Beyond persuasion?

[Astro Pen]

Having a little mental block. I have used both persuaded and convinced in a line but I feel there is a residual feeling being scammed or conned in those words.
I want a word that that implies a realisation, an absolute conviction. A pivot to the new position without any doubts or ambiguity.

 

[Valtharius]

How about "[character name]'s mind was compelled"?

 

[Christine Wheelwright]

Can you give us the whole sentence?

 

[paranoid marvin]

Truth dawned on him? Reality hit?

 

[M. Robert Gibson]

implies a realisation

epiphany

 

[Astro Pen]

Can you give us the whole sentence?

originally:
Akron convinces me that it will be impossible to save everyone. That I was too ambitious. Now I have to play God and decide who we take on the migration. No longer able to shield behind optimism I am tempted to roll dice, a human lottery, but that is equally cowardly.

rewritten:
Akron is right, I face the cold realisation that it will be impossible to save everyone. I was too ambitious, now I have to play God and decide who we take on the migration. No longer able to shield behind optimism I am tempted to roll dice, a human lottery, but that is equally cowardly.

 

[Wayne Mack]

Thesaurus results for PERSUADE

Persuade: to cause (someone) to agree with a belief or course of action by using arguments or earnest request. Synonyms: argue, bring, bring around… Find the right word.

www.merriam-webster.com

 

[paranoid marvin]

'accept' or 'realise' seems appropriate here (I would also suggest a semi colon rather than a comma) :

Akron is right; I now accept/realise that it will be impossible to save everyone.

or alternatively

I now accept/realise that Akron is right; it will be impossible to save everyone.


The other option is to 'show don't tell'. You don't need to explicitly state that he agrees with Akron:

Akron is right; it will be impossible to save everyone.


Although 'take on migration' is an expression that doesn't seem to sit right with me. How about

now I have to play God and decide who we take and who must stay behind.

 

[Astro Pen]

The other option is to 'show don't tell'. You don't need to explicitly state that he agrees with Akron:

Akron is right; it will be impossible to save everyone.

Thanks Marvin. An obvious solution once you pointed it out. It is decisive and leaves no ambiguity of position.
'The migration ' may become 'the journey', 'the relocation'. Not set in stone yet. but I don't want to give too much of the plot away here.

 

[tinkerdan]

Epiphany in literature refers generally to a visionary moment when a character has a sudden insight or realization that changes their understanding of themselves or their comprehension of the world.

 

[sknox]

The rewrite is the better of the two.

FWIW, persuade from its Latin roots is one of my favorite words. It means something like "to make thoroughly sweet". It's very close to our vernacular "sweet talk".

Similarly, convince comes from vincere, which means to conquer or overcome. So it has the connotation of overcoming objections or counter-arguments. But it has gained additional connotation in the form of "conviction" which has the sense of a firmly-held belief. So while someone persuaded might later be persuaded in a different direction, someone who is convinced is more certain. And there's an undertone there of some sort of action that comes out of the conviction.