A mockingbird remix of TED 2006
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| http://www.picpicx.com/mockingbirds/ |
Summary: In his own unique "remix" Rives explains why
mockingbirds are so "badass." During his premise he does a surface
level justification of the mockingbird saying, "They listen and mimic and
remix what they like," but quickly demonstrates they serve a deeper
purpose. He demonstrates the importance of reiteration. He shows the
implications of not hearing what is being said both by people, and by silence
itself through his comical, yet poetic approach. With no aid of images, or
videos to enhance his argument, Rives was truly able to captivate the audience
and further emphasize the power of words.
Justification for Choosing Said TED Talk: I chose this TED Talk, because of his unconventional use of language with the audience. From the moment he stepped foot onstage he got the attention of the audience through the statement: "Mockingbirds are badass" (Rives). This immediately drew the audience in. Throughout his whole speech he used two key elements that always grab my attention: comedy and connections to the world. I also noticed that he speaks of a concept that we have discussed, both during junior and senior year of the course, the idea of creating a panoptic state; a see all, hear all, and the implications behind that. Rives intends on using this ability in a positive way to help the world become more aware, and I think that's an interesting idea.
Analysis: Rives in the TED Talk, "A mockingbird remix of TED 2006," asserts his intentions of integrating mockingbirds into the political system to mimic every voice ever heard to provide the general American public information that they have not heard, and address what is not already spoken. Rives supports his assertion by illustrating a world of possibilities provided by the usage of mockingbirds. The Rives' purpose is to demonstrate the implications of not listening in hopes of encouraging more people to become self-aware and understand both the physical and metaphysical aspects of life. If they cannot, he is willing to uphold that responsibility. Rives uses a poetic tone to attract the audience's, the general American public, attention in a non-conventional way.
Rives was able to achieve his purpose through his use of
analogy, ethos, logos, and
pathos. All of these elements were demonstrated through this one statement
which really stuck out to me "Everybody gets heard. Everybody gets this
one, honest mockingbird as a witness. And I'm on this. I'm on this 'til the
whole thing spreads, with chat rooms and copycats and moms maybe tucking kids
into bed singing, "Hush, little baby, don't say a word. Wait for the man
with the mockingbird" (Rives). In
this statement the cadence is very fast paced and the sentences are very
choppy. In the phrase "everybody gets one," it holds two meanings;
that everybody gets to be heard, as stated in the previous sentence, and
everybody gets to hear. The mockingbird is being given an anthropomorphic by
implying that the mockingbird tells things like it is; they only repeat things.
In doing so, the mocking bird is spreading information around the world regardless
if it's good or bad. It is also leaving responsibility upon the person who said
it. Sometimes people like to remove guilt from themselves by denying the fact
that they said something; however, this can no longer be done, because the
mockingbird heard them, and told people what they said, exactly how they said it.
His use of repetition continues as the statement continues, "I'm on this.
I'm on this" (Rives). Rives demonstrates his ethos/credibility by
reassuring the audience that he will listen for you if you choose not to
listen, and he'll tell you what he hears. He furthers his ethos by
complimenting it with logos. This can be seen through the phrase "... moms
maybe tucking kids into bed singing, "Hush, little baby, don't say a word.
Wait for the man with the mockingbird" (Rives). He shows that with his
large flock of mockingbirds he will be able to spread word so fast that mothers
will one day be telling their children about his greatness. Furthermore, by
connecting to the idea of family, he is also demonstrating pathos. He continues
to use logos as he later states "...somebody finally is going to tip the
City Council of Monterey, California off to me, and they'll offer me a key to
the city. A gold-plated, oversized key to the city and that is all I need, 'cause
if I get that, I can unlock the air. I'll listen for what's missing, and I'll
put it there" (Rives). Through the phrase "they'll offer me a key to
the city," it shows the beauty of his plan: the full-proofness of it. But,
his last statement is truly his strongest. He states, "...if I get that, I
can unlock the air. I'll listen for what's missing, and I'll put it there"
(Rives). In this analogy he is using the key as a symbol of hope that he will bring to the people of the world, and with that he shall expose the truth. He will will hear what everybody says, and whatever is not said, he will tell everyone what they are missing.
