Storytelling
By Elena Rehberg (Pd. 3A)
https://www.ted.com/talks/sarah_kay_if_i_should_have_a_daughter
The TED Talk I watched was called "If I Should Have A Daughter.." given by Sarah Kay in 2011. In this discussion, she talks about the power of a story when it comes from a dedicated author, and the power of spoken word poetry. In her talk, she highlights three key steps to her success with writing spoken word poetry. The first she identifies is deciding that she can, which was her inspiration in knowing she was able to create poetry that all different people would be capable of relating to. The second was her deciding she will, in that she will continue to write poetry in hopes of connecting with people and helping them understand they're not alone. The final step in her success was her recognition that her writing could be whatever she wanted it to be, and that it didn't have to mimic what other's have been good at. In all of this, Sarah Kay is seeking to send a message that you can inspire other's through storytelling in any form, and you can be unique in doing so.
The speaker, Sarah Kay, gets her point across mainly through her actual usage of spoken word poetry during the TED Talk. She opens the talk with a spoken word poem she wrote, "If I Should Have A Daughter". In this, she says all the things that have meant the most to her growing up, and the things she wished she would've known as a young girl, and many of these things are relatable amongst any audience. Sarah Kay utilizes all three appeals when giving her TED talk: ethos, logos, and pathos. In her ethos appeal, she states her experience as a spoken word poet, and she's been doing it since she was fourteen years old, and now teaches it to many of her students. Sarah Kay even references one of her students, Charlotte, who struggled with writing spoken word poetry until the speaker helped her understand that she could write about anything and make it poetic if she was driven. This develops Sarah Kay's main argument since she helped Charlotte further understand the three steps of success in spoken word poetry writing. Sarah Kay presents use of the logos appeal with stating, "It's not uncommon to feel like you're alone or that nobody understands you, but spoken word teaches that if you have the ability to express yourself and the courage to present those stories and opinions, you could be rewarded with a room full of peers, or your community, who will listen". In saying this, she's bringing up a commonality in society of loneliness, and it's certainly logical to say that audiences would relate to poems written about loneliness, although there could be a few discrepancies. Sarah Kay's appeal to the audience's pathos is present throughout. Twice during her TED talk she performs a spoken word poem. Her second poem about the bombing of Hiroshima sends an emotional message to the audience with lines like, "But in Hiroshima, some people were wiped clean away, leaving only a wristwatch or a diary page. So no matter that I have inhibitions to fill all my pockets, I keep trying, hoping that one day I'll write a poem I can be proud to let sit in a museum exhibit as the only proof I existed". In using language like this, Sarah Kay is attempting to show the power of spoken word poetry in the only way she knows how: by performing it. In providing the audience with heartbreaking lines about being remembered, it becomes more powerful with its ability to relate to.
Personally, I really relate to this TED Talk because I'm a big fan of spoken word poetry and self-expression. I'm a fan of a lot of poems written by Sarah Kay, including "If I Should Have A Daughter", which was initially what drew me to watch this TED Talk. A lot of the ideas that Sarah Kay brings forth in her work are relatable amongst our society, and especially throughout my generation. She's able to connect with many audiences from her understanding of all different age groups due to her experience working with them. Altogether, her message is able to reach many different target audiences, and holds pure implications about the world around us and what we can receive from it.
Hey girl! This post was really enjoyable to read. I did however, notice that your font changed half way through. I think that your summary was very well written because this Ted Talk seemed to include a lot of harder concepts to encapsulate, but I think you did it very well. I think that your pathos and ethos appeal were also very well written and you did a good job tying it back to the talks main argument. I also liked how you included her use of her spoken words as a rhetorical device. I do however, believe your logos appeal could have used some improvement with more valid and in depth points. I enjoyed you personal connection to the talk as well. Altogether, you did a good job. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteHey! This blog post was really interesting! It's obvious that you not only really understood the message that Sarah Kay was trying to convey, but you were also able to describe the format in which she backed her claim through her use of ethos, pathos, and logos. Additionally, I like how you did this through reference to specific quotes from the talk, allowing us as the reader to better understand what you are trying to convey to us about Sarah Kay through the use of examples. I would have liked for you to expand a little more on what you meant when you said that her work is "relateable amongst our society" but overall it was still very good and in-depth!!!
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