I've borrowed this wonderful narrative from Jimmy's Blog. In his narrative, Jimmy works with one of my favorite teaching tools: the parable. Unfortunately, I’m a lot like Jesus’ original followers. I need His parables explained to me. Jimmy’s, however, is straight-forward and to the point with a clear message. I know it looks like I’ve really changed his story, but in actuality, I just added a lot of adjectives. Oh, and I’ll let you in on a secret: I didn’t work alone. Nope, I had an accomplice in this endeavor. Jimmy. We worked together bouncing ideas off of each other. It really was a lot of fun. Thank, Jimmy!
There are countless devices that writers can use to fabricate a story. I believe in that long-standing tradition that stories should serve a moral purpose. Many post-modern writers seem to write just for the sake of writing, however I think writing should really be used to teach morals or reinforce a virtue. One of my favorite forms of writing that also serves this purpose is the parable. Parables are very effective teaching tools because their premise is clear and reinforced with illustrations. The most famous teller of parables was Jesus Christ. He never actually wrote anything, but he used parables regularly and effectively to emphasize a simple lesson.
Inspired by the parables of the Bible, I’ve attempted to fabricate a parable of my own. Hopefully, you will easily be able to see the premise illustrated with a logos and ethos appeal.
There once was two bothers born to the same mother. They were competitive to a fault, especially in their attempt to impress their mother. Mother had lived a full life, was very wealthy, and was now readying herself to enter heaven’s gates. One last piece of business remained: her inheritance. She decided to use her sons’ approach to buying a car to decide her will.
The older brother came home with a jet black, “tricked-out ride” that made all of his friends sit up and take notice. This car was fully loaded with power everything, sub-woofers to rattle the windows of cars two lanes over, leather interior, and, of course, that new car smell. His reputation on the street and with the ladies soared. In his mind, he was certain his mother would be equally impressed.
The younger brother, however, chose function over form. He spent a fraction of the money his brother had spent because he bought used instead of new. The car itself performed just as well as his brother’s car. It reliably took him from point A to point B, just like his brother’s car, just maybe a little quieter. The car was still a good-looking car, and he was far from embarrassed to be seen driving it. It just didn’t have the “wow” appeal of his brother’s car. Consequently, the older brother made fun of his younger sibling for buying a used car that lacked physical appeal.
Now that these brothers had their vehicles, it was time to face Mother. Who would she approve? How important was image? She had a lot of wealth to distribute. Was it important to her that her sons presented a superior image? After a seemingly interminable family dinner, the brothers presented their purchases to their mother. She listened carefully to the details of each son’s experience. Trembling from age, she circled each vehicle, inspecting each corner and crevice. Slowly, she lowered herself into her favorite chair, and stared at her children contemplatively, but withheld her final decision.
When Mother finally passed away, only months later, all of her sons’ questions were answered at the reading of her will. The younger son inherited everything. Image meant nothing to her. She died confident that the money that she and her husband had worked so hard to accumulate would not be squandered on foolishness.
So, did you find the lesson here? Let me know what you guys think.
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