Rhetorical Analysis of Beyond Personality Speech Essay Example

A common struggle of Christians is keeping faith; faith is believing in something that cannot be seen. C.S. Lewis is an English theologian known for his influential writings. On March 21, 1944, he delivered an apologetics speech called “Beyond Personality” on a radio broadcast. He presents this speech to encourage people to “lose [their] life” and “look for Christ.” He connects to his audience with the use of pathos and logos; specifically Christians who have doubted their faith. He also uses rhetorical devices such as anecdotes, allusions, hypophora, anaphoras, and rhetorical questions to effectively deliver this urgent message. Lewis presents his ideas with an informative and sympathetic tone and formal diction to deliver his message with love to the audience. Through the use of appeals, rhetorical devices, tone, and diction, Lewis shows his love for people by sharing this urgent Gospel message to people all around the world. 

C.S. Lewis was born on November 29, 1898, in the United Kingdom. Though he has passed away, his influence on Christians continues to grow and grow each day. He is known for writing the Chronicles of Narnia, however, he has numerous apologetics books that many Christians read to help strengthen their faith. His testimony of faith is encouraging, so he shares the Gospel with as many people as he can. He went from being an atheist to being a devoted follower and evangelist of Jesus Christ. He would go on numerous radio shows to share the Gospel; his influence has changed the lives of many people all over the world. 

C.S. Lewis uses pathos and logos to connect with the audience and to encourage Christians to “look for Christ.” As Lewis opens his speech, he uses pathos to connect to those who are struggling with “the whole idea of prayer.” Lewis understands what it is like to struggle with the “idea of Him listening to several hundred million human beings” at the same time; he reassures the audience that “a lot of people feel that difficulty.” Additionally, he uses pathos when he says that if one wants to live for Christ then they have to change their “most private wishes” and even their “point of view.” This statement connects to the audience on an emotional level because living for Christ means that they have to put away some of their most selfish desires that are hard to put away. Another example of pathos is when he reassures the audience that Jesus “died for you individually just as much as if you'd been the only man in the world”; this demonstrates the deep father-like relationship that the Creator has with His people. Lewis then uses logos as a way to persuade the audience of what he is claiming to be true. Lewis logistically describes the concept of God’s timing. Specifically, “God is not in Time”; he suggests that “He has infinity in which to listen to the split second of prayer.” Another example of logos is when he brings up the topic of evolution. This is specifically for those who may be struggling with the idea of creation. He points out that Christians do not believe in the idea that the earth came from “blind nature,” but that Christians, in a sense, believe in a type of evolution that is transforming men into “new men of Christ.” Through the use of pathos and logos, Lewis is connecting to the audience emotionally and educating doubtful Christians on how time works for God. 

As any effective author would, C.S. Lewis uses rhetorical devices to better his speech. An example of a rhetorical device that he uses is an anecdote. He uses an anecdote to describe the relationship between the creator and the creation; he concludes the story by saying that the created “has [God’s] infinite attention.” Another rhetorical device is an allusion. He uses an allusion when he gives an example of a United States soldier and his military officer. His point is that the soldier “is not going to be of much use to the United Nations if his rifle isn't fit to shoot quickly,” meaning that Christians will not be ready for the difficult encounters of the world if they are not equipped with the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, he uses an example of hypophora; he says “How'd we come to say that? From experience.” Lewis makes the point by allowing the experiences that Christians go through, it allows their relationship with Christ to flourish. Additionally, Lewis uses anaphora in his speech when he repeats the phrase “we try” at the beginning of multiple sentences to make the point that “unselfishness becomes a form of showing off.” This point is made to emphasize that performing good deeds are not what will save us; he encourages the readers to transform “out of our self and into Christ.” Another example of anaphora is the repetition of the phrase: “the next step.” Through this anaphora, he sharpens his message of changing from being “mere creatures to being sons of God.” Another rhetorical device is a rhetorical question. Lewis suggests a common question that many of the listeners could be thinking: “what difference will there be between us?” Though he never answers this question directly, he does suggest the idea that Christ in Christians does not make them all the same, it rather “brings out the real taste” just as salt does to a dish. These rhetorical devices create a speech that is more influential and relatable. They not only make this speech more desirable to read, but they also connect to the audience on another level that allows them to understand the message that he wants to give. 

Tone and diction are extremely important things to analyze when looking at a piece of literature or speech. Tone and diction demonstrate how the author feels about the topic. C.S. Lewis maintains an informative and sympathetic tone while keeping a formal diction to show his urgency of the message and love for the audience. His informative tone is shown throughout the speech; an example of this is when he describes the logic behind the idea that “God is not in Time” or when he informs the audience of “the next [steps]” to take to become closer to the Lord. His sympathetic tone is shown to connect to the audience and to encourage them when they are doubting their faith. An example of his sympathy is when he addresses a difficulty that “quite a lot of people feel.” His love towards the audience is shown as he lets them know that they are not alone in their struggles and doubts. A message of urgency is shown when Lewis uses formal diction throughout the speech. Formal diction evokes the idea of urgency because it shows the message in a clear and effective way. A specific example of formal diction is at the end of his speech. His message of “[looking] to Christ” is clear; “[looking] for yourself” will “get only hatred, loneliness, despair, and ruin.” C.S. Lewis does not beat around the bush. He is direct and formal with his words while also having a sympathetic tone. This allows his audience to know that because he loves them, he is delivering this urgent message.

C.S. Lewis creates a speech that is effective and necessary through the use of appeals, rhetorical devices, an informative and sympathetic tone, and formal diction. The appeals connect to the audience in an emotional and logical way. Rhetorical devices like anecdotes, allusions, hypophora, anaphoras, and rhetorical questions give the speech necessary elements that allow the audience to connect and truly understand the message that Lewis is delivering. Finally, through the use of informative and sympathetic tone, and formal diction Lewis creates a speech that demonstrates urgency and love for the audience. An informative and sympathetic tone shows the audience that Lewis’s purpose is to make Heaven crowded, not to make himself look better. The formal diction shows the urgency of his message as he is clear and direct as he delivers his message. Lewis uses these strategies to beg his audience to turn away from their sinful desires and turn to Jesus.