Hello readers! We would like to thank you for viewing our blog. We are a group of English 101S students at the University of Maryland. Our class this semester is based on rhetoric and how to analyze the different parts of rhetoric in different texts. Our subject we decided to analyze was texts related to serial killers and cults. After some research, we chose to analyze an episode of Jerry Springer, in which leaders of The Church of Euthanasia were guests, and a transcript of a suicide tape found of the Jonestown Massacre. We chose these texts because they are very different from one another and are appealing enough to keep the audience interested. Even though this topic is not extremely prevalent today, there are still cults convincing people to do, and serial killers doing, horrendous things to themselves or others. Serial killers and cults have had quite an impact on our history that none of us thought to be significant, so we decided to explore that through our blog!
On November 18, 1978, Jim Jones, the leader of the People’s Temple, called for the suicide of over 900 members of his cult. As a pseudo-pastor, many cult members had placed their trust on him, so much as to donate their entire real-estate to the church.
Despite none of the Church of Euthanasia members having credibility, they appealed to the audience by emphasizing an authentic problem backed by scientific facts. They portrayed themselves as concerned citizens, and constantly urged for humans to come together and make an effort to solve the pressing issue.

In both the “Suicide Tape Transcript” and “Jerry Springer vs The Church of Euthanasia” cult leaders primarily preach suicide as their solution to perceived social impurities. Both cults warn the members of a larger issue arising if an immediate resolution is not executed.

Cults are very much prevalent today. Examples of current cults are the Westboro Baptist Church, Raëlism, and The Brethren. Being able to distinguish between radical and normal organizations is necessary to prevent people from the dangers of extremist ideas. These can range from very minute differences, such as the contrast between christian churches and The People’s Temple, or obvious differences, such as the difference between EPA and the Church of Euthanasia. We hope that readers will learn to be cautious when it comes to groupthink organizations.

Our blog begins with side-by-side comparisons of the texts’ modes of persuasion. Placing the posts alongside each other promotes the readers to draw their own comparisons between the texts. We believe the audience's basic understanding of these appeals is an important aspect of interpreting the main themes.

For as long as humans have been alive, so have organizations and there will always be dangerous cults with ill-minded leaders. Thousands of ordinary citizens have been negatively affected by the dangers of cult behavior, and learning the history of cults can prove to be life-saving. Lastly, we want the readers to understand the magnanimous impact of effective rhetoric on the audience.