On Thursday, I read about this international literacy conference going on in Guatemala City. It looked excellent, with tons of booths and activities for children. I teach children’s literature, so this kind of thing interests me.

I got up yesterday morning, got on a chicken bus, headed for capital and checked it out. I was like a kid in a candy store. I really enjoy places where there are lots books to explore. There were tons of booths from various Latin American book companies and educational organizations, folk music, author talks, storytellers, etc. I had a great time.

This whole experience was sort of a litmus test for my Spanish. I was curious how much I would be able to understand. When I chatted with people, I noticed that many of them didn’t slow down. They didn’t slow down and talk louder the way that we tend to do when we know someone either knows little English or is hard of hearing. I could follow most of what they said, but I couldn’t tell you word for word what was said. I also got my first compliments: 1) the taxi driver asked if I was European. I asked if that was good or bad. He said it was good, because Europeans tend to pronounce Spanish words better. 2) One of the guys at the conference said that I “speak good Spanish.” I’ll take it.

Honestly, I think my Spanish is at Borat-level right now. And that is not so bad. Great success!!

Heinrich has distilled the oratory & persuasive wisdom of the ancient Roman philosophers (Cicero, Aristotle, Plato, etc.) and applied them to what we see on cable news channels every day. Watching CNN or Fox News, one is inundated with thick, in-your-face rhetoric, spewed by people who are trying to influence their thoughts and opinions. Heinrich has given us a look into tactics and tricks talking heads, pundits, and politicians use every day.

The author devotes a whole chapter to the importance of tense. Pursuaders use the past tense to blame, and determine guilt (“If Al Gore were president, none of this would happen.”). The present tense deals with values (“True Americans support our troops.”). Using the present tense separates groups into idealogical camps and encourages bonding with people who agree with you. Neither the past nor present tenses are effective in gaining new recruits to your side (the purpose of pursuasion). The future tense is effective in pursuasion because it gave the audience choices, irrespective of which “side” their on. The future tense blurs the line between different sides and can be used to find points of agreement. Because of this, the future tense was Aristotle’s favorite. Next time you’re watching TV, pay attention to what tense the talking heads are using and what that effect has on you.

Not finished with this book yet. Right now, I’m delving into logos, ethos, and pathos. Interesting stuff.