THINKER'S ALMANAC - October 9

How can ‘The Wizard of Oz’ teach you everything you need to know about persuasion and rhetoric?

Subject:  Imagination and Persuasion - L. Frank Baum Creates Oz

Event:  L. Frank Baum finishes the manuscript of The Emerald City

Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it we go nowhere. – Carl Sagan

On this day in 1899, L. Frank Baum (1856-1918) finished the manuscript of his finest work called The Emerald City, a work that would later bear a more familiar title: The Wonderful World of Oz.  To commemorate the occasion, Baum framed his pencil with the following note:  “With this pencil I wrote the manuscript of The Emerald City.”

For the name of his imaginary setting, you might think that he would have evoked the muses; instead, the name came from a much more mundane source:  the label on the third drawer of his filing cabinet which read O-Z.   Other inspiration came from his boyhood home of Peekskill, New York, which had roads paved with bright yellow bricks imported from Holland.

Unfortunately, Baum’s book was not the Harry Potter of its day, and although he wrote 13 sequels, he never earned a lot of money.  When he died of heart disease in 1918, he left just $1,072.96 in his will.

Even the film version of the book, The Wizard of Oz, lost money when it was released in 1939, 21 years after Baum’s death. The film did not begin its journey to becoming an iconic classic until the 1950s when it was shown on television.  Forty-five million people watched it the first time it was broadcast on November 3, 1956 (1).

Beyond just a good story, Baum’s tale can also help us think persuasively.  We might even say that The Wizard of Oz is an allegory for understanding the power of rhetoric.  Francis Bacon defined rhetoric as, “[applying] reason to imagination for the better moving of the will.”  What better place to go than Oz to imagine the three rhetorical appeals each personified by one of Baum’s classic characters.

Image by Franck Barske from Pixabay

First, the Scarecrow was traveling to Oz in search of a brain, an easy reminder that to be persuasive use logic and reason to package your message.  If your audience can’t understand your reasoning, you won’t move them, let alone move their will.  Second, the Tin Man’s quest was for a heart, the seat of the emotions.  We must go beyond reason by speaking to and moving the audience’s emotions.  Reason and logic tell the point, but pathos helps you show it with words and images that evoke a feeling.  Finally, the Cowardly Lion could not rule the jungle without courage -- it’s what gave him authority and credibility with the other animals.  This reminds you that you must consider your relationship with your audience and how you can establish trust and credibility

Recall, Retrieve, Recite, Ruminate, Reflect, Reason:  How can the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion help you remember the three rhetorical appeals?

Challenge - Go to Your Imaginary Happy Place:  What imaginary place would you rate as the greatest of all, either from books, television, or movies?  What makes this place so special?  Brainstorm a list of all the imaginary places you can think of.  If you’re having trouble remembering, use the list of imaginary places below to get you started.  Then, select one and explain what makes it your top fictional setting.

Camelot, Xanadu, Vanity Fair, El Dorado, Atlantis, Utopia, Shangri-La, Valhalla, Gotham City, Springfield, Hogwarts, Wonderland 

Sources:

1-The Telegram. L. Frank Baum: The Real Wizard of Oz. 6 May 2016.