been surrounded by, as well as productively apply real-life examples to what I was learning in class.

Generally speaking, however, when posting or uploading anything to the world wide web, you can never be quite sure who will stumble upon what you've shared. Years from now, this blog could show up on a Google search result, and someone could start reading and be affected by what I have written. By keeping this broader audience in mind, it really made me carefully choose my words and to express myself in a way that would not be exclusive, but inviting. Whether by the persuasiveness of my words, or the effect of the examples I have written about, I hope this blog has broadened the sense of awareness of all the examples present around us.

 

Finally, in a world full of confusion and competing examples to follow, another purpose I had with this blog was to incorporate the Gospel and example of Jesus Christ—the ultimate example to follow. With all that is virtuous, lovely, of good report, or praiseworthy, I hope that we can follow those who carry these Christ-like attributes, as well as apply them to ourselves. Ultimately, after all is said and done in this life I hope when Christ greets us and says, "Well done thou good and faithful servant" we can look Him in the eye and say, "I was just following your example." :)

Final Paper Draft

Research, Writing, and Rhetoric:  Discovering the Plain and Precious

            Throughout this semester learning about writing and rhetoric, I came to understand a great deal about the writing process, and how the power of words is an influential keystone in our ability to persuade. Furthermore, learning and experiencing the research process brought to light the importance of picking and choosing the right material to also increase one’s capacity to influence. All through this process, I related to the prophet Ether when he expressed the trial of writing “because of the awkwardness of our hands… when we write we behold our weakness, and stumble because of the placing of our words.” (Ether 12:24-25). Nevertheless through much prayer and preparation for the initially seeming impossible task of writing an eight to ten page research paper, I found that my thoughts and words were guided to find that material which was “plain and pure, and most precious and easy to the understanding of men.” (1 Nephi 14:23). With this example, every aspect of the Book of Mormon is designed to persuade all men to come unto Christ. Likewise, so must our papers be designed to portray only “the most plain and precious” parts of our argument, and easily persuade others to our point with credible information, facts, and evaluation.
            Beginning the process for writing the research paper, I was originally overwhelmed by my teacher’s request to write an annotated bibliography for each possible source I might use in my paper. Reading and skimming through about twenty or more articles, I felt frazzled at the abundance of information on my subject. I was having trouble organizing my thoughts, but then asked myself the questions: What articles would be best at reinforcing the point I’m trying to make? And which sources are most credible? After a lengthy process of evaluating each article and writing down the main points for the bibliography, I was left with eight sources to cite in my paper. When the time came to actually write the paper, I was pleasantly surprised to find that most of my paper had been practically written because of the annotated bibliography. As a result, because I’d already taken the time to evaluate each source and write down its importance, all I had to do was analyze it’s relevance to my topic and add my own commentary. All in all, from this experience I learned that it takes time and effort to uncover the most plain and precious parts for the argument of a research paper.
            In conjunction with discovering these plain and precious parts, I also discovered through the writing process of the research paper that I have control over the information I would like to convey to my audience. From a biased perspective, I had the power to present the facts in such a manner that would offer my argument the most credibility. Nevertheless, I learned that part of the process was presenting the cons, as well as the pros of the argument. Accordingly, by presenting both sides of the issue and proving that the pros outweighed the cons, such benefits would only offer my argument more reliability.
            With this in mind, I also made the connection of why the Book of Mormon contains so much credibility. Being retranslated and studied over periods of thousands of years, the Bible has lots of room for error and misinterpretation. As such, it does not possess the fullness of truth. Nevertheless, as the Lord revealed to Nephi in 2 Nephi 29: 8, “Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember one nation like unto the other? Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another. And when the two nations shall run together the testimony of the two nations shall run together also.” With the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible and the Book of Mormon as an additional testament of Jesus Christ, both works go hand in hand to confirm the truth and ensure the other’s credibility. Altogether, through the research process I discovered that one must analyze all sides of the argument to further ensure why it’s the most plain and precious above the rest.
            In conclusion, through understanding the persuasive fundamentals of writing and rhetoric, such skills proved to be very useful throughout the research process. Furthermore, by taking the time and energy to sift through the vast quantities of information on my subject, both pros and cons, I was able to find those sources that offered my argument greater influence. In conjunction, the wise guidance of my teacher to record an annotated bibliography also proved to be very useful in further uncovering the in-depth treasures of the credible articles I’d already selected, and will continue to be part of the research process in the future. Altogether, by learning and applying these skills to the writing and research and process, I was able to overcome “the awkwardness of [my] hand,” and reap the benefits of uncovering the most plain, precious, and effective skills in the journey of writing a research paper.

