Paradigm

So, the word paradigm occurs one time in this chapter. One time. Once. I almost missed it actually. I could tell I was nearing the end of the chapter and beginning to worry because the topic of my blog was still apparently nonexistant. I panicked, thinking that I would have to read the entire chapter again. I began blaming Anderson Cooper and North Carolina for taking my attention away from the text. I began to question the purpose behind watching election night, the winner will still be same the winner tomorrow morning. I found myself reaching for the remote control when, suddenly, I saw it. There, a side note on page 131: Paradigm. The definition is as follows, "the point you prove with examples is technically called a paradigm - a rule that you apply to the choice you want your audience to make" (131).

So Homer's "I'm not a bad guy! I work hard, and I love my kids. So why should I spend half my Sunday hearing about how I'm going to hell?" uses a paradigm (131). The paradigm Homer uses is that going to church is a waste of time. He claims that he is a good person so he shouldn't have to spend time hearing otherwise. He backs up this claim with the examples that he loves his kids and works very hard. For the examples used to prove your paradigm you can use facts, comparisons, or stories.

Paradigm seems like a useful tool of rhetoric, but hardly worth an entire blog post. Yet here it is. Now, back to the election.