Ambiguous

This last section is labeled as ‘ambiguous’ because these quotes could be interpreted in different ways. Unlike the preceding ‘political’ section, these quotes aren’t looking to further an agenda other than to provide advice to the minds subject to the everyday struggles of life. Notably, all three of these quotes come from a site called Live Life Happy, which claims to offer “inspiration, guidance and mental harmony” through life quotes. The first quote speaks about moving through doorways as a metaphor for moving on in life—while this quote speaks some sound advice, the words themselves may be difficult to follow. But perhaps that’s why Live Life Happy chose to share their introspective words. What the quote does not necessarily account for is how people are often molded from their past. While it’s important not to dwell on the pain of the ‘old doors’ that fell apart, it’s equally important to take time to grieve; transformation, after all, does not happen immediately.

The second of these quotes is much needed in a society where so many individuals are invisible or marginalized. And perhaps this is reflective of social shifts to advocate for many of those minor groups. Of course, this can just as well be used in the opposite context by promoting a dominant culture and its associated prejudices. If you hold these prejudices, is it appropriate to speak of them to people of those groups you discriminate against (even if only subconsciously)? This ‘inspirational’ quote not only seems to think so, but it also encourages you to do so. But, of course, the equally opposite is true as well—the quote arguably encouraged the marginalized to speak against discriminatory language as well. After all, resolution cannot be reached without conflict first existing.

The last quote is perhaps the most contemporary on this list—Sue Fitzmaurice is a nonfiction author who has written and published several works in the last decade. The quote itself trades on the ‘falls on deaf ears’ cliché. Most immediately, the quote implicitly advises its audiences to not bother explaining something to those who do not wish to hear it; ironically, those audiences are most likely the people who need to hear said explanation the most. Rhetoric, after all, is the art of persuasion in its most basic form. In terms of subtext, the quote encourages us to only discuss matters of intrigue with those who are willing to listen to us—in other words, our social groups. This could, arguably, trade on yet another cliché, that of ‘preaching to the choir,’ perhaps a bit antithetical given the purpose of rhetoric. Then again, the quote is more probably invoked in the spirit of preserving the self. Perhaps the conclusion to be drawn then is that there is a need for a healthy balance between the social interaction of persuading skeptical audiences and conversing with likeminded individuals.