Personal Narrative

The Courage to Share

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             “Two and half weeks?! Liza, it’s last summer we’re going to have to hang out before you go to college next summer!”
            “I know! That’s exactly what I tried to tell my dad! But he’s forcing our whole family to go to Nauvoo and do a pageant thing down there. Trust me, I’ve tried compromising and doing everything to get out of this.”
            “Ah man… it just won’t be the same without you in St. George. Or Lake Powell. Or Lagoon. Or the canyon cookouts. Or Ben’s birthday party… there’s just way too much going on that you shouldn’t have to miss!”
            I sighed, trying to hold back the tears and frustration. “Seriously…”
            “What even is this pageant? And what are you going to do down there besides that? Are there any amusement parks? Or malls to go shopping at?”
            “It’s like a musical play reenacting the Mormon pioneers time in Nauvoo and the series of events that led them to their trek West. And there’s nothing else I can think of to do there… As far as I know, everyone just hangs out and wears hot and sweaty bonnets, long and heavy floor-length dresses, pantaloons, thick boots and socks…”
            “Sounds like modest really is hottest,” my friend said trying to lighten the mood. “I’m so sorry Liza…”
            “Thanks, Emily. Hopefully it’ll be okay. Though don’t be surprised if you get a call from me at least three times a day.”
            The trip was off to a glorious start by squeezing seven bodies into a cramped motor home. Driving by millions of cornfields, cows, Nebraska thunderstorms, ghetto gas stations, and open plains… I was jolted awake when the car stopped. I was asleep most of the trip, and had been drowning out the noise by listening to my iPod. But here we were in Nauvoo. The car door opened and the humidity hit me like a ton of bricks. I never knew it was possible to go from cool and relaxed, to sweltering hot and suffering in less than five seconds. The owners of the RV Park welcomed us and said that we were lucky to arrive on such a “cool” evening. If this was nice weather, how in the world was I suppose to endure the average heat, and wear layers of long-sleeved pioneer clothes in the pageant? I went back in the car, blasted the air conditioning, and closed my eyes praying the next two weeks would fly by.
            “Everybody from the Green cast gather round!” said the director. “The Yellow cast from the week before is now going to perform and teach you guys the ‘Welcome Dance’ in the opening scene of the pageant!”
            Right off the bat I knew that this experience was going to take me out of my comfort zone real fast. My sister and I kept looking at each other and laughing as we watched them with total skepticism thinking, There is NO WAY we’re going to be doing that next week!
            The director plunged us right into dance rehearsals, however, and “lucky for me”, I got paired up with my dad who has two left feet. I struggled my way through an hour of rehearsal before my feet we’re throbbing from being stepped on. Limping from the pain, I took my shoe off finding a bloody, black and blue big toe. The cast first-aid attendant came over to take a look at my battered appendage, and diagnosed me with an ingrown toenail. Really? I frustratingly thought to myself, Could this trip get any worse?! So, off we went to find a podiatrist. The closest one was a half an hour away, and I almost considered ripping out the toenail myself as we approached an ominous white shack with the paint chipping off. We walked inside to a very small doctors office with old tattered brown carpet, and the nurse directed me to sit in a gray cushioned stone that was apparently the patient’s chair. I felt like I was in a horror movie as the lights started to flicker, but the doctor came in and quickly did the job with medicine and instruments that seemed more appropriate for use in a hospital fifty years ago, but I didn’t question his motives as I sat anxiously waiting for the pain to pass. Throughout the week, further calamities began to set it.
            “AHHHHHHHHHH!!! My body is on fiiiirrreeee!!!!!” was all I could say when Emily answered the phone.
            “Liza! Are you okay?!”
