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| https://www.ted.com/talks/ric_elias (video link) |
Towards the end of his quick TED talk Ric Elias challenges the audience by saying:
But imagine, and how would you change? What would you get done that you're waiting to get done because you think you'll be here forever? How would you change your relationships and the negative energy in them? And more than anything, are you being the best parent you can?
In summary Ric Elias is challenging his audience to take a step back and examine how they live their life. He stresses that the time we have on earth is precious and should not be wasted and, therefore, we should fill our lives with positive energy. In addition, he persuades the audience to marinate on the idea that life is urgent and should not be postponed for a later date.
Ric Elias was a passenger in seat 1D on the plane that landed in the Hudson river after flying into birds. He goes through what he was thinking as the engine cut off and the pilot announced "Brace for impact." Before hitting the water he had three thoughts:
1. It all changes in an instant
2. I've lived a good life; however, I allowed my ego to get in the way.
3. Dying is not scary, and the only thing that matters is being a good dad.
To convey this point and have the audience believe in what he is saying Elias uses ethos and pathos. He is a reputable speaker because he experienced the emergency landing first hand. He displays his expertise by communicating his seat assignment and the interaction he had with the crew members. The audience understands and believes his story because he established himself as a reputable man and flyer. As his story progresses and the audiences learns of the three things he realized in the sky Elias utilizes pathos. A plethora of personal experiences, imagery, and connections to family provide the audience and viewer with a personal connection to the event. By using the onomatopoeia "clack, clack, clack, clack, clack,clack..." to describe the sound of the engine and "big explosion as you climb through 3,000 feet." Many people can identify with the fear that would occur on an airplane as systems begin to fail. This fear is created due to television shows and movies that have been created about planes crashing. Later he uses the verb "imagine," to draw the audience in and make them visualize the events occurring around him. A few minutes later Elias continues by telling about his experience at his daughter's performance. While not all of the audience members have children (like me), they can identify with family. This is the moment in the TED talk that it hit me, what would it be like to be on the brink of death's door and not know if you were going to see your family again? The emotional appeal that is heavily scattered through Elias's talk allows the audience to apply his ideas to their own life.
So out of all the TED talks why did I chose this one? For starters I'm always up for a little bit of inspiration and insight into how to make the most out of the moments I have on Earth. In addition, I am currently on a United Flight that is beginning its descent to the Chicago O'Hare International Airport. As I listened to the flight attendant video detailing all of the exists, oxygen max directions, seat cushion flotation devices, and seat belt signs I immediately identified with Ric Elias's talk. I trust that the plane I am on is going to easily navigated the cloudy skies and safely land on an airstrip in a new city; however, as I listened to this TED talk I began to wonder, how would I react if my plane began to go down? Would there be any outstanding life revelations I would have? Despite this thought being slightly frightening, as I cruise at an altitude of a couple thousand feet, it is comforting. It makes me realize that life is precious and that as I continue on my journey I need to enjoy every moment and make the best of it. As a side note (and connection to class) Elias brings up that we have been preparing our entire lives for death. As a little throwback to Macbeth, despite whether an individual choses to believe in fate or free will death is inevitable and the final destination for every human being.
All electronics must be powered off and stowed beneath the seat in front of me, so it is goodbye for now.
I love how you connected this to something so personal as you being on a plane right now. This allowed for great reflection on the Ted Talk. I thought it was great how you analyzed his methods of storytelling. It was a very strong analysis looking at the ethos and pathos. Overall excellent job!!!
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ReplyDeleteMoran, I really enjoyed reading your blog! I think it has been the best blog I have read so far! I really liked your analysis of the language used in the Ted talk and connecting ethos and pathos to the analysis. I also loved how you added a personal touch with the fact that you are on a plane when you wrote this! I fly on Monday so I will definitely be thinking about this when I fly! Good job
ReplyDeleteI found this TED talk and the situation that it is discussing very interesting because it really makes you think, what will happen if something doesn't go the right way. This tale is inspirational and I liked the way that you connected it to your own life and analyzed the language used. It really makes you think that life is very fragile and we will all fall, its about the getting up and how you react to it that defines your character. Great post!
ReplyDeleteWow this was so good! I really like how you listed his three thoughts at the beginning because I kept going back to them as I was reading your blog and thinking about what my thoughts would be. It was almost like you only have three wishes, but they were thoughts. Anyways...whenever I fly on a plane, I always seem to have that slight moment of fear right before take-off. It's like a reality check or reminder not to waste your time because you never know what is going to happen, and that is something that you cannot really control. You can only control what you do with your life and how you live.
ReplyDeleteMorgan, I love this! I’ve always wondered what people think in these situations. We spend so much time thinking about what we want to do and worrying about where we are going rather than reflecting. I thought of you watching Tom Brady’s press conference right before you took off. It’s weird to think about how we go through life worrying about what might go wrong but not actually anticipating it. You did an excellent job incorporating those three thoughts throughout your post. Your point that I found most interesting, though, was how the audience experienced fear because of the portrayal of crashes on TV and the movies.
ReplyDeleteI loved reading your post! Like everyone has said before me, your summary and analysis of this TED talk really got me thinking. It can be so scary when you actually think about dying and I think that's because it is something that is completely out of your control. We're used to living our lives, most of us, thinking that we're in control of our destinies and how our lives turns out, but in reality we cannot predict what's going to happen to us. We cannot foresee that one moment that could be life changing. The whole "you only live once" motto is kind of cheesy, but it's true; we can only choose how we're living right now and we have to make the most out of it (like you said). Another connection I thought of while I read the sentence where you said, "Elias brings up that we have been preparing our entire lives for death" was to "Never Let Me Go" and how the clones are basically born and raised for their organs to be donated to humans and then they die. It's a crazy thing to think about! Good job with your blog!
ReplyDeleteI have nothing to add- everyone's comments summed up my thoughts exactly :)
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