Rhetorical Analysis Essay
Rhetorical Analysis Essay
Rhetorical Analysis Essay
Brigid Muller
Professor Ferrara
16 November 2021
When someone finds out a family member of theirs is going to undergo many struggles
just to reach “the average” human capabilities, it can take an emotional and physical toll on
them. Many people think parents and siblings of kids with developmental disorders have it the
hardest because their wants and needs can be pushed to the side when taking care of the other
child. Faith Jegede Cole, however, thinks the total opposite from that claim. In her Ted Talk
given in April of 2012, she informs the audience of her relationship with her two autistic brothers
as well as driving the idea home that they have enhanced her life rather than hindered her
experience of life through experience, emotion, and the tone used throughout her talk. She wants
to show people that being different is beneficial and makes the world more interesting.
In this Ted Talk given in London, people from various backgrounds gathered to hear Cole
speak about her experiences with her autistic brothers and all the lessons she has learned from
being surrounded by them all the time. It is evident that there was a group of people that believe
very strongly the same ideas that Cole was preaching because there were loud cheers as well as
enthusiastic clapping towards the end of the talk. As the camera is spun around into the
audience, it shows audience members engaging in the talk by laughing, smiling, and nodding
their heads in agreement on what Cole is saying. It is also shown that there is a large age range
and gender distribution represented within the crowd. The people attending this talk were enticed
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on the topic of autism and how it does not hinder experiences but helps you learn and are a
At the beginning of the talk, it is a little confusing where she is planning on taking this
speech because she starts by saying “Today I have just one request. Please don't tell me I'm
normal.” ( “What I’ve learned from my autistic brothers” 00:00:05) This may be strange for
many to hear because oftentimes in life people are constantly striving to fit into the cultural
norms whether it be the clothes worn, activities performed, or just wanting to look like everyone
else around. However, Cole perfectly uses these words to set up her argument that despite her life
being different from everyone else does not mean she is any less of a person or missing out on
essential parts of life. She demonstrates this by talking about her two autistic brothers who,
although have made her life more complicated, have taught her essential life lessons. Two
specific lessons that her brothers, Remi and Samuel, have taught her are looking at a person as a
whole entity rather than getting caught up on one aspect of a person such as race or gender, and
to love unconditionally.
The nature of the talk is not only to inform the audience of Cole’s unique life with her
two brothers but also to persuade people how having differences in the way we all live is
necessary when wanting to live life to the fullest! She is effective with conveying her message
because she although is very respected by the audience, sets the stage to be an informal speech
by joking with the audience and not just reading slides from a PowerPoint but talking about
personal experiences that people can relate to in some extent. She does this to relate to the
audience and help draw the bridge between her “superiority” on stage compared to those who are
in the seats not talking. Her goal, aside from informing and persuading, is to connect to the
audience and help them learn more about this topic. The speaker also uses rhetorical devices
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effectively to help portray her message to the audience. The first rhetorical device she used
effectively was the ethos. Faith establishes herself to be welcoming and trustworthy by not only
being honest with the crowd when she says “Now, I cannot deny that there have been some
challenging moments in my family, moments where I've wished that they were just like me.”
(“What I’ve learned from my autistic brothers” 00:03:41) but also removing a shell of herself by
openly talking about her experiences with her brothers which is not always easy to share in a
room full of strangers. When she is frank with the audience about how challenges are posed
within her lifestyle, she helps bring her idea to the reality of the audience. Most people with
siblings often have run into conflicts about various things with a large range of severity. It would
be very hard for people to believe her life with her brothers was all sunshine and rainbows so
adding the difficulties helped fully understand the positive effects outweighed the negative
effects. Faith also effectively used pathos within her talk by drawing on the audience’s emotions.
She spoke about personal experiences that helped the audience truly connect with her and feel
what she felt during specific moments. One way she warmed the audience up with pathos was
when she joked about how her brother has great memory until it comes to eating her candy bar
(“What I’ve learned from my autistic brothers” 00:00:59). Not only does this piece of evidence
get the crowd laughing and engaged but also shows another side of her brother which helps the
audience feel more invested within her story. The more invested one is with a story, the more
likely they are going to make an emotional connection, big or small, to the story or topic. The
last rhetorical device that was effective in proving Faith’s point was logos. Throughout the entire
talk, she was constantly bringing up her brothers and stories of how they have impacted her life
for the better. Some rhetorical devices are used more thoroughly throughout the speech compared
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to others but they each have their unique aspects that help to enforce what she is talking about
After diving deep into this Ted Talk given by Faith Jegede Cole, it is evident that she
knew the necessary ways to help captivate an audience and get her message across in a timely
manner. She used rhetorical devices very effectively which helped her draw the audience in and
get them emotionally invested within her topic. The audience came out of the talk with a clear
message: Having differences in one’s life compared to their neighbors allows for diversity within
the culture as well as key learning experiences that would not have been possible if one’s life
Works Cited
Cole, Faith Jegede. What I've Learned from My Autistic Brothers. TED TALK, TED Conferences,
www.ted.com/talks/faith_jegede_cole_what_i_ve_learned_from_my_autistic_brothers/transcri
pt#t-230834.