            “This trip is crazy, Emily! Things just couldn’t get any worse. I’ve tried bug spray, ointment, thick socks, long sleeves, lotion, powder, herbal treatments, medicine… but nothing will save my skin from being eaten alive!”
            “Yikes! Is it just mosquitos?”
            “Mosquitos and these puny bugs that live in the grass called chiggers. My bites are starting to become known as “chiquito” wounds. Ahhhh, I just wanna come home…”
            “I’m sorry, Liza… And it’s only been three days! I would totally come rescue you if I could. Who knows, it could get better? Have you met anyone else our age there?”
            “Well, I haven’t exactly been the most social butterfly…”
            “I’d say give it a little more time… Life is full of surprises, and I’m sure Nauvoo can’t be all that bad.”
            The week before we performed in the pageant, our cast was supposed to put on a “Frontier Country Fair” every evening of the week. Complete with pioneer games, food, music, dancing, and activities, we were assigned to specific areas to volunteer at. The main purpose of this event and the pageant, however, was to go out into the crowd of visitors, associate with them, and then interrogate if they knew anyone they could fill out a referral card for the missionaries to contact. I was assigned to work at the rag-tying booth, but I went and picked up three referral cards before my post started. Determined to have a more positive attitude, I thought to myself, C’mon, you can do at least three tonight. But then the moment of truth came.
            “Hi! Can you teach me how to rag-tie?” said a nice blonde woman that looked about in her mid-twenties.
            “Sure! Grab three rag pieces from the bucket over there, and I’ll show you.” I said.
            Soon enough, the conversation drifted from the rag-tying instructions to where we lived, jobs, family, stories, what brought us each here to Nauvoo… Ask her about filling out a referral card the thought kept nagging in the back of my mind. I took a deep breath and said, “So, I was wondering…”
            The woman looked up from her rag-tying with a curious expression and quizzically answered, “Yes?”
            Something held my tongue. The temperature started rising. It was already a sweltering evening in my pioneer clothes, but the buckets of sweat seemed to be coming from some internal anxious terror. I sheepishly looked at the woman and hurriedly said, “Excuse me, I gotta go check something.”
            Walking quickly away and not looking back, I swiftly went off to a quiet grassy, open area at the back of the fair. My thoughts were spinning and I was frustrated with myself. I know the Church is true and that it is the greatest blessing and happiest part of my life… So why am I so scared to share it with others? I asked myself. Feeling defeated, I sat and thought some more before returning back to my post. I couldn’t help but think I passed up the opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life all because I let my fear get the best of my faith. The next few nights I was determined to be courageous and speak up. Nevertheless, the lesson was not easily learned; I continued to be silent and the referral cards sat at the bottom of my apron pocket.
            At the point of disappointment and despair, l reverted from my attempted positive attitude back to being a social recluse. I ceased being very open people, but on the last day or two of rehearsal someone opened up to me.
            “Hey! Liza, right? I’m Sarah Lewis. I missed the dance rehearsal yesterday. Do you think you could teach it to me?”
            Stumbling over our feet while laughing over the cheesy choreography—Sarah and I became instant friends. Through the last couple of rehearsals, we seemed to be intuitively drawn to each other in a crowd, and sat by each other during breaks. From our conservation I found out that she was two years younger than me, but that her brother Brian was my age. Brian began joining our conversations and soon enough we became a threesome. It was unreal. There were so many coincidences between our families and us. Before long, both of our families were spending time together and I was getting to know not only Lewis family better, but also my own.

