“The black sheep, a sore thumb, the ugly duckling – all things which notoriously stick out and don’t quite fit in, and to such a list one may add the name of Richard Hartman, a Baptist Pastor in Rexburg, Idaho.” (pg 94, I Think)
What an interesting way to open anything, whether a book, speech or paper. The title of this paper is “A Baptist in Zion: Life Through the Eyes of Religious Minorities.” You can only assume that they will be talking about this Baptist, Hartman, and how he “doesn’t quite fit in” as the opening line states. But the part that snags me is everything before the dash; the first nine words. Each of us know what those things have in common and the different stories behind each of them, especially if that sore thumb is ours or we believe to ourselves to be the ugly duckling or black sheep in the family. There is always someone out of place and more often than not, we believe that to be ourselves no matter how “in place” we are. This first sentence, especially the first part, appeals to our human nature and therefore draws us in with curiosity and a need to identify with others like us in some way.
No comments:
Post a Comment