How Did Jim Jones Commit Suicide

1128 Words5 Pages

Jim Jones: Suicide or Loyalty? There have been many studies done on persuasion and cult leaders. Cult leaders are usually very good at using persuasion to gain followers. In some cases, cult leaders will go to major extremes just to have people follow them. Jim Jones was a very powerful man with the use of persuasion. Jim Jones started the People’s Temple in the 1950s in Indiana. The People’s Temple was based on socialist ideals and Christian redemption. Jim Jones made the cult seem very attractive and appealing. Many people joined the cult to escape from inequality during the Civil Rights Movement. Jim Jones created Jonestown, the location of the mass murder-suicide, in Guyana. The people in Jonestown believed in all Jim Jones preached to them. Jim Jones used the tactics of being a great communicator, creating a strong message, and creating a hold on the audience to persuade people to commit suicide. A great communicator is someone who can strongly and easily convey a message to an audience, in a way that can be understood. Jim Jones is a perfect example of a good communicator. He spoke very confidently and was very attractive to his followers. He was a very charismatic leader. His words …show more content…

However, Jim Jones would not go like the rest so he had someone shoot him in the head. If he was not going to ever get out of Jonestown alive then nobody would. That attitude was selfish and horrific. The people of Jonestown did not have a choice on whether or not to drink the poison. Some of his people were so loyal to him that they did not think twice about it, while others could not escape so they were forced to kill themselves against their own will. The whole situation was sickening. His cult ended nine hundred and seventy-eight lives including nearly three hundred children. Jim Jones was an evil cult leader, but great at