Me, Brian, and Sarah

                Throughout the next week, they would get me out of the dark, antisocial hole of my motor home to go get ice cream, experience sight seeing, and do baptisms at the Nauvoo temple. This dynamic duo of a brother and sister were so positive, and so kind in reaching out not only to me, but everyone around us. However, on the last week when we went to go out into the crowd and ask for referrals, I was surprised by their answers in our conversation.
            “So, how many referrals did you guys get last week?” I asked.
            “Um… that’s not entirely relevant…” Brian said as he laughed with an embarrassed smirk.
            “What do you mean? I bet you guys probably got at least 20! Seriously you two are the friendliest people I know!”
            Brian and Sarah both smiled, but then looked at me and returned the question by asking, “Well how many referrals did you get, Liza?”
            I began to laugh too as I mimicked Brian’s response and said, “Um… well that’s not entirely relevant either…”
            “Were you scared? Cause we sure were!” Sarah laughed.
            “Exactly!” I eagerly agreed. “I don’t know what it was though! I know the Gospel is true, and I was so set on sharing my testimony with others, or asking people if they knew anyone they could fill out a referral card for, but I was having the hardest time just mustering up the courage to even speak. I don’t know if it was the fear of being rejected, or offending someone, but something was holding me back.”
            “Liza! Why didn’t we meet sooner last week?!” Brian exclaimed. “Sheesh, Sarah and I had the same problem. But I’ve done a lot of thinking, and have realized that no one is an exception to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. No one can truly experience a fullness of joy without the knowledge this Church offers, and because we have this knowledge it is our duty and responsibility to share it. If they reject our offer, so be it. If they walk away offended, not our problem. At least we tried, eh? I vote we all go out together tonight and invite as many people as we can to fill out a referral card!”
            With a new sense of courage and conviction I smiled and nodded my head in approval. As we approached perfect strangers the fear was not totally gone, but began to dissipate with the combined support and faith of my friends. This must be one of the reasons why missionaries have companions, I thought and smiled to myself.
            By the end of the night, twelve referral cards were filled out. I was beaming at the thought those twelve individuals had the potential to discover a life of eternal joy. I hoped they would all accept the message of the Gospel. The number wasn’t large in comparison to some of the other cast members efforts, but it was complete satisfaction for Brian, Sarah, and me. After the experience, however, I knew that there was at least one referral left to go and only I could offer the invitation. As I walked back to the RV Park and pondered how I would propose this invitation, my phone began to ring.
            “Hey Liza! How have things been since we last talked?” Emily’s chipper voice said from the other line.
            “Really good actually! I have lots of things to tell you when I get back.”
            “You sound happy Liza! I’m glad things have begun to look up. I’m excited to hear about everything when you get home.”
            “I’m excited too,” I responded. But then the moment of truth came. Inhaling a deep breath and slowly exhaling, I braced myself and said, “Emily?”
            “Yes, Liza?” she replied slightly confused.
            “Um… would you want to come to church with me on Sunday when I get home?"

Emily and me on her baptism day

Example of Parody

When we discussed parodies in class the other day, immediately Weird Al came to mind. If you don't already know who he is, he's a guy who bases all his music off of other songs that have been written, and just changes the lyrics in a very humorous way. One of my favorite parodies that he does is off of the song "American Pie," but he changes the title to "The Saga Begins" following after the theme of Star Wars. You kind of have to know the Star Wars background to get all the clever and comical references, but even if not he still puts on a good show. :)

What are some of your favorite parodies (i.e. music, books, articles, movies, SNL skits...)?

The Power of Music

What is it about music? Inspiration, power, motivation, tears, empathy, happiness, joy, anger, comfort, and a countless list of other emotions all come from the sweet sounds of instruments, voices, lyrics or a combination of all three. It has been said that, “Through music, man’s ability to express himself extends beyond the limits of the spoken language in both subtlety and power. Music can be used to both exalt and inspire or to carry messages of degradation and destruction” (Priesthood Bulletin, August 1973, page 3).

Part of me is having a lot of trouble writing this post, because it's difficult to express the power of music and my feelings of its influence. There are so many songs that have put my thoughts into words, and have been a refuge in times of need.

I don't think movies or television would be the same without music either. The movie Jaws would cease to be so scary without the "duuu... du. duuu... du. du du du du dududududu." (I hope you all know what I was referring to). Furthermore, romantic scenes in the rain would lack its passion without the sweet sound of strings playing in the background, and Indiana Jones would not be Indiana Jones without his theme song music...

Nevertheless, despite we may not have such a perfectly scripted movie score to our lives, I've often found that certain songs will impeccably describe our feelings of a moment, and the soundtrack of our lives will be continually changing, supporting, uplifting, and empathizing with every instant.

I have waaaaay too many favorite songs, but one of my go-to songs when I like to just sit and think is "Shine" by William Joseph. The simple, but powerful chords and melody of the piano uplift me with peace and conviction.

