Blog Post 9- Once Upon a Time

https://www.ted.com/talks/ric_elias

                In this TED talk, Ric Elias, a survivor of the plane crash that crashed into the Hudson River in 2009, discusses the 3 things he learned about himself as he knew that his life could be ending very soon. I believe that Elias did not have just one purpose to his talk, but that he had 3- the three things that he learned. The first thing he learned was that everything can change in an instant. With this, he talks about the change he has made to his life now; not postponing anything. The second thing he learned was that he only had one regret, and that being that he has allowed his ego to come in and waste time on pointless things with people that he really cares about. He decided then to eliminate negative energy from his life to become a happier man. “I no longer try to be right; I choose to be happy”. The third thing he learned was that all he wanted to do was watch his kids grow up and be the best possible dad that he could be.

                Elias does a very good job of getting his points across in a motivating and captivating way. This talk may only be 5 minutes, but I was thoroughly intrigued the whole time. Just by the title, “3 Things I Learned While My Plane Crashed”, I was emotionally drawn in and interested to hear his story.

                This emotion is an example of pathos. Pathos is used throughout the whole talk, as the idea of being on a plane crash is scary to most people and makes you feel sad for people that have experienced this tragedy. I find this technique of storytelling to be very effective. One thing I found very strong in his talk was the excessive amount of times that he said “imagine…”, as if you were in the same position that he was in a few years ago. By doing this, it allows the audience to become part of the story and perhaps feel similar emotions.

                Logos, another way that helps Elias get his point across, is displayed throughout the talk. Being a personal story, I find that the logic of his argument (the three points) to be very reasonable. No one can prove that he wasn’t having these thoughts as the plane was crashing, therefore logos is used as a strength in his TED talk.

                Ethos is also displayed as this story is being told to us by someone who experienced the plane crash. Since these three things were just thoughts of Elias, we have no real way of knowing for sure if these were his exact thoughts as the plane was crashing. With this, I don’t believe it has any real negative impact on his story.

Blog Post 8, Baby

In your mind, are there any heroes in Double Indemnity? If so, who?

 

I do not believe that there are any heroes in Double Indemnity. Multiple characters could be considered heroes, but by the end of the film I had eliminated them all. Once starting the movie, I thought that Phyllis could possibly be the hero of the film, but  later came to the conclusion that she is responsible for actions throughout the movie that make her just as sinful as the other characters. Phyllis, a manipulating woman who is having an affair, commits acts that clearly conclude that she is not a hero.

Walter Neff is a successful insurance salesman who first meets Phyllis when he comes to renew her husband’s automobile insurance. He is not home, but Phyllis, wrapped in only a towel, comes to the top of the stairs. Phyllis was obviously bored with her husband, who lost a lot of money in the oil business. These were just two motives that caused her to come up with the idea of murder. Once meeting and falling in love with Neff, they both agreed that killing her husband and collecting money was a very wise and brilliant idea. Neither one of these characters would have committed this act alone. Being so “in love”, the idea of working together was exciting, with the crime not being the main focus. Money, as well as love, can make people do foolish things, as Double Indemnity displays.

At first seeming to help Phyllis, Neff could be seen as a hero. Once the movie progresses, we begin to see that Neff is anything but a hero, taking part in Phyllis’ affair and aiding in the murder of Mr. Dietrichson for selfish reasons. At the end of the movie, Neff kills Phyllis. Neff then goes and confesses what evil deed he has done to Keyes, his coworker. After confessing, he runs away from his deserved punishment. All of these things are simple evidence that Walter Neff is not a hero.