Speech

Of Things that Matter Most
by Dieter F. Uchtdorf

http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-1298-7,00.html

1.) Focusing on the simple fundamental importances in life will increase one's joys.

2.) The audience are LDS members of this day, and all those listening to general conference.

3.) The goal of this article is to convince LDS members that they need to slow down and take time to learn the fundamentals in life, rather then get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the modern day and their busy lives. President Uchtdorf wants to convince Latter Day Saints that in order to become the best they can be and have ultimate happiness they need to first master basic principles and doctrine.

4.) Logos: President Uchtdorf uses a lot of logical reasoning as to why people need to slow down in order to succeed. The first example he uses is the nature of how a tree grows. He explains that when there are optimal conditions for growth the tree matures faster, but when conditions have declined that tree will only focus on sustaining life rather then growth. This relates to his topic because in the face of modern adversity if we don't turn our attention to the fundamental principle and commandments of the gospel we would perish, just as the tree would if it didn't turn its attention to the simple matter of sustaining life. Another example he uses is that of an airplane when confronted with turbulence. He explains that younger pilots would think it best to speed up in order to more quickly escape the turbulence, when in theory it is better to slow the airplane down in order to mask the negative conditions. This logically supports his claim that people need to slow down rather then speed up in their lives to find happiness.

Ethos: The fact that this talk is being given by one of them members of the first presidency proves that the content is credible, but President Uchtdorf uses other respectable sources to support his claim. He quotes the scriptures, which to his specific audience is a solid recognized resource that is firmly agreed upon. He also uses the words of past and current prophets and church leaders, who are all credible and prominent figures. In addition to church leaders he uses the testimony of a famous football coach to prove his point. All the different resources that President Uchtdorf uses in his speech add to its believability because his audience will more likely trust what he is saying.

Sufficient: This speech is the perfect length and has various examples and resources to back it's claim. When giving a speech about religious or personal issues many different angles of the argument must be addressed because the matter is so opinion based. This speech does the perfect job of doing so by using the right amount of evidence and public figures and resources to sway the audience.

Relevant: Any speech that is given to the LDS congregation is relevant to their current needs because modern day prophets are here to give their people revelation important to their specific needs of their day and age. The topic addressed in President Uchtdorf's speech is a problem that many people this day face and is therefore a relevant issue.

5.) President Uchtdorf does a very good job of convincing his audience that they need to focus on what is most important in their life because he uses many different techniques of addressing the issue and considers both sides of the argument and addresses each side in his speech.