This was an in-class assignment for my Rhetoric class.
Chreia
“The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because they are generally the same people.”-GK Chesterton
PRAISE: Chesterton took this Biblical command of loving others and placed it in a humorous light by putting into a context that all can understand.
PARAPHRASE: What this fine advice tells us is that, oftentimes it is our neighbors or the one’s who live closest to us that can aggravate us the most, causing us to look upon them as enemies.
PROOF: One reason that this is so is because the more time that we spend with those closest to us, neighbors, the more we get to know them and their flaws. Oftentimes it becomes the little things that irate us, which can lead to dissension among one another causing conflict and animosity. Living in close quarters with someone causes you to learn
TESTIMONY FROM ANOTHER: Consider this example. In the movie Cheaper by the Dozen 2, two families go to the lake every summer, and they live in neighboring lake houses. Over the course of each summer, tensions would arise between these two families as they grew tired of each other’s behaviors. While this is a comedic movie, we can see how one's neighbors can slowly become people we try to outdo, which then can lead to animosity and anger between yourself and those near you.
EXAMPLE: Another proverb expresses this idea in a similar fashion: Good fences make good neighbors. Put up boundaries with your neighbors, whether that means literally, by building a fence, or figuratively, by speaking to them about lines that they should not cross.
EPILOGUE: Remember to discuss some type of boundaries with your neighbors and lose living in close proximity to you or else they could potentially become an enemy figure in your life.
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