Name
SPCH275
DeVry University
Date: August 3, 2014
Professor: Dr. Shane Gunderson
Great Speeches Assignment: Majora Carter’s Greening the Ghetto

Context

Majora Carter’s “Greening the Ghetto” presentation is part of TED Talks, which took place in February 2006 in Monterey, CA. The topic of her speech was about the cause and affect of how sustainable development will save the South Bronx and other urban areas from themselves. Her example of the abandoned dog that she found and the inspiration of revitalizing the abandoned river the dog lead her to, give the impression to the listener that the dog was paying it forward.

Audience

The listening audience seemed to have people from different walks of life. As mentioned in her presentation, her audience was blessed with the gift of influence. One of those in the audience that has the gift of influence was Ex-Vice President Al Gore. Majora Carter’s frame of reference was composed of her personal experiences, goals, values, attitudes, knowledge, beliefs, and culture. (Simonds 85)

Events

Her presentation historically spoke about the South Bronx. She reference the demographics of the South Bronx in the 1940s being a majority Caucasian working class neighborhood, which underwent “white flight” during the minority migration into said neighborhood. She mentioned that during current years, how the city was burdened with power plants and waste facilities, which have caused an ever-increasing amount of health risk among the population. The motivation of the presentation was persuasive. Her goal was to make a better environment for urban areas. The cause and affect of accomplishing such a goal was demonstrated in her presentation when she spoke about how a third world country (Colombia) was able to accomplish sustainable ecological development in their nation’s capital (Bogota).

Modes of Persuasion

In her presentation, her method of persuasive speaking consists of Ethos, Logos, and Pathos. Living in the very neighborhood that she spoke of gave her presentation the creditability (Ethos) of knowing first hand how the neighborhood existed. She also experienced first hand how the government and the owners of the inhabitant buildings did not capitalized in the best interest of neighborhood. The presentation included many statistics (Logos), which made it effective to the listener. She presented how nurturing the natural environment would give back sustainability to the community. Examples of this were the job training in the field of ecological restoration, building parks, and building cool roofs. Each of the examples demonstrated that if the inhabitants of the neighborhood took pride in what they are doing, the statistics would change for the better. Her presentation included emotion (Pathos). She describes how she lived near a crack house, the unjust death of her brother, and countless health issues due to the lack of a solution to the problem with the neighborhood, and also the pride she had when she spoke of the many projects that were in progress. Her use of inductive reasoning was demonstrated between the scenario of New Orleans after the Hurricane Katrina disaster and the health affect on inhabitants in the South Bronx due to the power plant and waste facilities. Both locations due to the disinvestment of their environments, cause many unnecessary health issues and deaths. Her use of deductive reasoning was demonstrated when she spoke about Bogota, Colombia. The conclusion was showed that pouring into the community gave the community the sense of dignity and pride, which made for a better environment.

Canons of Rhetoric

In regards to the area of invention under the Canons of Rhetoric, Majora Carter was well informed. Her experiences justified the cause and affect of a neighborhood without the proper care and with the proper care. In her speech, she did not present much in evidence of source of references. In regards to the area of arrangement under the Canons of Rhetoric, Majora Carter’s presentation gave the audience information that was presented in a way that was easy to comprehend. Her problem solution method gave causes and effects of each situation that were understandable to everyone. In regards to the area of style under the Canons of Rhetoric, Majora Carter presented her speech very articulately. As a minority, unfortunately most people might have presumed prior to her presentation that she would have spoken improper and the audience would not be able to understand. In regards to the area of delivery under the Canons of Rhetoric, Majora Carter performance skills were that she had good eye contact; however, the timing of her speech might have caused her to speak too fast. It was as if she was squeezing three hours of her presentation into a little over seventeen minutes.

Refocused Efforts

Ways on how I refocus my efforts for language use in my public speaking and communication skills would be to know my audience, know the topics as if I were the expert of them, research using credible information, and put into practice all of the skill sets presented. The focus should be on creating information that can be easily absorbed by the audience. This means, using the appropriate language and visual aids to present a topic. There has to be a difference in delivery of topics. For example, if your goal is persuade, the delivery should present the topic and allow the audience to see the topic in a different light. If the objective is to inform, the speaker should be informative but also have an adaptable speech. That way the speaker can reach various audiences.

References: Greening the ghetto. (2006, February 1). Majora Carter:. Retrieved August 4, 2014, from http://www.ted.com/talks/majora_carter_s_tale_of_urban_renewal Simonds, Cheri J., Stephen Hunt, Brent Simonds. Public Speaking: Prepare, Present, Participate. Pearson Learning Solutions, 07/2009. VitalBook file.