Aguilar 1

Mending the Wounds

Gerald Aguilar Ryan AP Lang December 21, 2013

Gerald Aguilar Ryan AP Lang December 21, 2013

Aguilar 2

Mending the Wounds !el"#control is more indis$ensable than gun$o%der& # 'enry Morton !tanley( )t is because o" sel"#control or %ill$o%er that marathon runners are able to "inish the last leg o" a t%enty#si* mile race, or "itness models ha+e the ca$acity to re"use a slice o" $i,,a( Will$o%er is a character trait %hich society holds in the utmost regard- yet to the greater ma.ority, it can almost seem li/e a myth or an intangible asset at times( Public des$eration and con"usion regarding the sub.ect %as the s$ar/ that $rom$ted Roy 0( 1aumeister and 2ohn 3ierney to %rite Will$o%er( 3ogether the duo does a %onder"ul .ob o" clearing u$ the negati+e associations the muc/ra/ers o" the sub.ect ha+e con.ured u$- they do so by a$$roaching the sub.ect in a straight "or%ard syntactical "ashion, ma/ing am$le use o" authority "igures, and by setting a %ell "ounded emotional connection to the readers( Anytime a sub.ect is not "ully com$rehended or understood commotion %ill be the result"or this reason the authors4 goals %ere e*$licitly stated5 to combine the best o" modern social science6to tell ho% %ill$o%er(((has a""ected 7li"e8& 91aumeister and 3ierney 1:;( Right o"" the bat readers are $romised that there %ill be no smo/e and mirrors $resent and are gi+en syntactical clarity( 3his clarity allo%s the authors to e*$lain the basics o" %ill$o%er to the readers ensuring there is no con"usion about its history, a$$lications or inner %or/ings- it also allo%s "or more com$le* ideas to be con+eyed through "igurati+e language such as meta$hors %ithout running the ris/ o" con"using the readers or %ar$ing the authors4 initial intentions(

Aguilar 3 <ou can=t build a great building on a %ea/ "oundation( <ou must ha+e a solid "oundation i" you=re going to ha+e a strong su$erstructure&# Gordon 1( 'inc/ley( 1oth 1aumeister and 3ierney understood this conce$t and thus choose to del+e into the ma.or conce$ts o" %ill$o%er in a +ery coherent "ashion( Readers are gi+en the scienti"ic e*$lanation that glucose is the "uel "or %ill $o%er and as more is di+erted there is less a+ailable& 91aumeister and 3ierney >3; %hich results in a decrease in sel"#control( ?o% the $re+iously held notion that %ill %as a mythical creature that came and le"t as it $leased %as trans"ormed to a solid e*$lanation that glucose is tied into the body4s rhythm and energy "luctuation& 91aumeister and 3ierney >:;( @+erything is laid out- sel"#control and ho% it %or/s is clear as day( Readers are %ell in"ormed in a +ery matter o" "act %ay- the clear synta* ma/es the in"ormation %holly and com$letely digestible( !ince the readers are on the same $age the authors are, a bene"icial situation is created( 'omogenous /no%ledge o" control gi+es them the ca$acity to instruct the readers to do certain things such as controlling your glucose& 91aumeister and 3ierney >:;- through this mutual understanding the goals o" the %riters are "urther $rogressed( Progression stems "rom the author induced reader in+ol+ement as %ell as u$$er echelon e*am$les such as meta$hor( Meta$hors allo%s ideas to be +ie%ed in di""erent lights- 1aumeister and 3ierney use them to add another layer o" understanding "or the readers( 3hey assert that %ill$o%er is a muscle& 91aumeister and 3ierney 12A; or that %ill$o%er %ithout a%areness is a cannon commanded by a blind man& 91aumeister and 3ierney >:;- both ha+e the $otential to "urther the readers understanding o" %ill$o%er but neither %ould ha+e had a chance had the "oundation laid be"ore them been less than adeBuate- the clear conce$ts "ormed through the clear synta* gi+e li"e to other methods o" e*$laining sel"#control such as meta$hor( Creating a%areness o" the

Aguilar 4 "undamentals and core conce$ts o" %ill is only a ste$$ing stone- "rom this $oint the authors gi+e multi$le e*am$les o" %ell /no% $ublic "igures %ho both $ositi+ely and negati+ely demonstrate sel" control( Dsing the "allacy o" a$$ealing to authority $resents t%o bene"its to 1aumeister and 3ierney( 0irst o"", by using e*am$les o" +ery %ell /no%n indi+iduals and their relationshi$s %ith %ill$o%er, the reader is sho%n that both o" the authors are actually correct and are +iable sources o" in"ormation( Reassurance o" the in"ormation the readers are recei+ing sets u$ a $ositi+e im$ression and allo%s them to recei+e any "uture in"ormation %ith a "a+orable bias( Eur "ounding "ather 1en 0ran/lin ac/no%ledged that F 3is easy to "rame a good bold resolution- but hard is the tas/ that concerns e*ecution4& 91aumeister and 3ierney :>;- e+en t%o hundred years ago the basics o" %ill$o%er %ere %ell understood( 1aumeister and 3ierney use the authority o" 0ran/lin to not only a""irm the in"ormation they ha+e $ut out but also to elicit more reader in+estment through the stature o" the authority "igure( !econdly %ith the use o" both $ositi+e and negati+e e*am$le the le+els o" understanding increase through %hat one may call literary obser+ation( Da+id 1laine is one o" the most $rominent and e*treme e*am$les o" e*ce$tional %ill %ith many e*treme stunts under his belt- yet the toughest o" his stunts6 7%ere8 7his8 si*ty# three hours encased in ice& 91aumeister and 3ierney 13G;( 'o%e+er this le+el o" %ill$o%er %as not obtained o+ernight, a /ey conce$t that %as stressed re$eatedly to the readers( 'is $ublic dis$lays not only dis$lay but also teach the indi+idual about the ca$acity o" human %ill, and that maintaing %ill not "or days or %ee/s6but "or years& 91aumeister and 3ierney 1H1; can result in e*traordinary "eats( ?egati+e e*am$les o" the la$se o" %ill also ser+e as a$t teaching tools( When arguably the most in"luential %oman o" our time, E$rah Win"rey, regained "orty $ounds

