In his blog entitled, “Fathers as Spiritual Leaders,” Frank King argues that Fathers should be the head of their households and raise their children in the instruction of the Lord. He effectively asserts his message through the familiar literary techniques of irony, allusion, and metaphor.
He utilizes irony by writing the blog on Father’s Day. This immediately brings in a larger group of readers. Also, any Father who reads King’s argument that day will be more reflective on himself and his family and more opened to King’s message.
The most obvious use of allusion in King’s writing is in paragraph two, where he directly quotes the King James Version of the Bible. He includes a verse from Ephesians that speaks of the correct way to raise your children in the training of the Lord. King continues to make references to God throughout his blog.
In his final paragraph, King uses a metaphor to challenge himself and the reader. He asks that fathers “step up to the plate” and embrace the calling that the Lord has laid upon their hearts. Here, King is comparing baseball to one’s spiritual life.
By including himself in this challenge and choosing words such as I and we, King makes his blog personal and seems to put himself on the same level as his readers. This plays a great role in making King’s argument, Fathers should be the spiritual leaders of their homes, effective.