What are some of your favorite songs?

Ethos: Fear and Faith

Recently, I've been having difficulty deciding what to major in. My original plan was to just get some generals done my first year, and hope something would spark interest along the way. However, in the back of my mind I think I always knew what I wanted to do. I love composing music and with that, I thought of the possibility of majoring in the Media Music program (i.e. composing music for the radio, television, albums, movies). I kept pushing it aside though thinking that it probably wasn't a realistic option, I wasn't talented enough, I wouldn't be able to find a job, it was too competitive, I didn't want my passion to become a chore... etc... etc... the list of excuses went on and on. To my pleasant surprise, however, a few weeks ago in Relief Society a lesson was given on developing talents. When the teacher asked the question to the class about how we can develop our talents, I was so impressed with one of the girl's answers. She said,

"Sometimes we're blessed talents, and we're presented with opportunities to develop them, but we turn away thinking we're not adequate enough. I think the biggest way to help develop talents is to stop taking counsel from our fears. Once we overcome the fear of failing, a world of capabilities will open to us that we never knew we could possess."

Talk about an answer to prayers. I went home, rearranged my schedule, and signed up for some music classes as a prerequisite to the Media Music major. It's definitely going to be a leap of faith experiencing if this is the path I'm suppose to go, but for now it feels right. As a final thought from the April 2009 General Conference, Kevin W. Pearson gave the counsel that "Faith and fear cannot coexist. One gives way to the other. The simple fact is we all need to constantly build faith and overcome sources of destructive disbelief." If you ask me, I'd rather be fearless than faithless. 

The Power of Laughter

For me, one of the most persuasive aspects of a person is their ability to make me laugh. As an authority figure, my mother's ability to make me laugh increased the success of her efforts in getting me to get me to do things, inclined me to spend time with her, as well as seek her lighthearted motherly advice. Although many times her humor may have been unintentional, or maybe even perceived as eccentric, I look back with fond memories on all the times my mother brought laughter into my life. Here are a couple of the innumerable humorous stories. I hope they bring a smile to your face as much as they do to mine. :)

As a teenager and throughout her adult life, my mother dealt with health issues that caused her to eat what most may have perceived as a strange diet. My grandparents learned to accept her odd eating habits, and would not question her actions that seemed out of the ordinary. When my mom was in high school, she took advantage of her parents trust and would turn on the blender at night. Thinking she was just making a usual late night concoction, my grandparents didn't think twice about the reoccurring, random blender noises coming from the kitchen multiple times a week. If only they knew she was actually turning on the blender to cover up the sound of the garage door opening so she could sneak out with the car! :)

In 9th grade I wanted to get my schedule changed to a biology class that was difficult to get into. While I was in school, my mom went into the counselor's office to talk about the schedule change. That week she had been experiencing a cold that made her eyes water, and began to profusely tear up as she spoke. The counselor immediately changed my schedule to aid a woman who seemed to be on the verge of hysterics. My mom felt quite embarrassed after the episode, but we both learned the secret to a desired schedule change. :)

You know those ladies who sing the hymns as loud as they can in church and you can pick out their voices in the congregation? Ya, my mom was one of those choice individuals. My siblings and I would take turns sacrificing our eardrums each Sunday when we sat next to her. :)

When I asked my mom why she just named me 'Eliza' instead of 'Elizabeth' she said, "Elizabettthhhhh Smittthhhhh... now that would have been too 'thuthy.'" :)

(Background: I only have one married sibling, and three other older siblings that are at an eligible age, and are all highly encouraged to also be married). When we were driving to a family Christmas party, my mom had been feeling sick earlier that day and squirmed in the passenger seat experiencing pain in her stomach. Nevertheless, turning the discomfort into jest she said, "Ah! This is how my stomach felt when I was pregnant! Maybe I have to bring all the grandchildren into this world too, because none of my children are getting married!" :)

My mom was such a great example in teaching me how the power of laughter is such a positive tool. The chuckles of influence provide understanding, growth, joy, and leave sunshine of happy memories in the melancholy bouts of life. Whether by laughing, or making someone else laugh, a difference has been made.