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.
I did not watch this talk, but the way you described the speaker's use of pathos sounds very effective. I think it's nice when speakers get the audience involved the way this one used phrases such as "imagine." pretty interesting stuff. So, my question for you is: What 3 thinks do you think would go through your mind while your plane was crashing?
ReplyDeleteThree things that would go through my mind are you, Louise, and Malin...duh :) <3 ;)
DeleteI agree that pathos was a big help in getting his point across. putting people in the same situation that he was in strengthened the reasons he had for changing. I like how he turned a negative experience into a lesson that he teaches others.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very thought provoking post! It made me wonder what I would learn after being put in this situation. I think that it provides credibility to the speaker, or ethos, because he DOES have this experience. I think it was interesting as well that he chooses to say "imagine". I often put myself in the protagonist's shoes when watching a movie or reading a book so that I can fully grasp the story. Great job Sarah!
ReplyDeleteI've never been in a life threatening situation like this but after reading your blog and watching a clip of the talk, I feel like I have a slightly better idea of what that would be like. I think it's interesting how this situation allowed him to learn these lessons and change the way he was living his life. The plane crash made him realize what he truly valued. I wonder why sometimes it takes a terrible situation for some people to change their life? This story is very inspirational! Good post!
ReplyDeleteOh, this is one of my biggest fears- that's what makes TED talks so cool to me, that they often are on these impossible topics and are presented in such a human way.
ReplyDelete