Blind to Persuasion
In the 1989 American film, The Field of Dreams, Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) builds a baseball diamond on his cornfields in Iowa. With no one coming to the baseball field, Ray and his wife Annie (Amy Madigan) consider replanting their crops. It is here that Terence Mann (James Earl Jones) along with the ghosts of a few baseball players appear in the field, as Mann reassures Ray that, “people will come.” As all of this is going on, Ray’s brother-in-law, Mark (Timothy Busfield), is pressuring Ray into signing the papers to sell his house or he will, “lose everything.” Throughout this scene, the director of the motion picture, The Field of Dreams, successfully uses all three elements – speech, visuals, and audio – of the rhetorical triangle in order to persuade both the audience and Ray to believe Mann’s argument.
With both the cinematography and sound, Mann is depicted to the audience as the hero. The visuals involve a lot of close-up shots on Mann as he gives his speech to Ray. This effect places the audience’s attention on him and what he has to say. Once the attention of the audience has been captured, Mann remains the main figure in the clip. Also, through the use of pan shots, the director creates a sense of sympathy for the players by focusing on their eager faces and desire to play. This unique camera angle creates the illusion that the audience is standing on the field watching the players. This, in effect, connects the audience to Mann and the baseball players.
The scene’s audio is another key aspect that aids in the persuasion of the audience. Here, Mann is once again illustrated as the greater character. Every time that Mann begins to speak or is going on about “the people,” the music starts to build up in the background. On the contrary, when Mark tries to get Ray’s attention about selling the field, the music diminishes to a point where it’s barely heard. This pattern continues as Mark interjects into Mann’s speech, but never actually interrupts it. As a result, both characters get the chance to get their point across but, Mann remains dominant, even vocally. This creates a biased scene and the audience is more likely to believe Mann’s heartfelt speech instead of Mark’s “logical claim.”
Although he does not have the advantage of visuals and audio, Ray is persuaded by Mann’s speech. Throughout his speech, Mann describes to Ray how people will be coming to his baseball field, “for reasons they can't even fathom.” This quote depicts the baseball field as something that is innately attractive to people. The unknown attraction is beneficial to Ray since it will bring the baseball field to life. As Mann describes, “this field, this game, is a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good, and it could be again.” He is laying out the possibility that all good things aren’t gone and that if Ray keeps the baseball field, good things will exist once again. Mann makes Ray feel as if baseball is not simply a part of history, but also a part of his life, which creates an emotional attachment between the two. As the speech continues, Mann tells Ray that money won’t be the issue, “for it is money [people] have and peace they lack.” In this statement, Mann appeals to Ray’s financial needs. Since Ray made the decision to build this field on what used to be corn crops, Ray expects to profit from his decision. Mann’s speech is effective because it emotionally attaches Ray to the field and it gives Ray hope that keeping the field will be financially beneficial. Mann effectively utilizes rhetorical devices to persuade Ray by appealing to him emotionally and logically.
Evidently, persuasion is used not only in writing, but also in film. It is not something that is limited to just language. As we see in the film, The Field of Dreams, a director can incorporate rhetorical devices into picture to make a persuasive argument. By manipulating effects such as sound, images, and speech, a director can unknowingly bring out desired emotions from the audience. Although many times persuasion goes unnoticed as a result of this subtle manipulation, it is a highly effective technique.
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