Tan Le immigrated from China to Australia at the age of four with her mother, grandmother, and younger sister. She is living proof that the statement "It can't be done." holds no weight and that it can, in fact be done. The constants in Le's life have been the women- the ones who have never left her side and have driven her to success. Le tells a story of adversity and how she welcomes the presence of obstacles in her life.
Le is now a social activist; she speaks about unemployment and the neglect of the marginalized
and the disenfranchised. Her mom worked double shifts six days a week. The three of them shared the same bed, and each night, though they were exhausted, told each other the stories of their day.
Le's mother was 22, in an arranged marriage, and the mother of two girls when they got in the small boat disguised as a fishing vessel and set out for a new life in Australia. The adults on the boat carried poison to drink in the event that they were captured by pirates. They made it to Australia safely and lived in a refugee camp for three months and then settling in Footscray, a working-class suburb populated by immigrants. Tan Le struggled to make the transition from immigrant in Footscray to public speaker and graduate of law school.
Tan Le's message is so powerful because she evokes emotion in her audience; she uses pathos. Though her story extends far beyond just her struggles as a young girl immigrating to a new country, these are the parts of the story that really capture the audience's attention. Le tells the story of her grandfather saying "his life had been a complete waste" and he died "broken by history." If that doesn't make a person feel remorse or pity, I don't know what would. However, Le uses this to serve as a contrast and to demonstrate the motivation behind how she lives her life. She says, "yes, history tried to crush us, but we endured," which shows her pride and draws in the audience. Tan Le also uses imagery and metaphor keep the audience engaged throughout. She uses the idea of a jigsaw puzzle and the boat as a symbol to display the bonds created by the women in her family and how her life is ever evolving. Her memories are of the "steady beat of the engine, the bow dipping into each wave, the vast and empty horizon." It makes the audience relate to the fear that she experienced because of the unknown, and people fear the unknown. She brings up the boat when she discusses privilege. As she discusses a new chapter in her life, she relates it to a jigsaw puzzle: " I was catapulted from one piece of the jigsaw to another, and their edges didn't fit." Le uses a common item to make the audience better understand her story and how she felt out of place in different stages of her life.
Tan Le also uses ethos to convey her point. She is a reputable speaker because she has lived the life of an immigrant. Her expertise is conveyed through discussing details of her journey and her mother and grandmother's lives. The audience believes her story because of her emotional investment in it.
Now why this Ted Talk? I am always inspired by people who use their life experiences and what they have learned to help others. I thought that this would be a tough story to listen to, a typical immigration story. However, she only brings in stories of her struggles to draw in her audience, not to make them feel sorry for her. I was amazed by the contrast between her early life and her mentality going through life. It makes me wonder how I would feel if I had to abandon everything I know and start a new life. Would I make the best of it, or would I throw myself a pity party? I like to think I'd overcome the obstacles use my experience for the better, but I don't know that for sure. It makes me realize how lucky I am, and, honestly, that I am slacking! Tan Le teaches that the women in her life have made her who she is and that privilege doesn't make us who we are, adversity does. Maybe Lady Macbeth and Macbeth could've taken a page from her book (instead of other people's lives)!
I thought that it was interesting how you said she used ethos and that her credibility came from her own experiences and personal connections. When I think about ethos, I often think of how in advertising, companies use celebrities in order to gain credibility through a name. Do you think that her emotional connection to the story could influence bias that may discredit her rather than making the audience believe her? (also you are not slacking!)
ReplyDeleteTalking about Ethos and the credibility of living the experience, I think that living the experience qualifies as ethos but a different type or subcategory maybe. The best source for someone's life is that person. No one knows it better than them. That's something that as readers or listeners that we have to trust. The American Sniper movie that just came out is being criticized for falsification of events. Thats an example of how using the credibility of experience as ethos doesn't work well because in his book Chris Kyle exaggerated and lied about certain events. It discredits the person as a source and shows how bias can discredit.
ReplyDeleteWonderful post.
ReplyDeleteDelia's comment sums up my thoughts perfectly- experience is often the best education (as evident from Le's talk).