a"ter only recently loosing it the %orld %as stunned( F'o% did ) let this ha$$en again4&

Aguilar 5 91aumeister and 3ierney 21H; %as her res$onse- the clear message is sent that sel"#control is not e+erlasting, it must be constantly u$ /e$t( Dsing others as e*am$le gi+es the reader is gi+en the chance to be the be a "ly on the %all and a$$ly the teachings they ha+e learned %hich ultimately rein"orces them and "urther dri+es 1aumeister and 3ierney4s $oint home( 0allacies and the usage o" them in this case do not detract "rom the argument- together, they %or/ to sho% readers real li"e a$$lications o" sel"#control and as a result enhance their understanding( A$$ealing to authority also brings about di""erent emotions- emotions and the connections they ma/e %ith the reader are the "inal assets %hich the authors ta/e ad+antage o" to dri+e their message home( Many times throughout the no+el the reBuest is made by the authors "or the readers to role $lay "or a brie" $eriod o" time, calling u$on a hea+y a$$eal to $athos( 3hey are $ut into +arious e*$eriments and situations and told +ery s$eci"ic instructions and details- by ma/ing the reader in+ol+ed they automatically in+ol+e their emotions( E""ering a hy$othetical re%ard "or I1006cashed tomorro%67or8 I1>0 7%hich8 cannot be cashed till the end o" the month& 91aumeister and 3ierney 10>; has the $otential to con.ure u$ a $lethora o" emotion( Ether times the reader is as/ed to be a certain $erson %ho demonstrates e*ce$tional control o+er themsel+esinherently the reader %ill ma/e some sort o" emotional connection to the "igure o" mimicry, good or bad %ether they are "ond o" him or her, but at the same time they are "orced into thin/ing about all the to$ics 1aumeister and 3ierney ha+e discussed( @motion is a segue the authors use to muse the thoughts o" sel"#control( Pointing out e+eryday ongoings that also a""ect %ill is another method( We ha+e all heard this s$eci"ic $iece o" ad+ice once or t%ice "rom a "riend or "amily member5 sit u$ straightJ& 91aumeister and 3ierney 131;( Readers %ho ha+e %ill automatically "eel %hate+er emotion it %as they had %hen they %ere gi+en the ad+ice, good or bad- it is at this moment %here the %riters "li$ a seeming less $hrase into a "eat o" %ill$o%er(

Aguilar 6 Readers are astounded to "ind out there is some +alue to sitting u$ straight5 it increases %ill$o%er( !ince the reader has an emotional connection to a time they %ere told such adi+ice, they are more inclined to listen to the actual bene"its it has- the increased le+el o" attention is e*actly %hat the authors are see/ing( What the %riters achie+e can be li/ened to a s/ill"ully scored $iece o" music- it has highs and lo%s, dra%ing listeners in and then clima*ing at the a$$ro$riate time "or the "ull sonic e""ect( 1y creating a boo/ "ull o" emotional connections it is certain the readers %ill al%ays be attenti+e, acti+ely digesting %hat the duo has to say- the a$$eal to $athos allo%s "or an e*tremely e""ecti+e $iece o" literature( Will$o%er is the +irtue that sets our s$ecies a$art& 91aumeister and 3ierney 2:0;- it is a character trait that has been re+ered "or centuries, but it had also been the sub.ect o" much misin"ormation( 0or a $eriod o" time %ill$o%er %as +ie%ed as something only a select "e% in society %ere blessed %ith- it %as this %idely s$read misnomer that %as the s$ar/ o" ins$iration "or Roy 0( 1aumeister and 2ohn 3ierney to %rite Will$o%er( 3heir goal %as to sho% that this once mythical beast is actually inside each and e+eryone o" us, %e .ust need to understand ho% to tame it( 3hrough clear a syntactical organi,ation, a$$eals to authority and the art"ul in"usion o" emotion throughout the no+el 1aumeister and 3ierney are success"ul in +alidating their argument and getting their message across to the readers- the %ounds ha+e been mended and %ill$o%er is no% a+ailable to all( !ome good ideas and $oints "or analysis, and some solid syntactical creations, but you also s/im o+er some issues a little too sim$ly( A#

Aguilar 7 Wor/s Cited

1aumeister, Roy 0(, and 2ohn 3ierney( Will$o%er5 Redisco+ering the Greatest 'uman !trength( ?e% <or/5 Penguin, 2011( Print(