I recently watched a movie called Elmer Gantry, about a traveling salesman who loves hard drinks and fast women.
Elmer lands in a small town in Kansas, where he falls for a preacher woman named Sister Sharon Falconer. So Elmer joins Sister Sharon’s traveling revival meeting, preaching as the “reformed businessman.”
In his first performance, on the topic of “Christ in commerce,” Elmer sermonizes to the masses:
“I was in hell. I knew all the salesman’s tricks. Why wasn’t I rich? Why wasn’t I successful? I opened the Bible, and I read the 18th Psalm. ‘The Lord is my rock and my fortress.'”
Long sermon short, with Jesus’s help, Elmer makes the sale of a bunch of electric toasters. Hallelujah! Biggest deal of Elmer’s life.
It’s a good scene. But what’s the point of it?
Unfortunately, I don’t know.
Over the past week, I’ve watched a new movie each day, Elmer Gantry among them. And while I’ve collected a bunch of interesting scenes like the one above, I still haven’t found what I’ve been looking for.
I mentioned in previous emails I’m putting together a book about insight marketing. I pretty much have all the pieces I need, except for one thing:
A pop culture illustration of “persuading by analogy.”
That’s what I’ve been looking for. But no soap. So I’m appealing to you for help.
I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. Two characters. One is trying to persuade the other. But rational, logical appeals aren’t doing it.
So character one launches into a story or a parable or an extended metaphor. Character two listens, not seeing where this is going. By the end of the story or parable, character two sees how this is an analogy to the situation at hand… he grasps the moral of it all… and he is grudgingly persuaded.
I feel I’ve seen this scene a thousand times in movies and on TV. But now that I want to find a good illustration of it, my mind has locked up, and the history of cinema has been rewritten. After a lot of thinking, digging, and watching, I’ve still got nothing.
So if you can help me out, I’d appreciate it.
Have you watched a movie in the last week? Was there a scene of persuasion through analogy?
Or maybe you know something from a book? An episode of Seinfeld? A famous court case? A newspaper cartoon? A video game?
Anything will help. Just write in and let me know. You will be my rock and fortress.