Different Ways to Construct Stases

Ramage’s article "Rhetoric and Persuasion II" helps us to compare how the 11th hour and Ishmael construct stasis and what different persuasive compositions result.

First of all, 11th hour does not construct elements of the stasis in order from simplest to most complex, but the film tends to mix the elements of the stasis in a scene or in an interview. In the beginning of the film, when environment specialists explain about the earth life support system which is now severely damaged, they not just express the image of the earth and human race but also partially show the tragic truth and the cause of the catastrophic results. Though, in the big picture the beginning of the film seems to construct “definitional questions” for the film to progress the argument, it also seems to contain “Resemblance questions”, “Causal questions”, “evaluative questions”, “ethical questions”, and “proposal questions” (Ramage).

However, compared to 11th hour, Ishmael seems to construct stasis elements which Ramage introduced in order, and Quinn seems to mix together less. The definition of myth as “definitional questions” connects to the current society, and we are more clearly guided to the concept what Ishmael tries to teach the pupil. But the content of the lesson seems apparently less clear compared to 11th hour because the stasis is delivered to the readers by dialogue and the lesson always ends when readers reach to the most curious point.

The film and the novel have a different way to construct stases that might me be based on the characteristic of the two different genres, and the strategy to appeal to the audience, whether showing combination of numerous elements of stases early or develop final arguments step by step.