Speech Analysis: To This Day by Shane Koyczan - Essay Example

Speech Analysis Link: http www.ted.com/talks/shane_koyczan_to_this_day_for_the_bullied_and_beautiful.html “To This Day” is both a speech and a poem by Shane Koyczan, and it was presented in February 2013 at the TED2013 conference. The topic of the speech centered on Shane’s story of how he survived bullying while also sharing the message of how important it is to accept people as they are and not to judge them on how they are expected to be. While the camera focuses primarily on Shane throughout his speech, the few glimpses of the audience reveal a melting pot of individuals - a fantastic mixture of gender, ethnicity, and age. Shane Koyczan is well-known for his outspoken stance against bullying, often citing instances from his own life to show the devastation of being bullied simply for being different. His background intensified the speech, providing a direct example of what Shane was trying to share with his audience. He was the outcome of not just bullying, but of what it means to stand up for yourself as the victim. The topic of Shane’s speech had its own impact by being one that many people in our world are experiencing first-hand. However, with Shane standing there as proof that victims can overcome bullying, the topic presented a unique and empowering outlook of being bullied. The diversity of the audience shows how the trauma of bullying is widespread, and whether any of these people were the victims of bullying or merely a bystander, the topic becomes a personal one. Since this speech was in spoken-word form, its layout differed from typical speeches. Shane’s introduction was slightly drawn out, and almost indecipherable from the body of the speech, but was no less vital to the overall structure. Shane’s attention getter was a profound declaration of how children are expected to define themselves, and if they do not, society will do it for them, often labeling children based on flaws or physical characteristics, as opposed to qualities that are beneath the skin. The revelation of this topic is made known when Shane states that “at the same time we are being told what we were, we were being asked, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ It presupposes that we can’t be what we already are” (Koyczan). He reveals the painful revelation that the degradation of ourselves begins at a young age, and effects us throughout our teenage years and into adulthood. We were all, at one time or another, victims to this almost inherent quality of not being good enough. Shane’s revelation sets the tone for the remainder of the speech and effectively transfixes the audience. Shane’s statement of the central idea follows soon after with a simple declaration that “standing up for yourself doesn’t have to mean embracing violence.” This sets forth the purpose of his presentation, to show that a victim does not have to become a bully to overcome the influence of their own bully. Though there is no preview of Shane’s main points, the introduction and Shane’s personal story prepare the audience for the direction of the presentation. There is no direct statement of credibility in Shane’s speech. Instead, Shane himself and the story that he tells through his spoken-word poem are the only sources of credibility required. The events that he mentions throughout his presentation, including those that involved him witnessing the bullying of others, was experienced first-hand by Shane. In regard to this intense topic, there could not have been a more credible individual. Shane’s personal experiences alone give him the authority to discuss the emotional harm that accompanies bullying. The pattern of organization that Shane utilized was primarily chronological, though there are a few instances when he goes off on a tangent without completely abandoning the topic. This pattern was extremely effective in the sense that it allowed the audience to understand how Shane’s experiences with bullying and trying to fit in, as well as the experiences of others that he witnessed throughout his life, built upon one another until they formed the person that Shane is today. We are able to see his mindset as he embarked on the journey of accepting who he was despite not being good enough for others. The first main point of Shane’s presentation is that people are often bullied because they are different and unacceptable to other individuals or cliques. As such, we are expected to define ourselves from a young age. Unable to define ourselves in a way that is pleasing to others, we tend to succumb to the feelings of imperfection, which is Shane’s second point. The third point focuses on how we respond to these feelings. Many people allow themselves to be bullied repeatedly, some become bullies themselves, and others give up on life, finding no purpose to continue living if people cannot accept them for who they really are. The fourth point consists of various facets, focusing on how bullying has become an epidemic, how numerous people are falling prey to the heartless words of others, and how the cure is such a disease is to learn to love and accept yourself. The main evidence of Shane’s presentation was Shane himself. He lived through the bullying, and he struggled to survive through the lies that he was not good enough. As he shared his story, Shane was the primary example that there was something so much more incredible to life than accepting the lies of others at face value. Shane was proof that bullying and feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness do not define an individual, but that their struggle to embrace that they are worth so much more can become their defining quality. Shane also utilizes an animated graphic to accompany his poem, which effectively provides images to the concepts that Shane’s words alone cannot accurately describe. These graphics are dreary and heart-wrenching, and aid the audience in better understanding the emotional effects of being bullied. When it comes to the use of language, Shane did not hold back. Allowing the occasional swear word to slip to highlight a point, Shane used words as he saw fit to help paint a detailed picture of the story that he was desperate to share with his audience. Being a poet, metaphors and imagery abounded throughout the presentation, bringing to life on the stage with him the life that he fought through, and the lives of others that had not been as successful. These elements of speech allowed Shane to give us entry into the depths of his mind so that we could feel the pain that he felt growing up as he wondered if there was more to life than just being not good enough to everyone else. Shane’s delivery was equally as successful as his language. The opening of his speech was calm, lighthearted, and, at times, humorous. Shane seemed to be warming up to the audience and letting us get the chance to understand who this person was beneath the skin. When Shane began reciting the meat of the poem, his delivery became harsher and significantly more emotional. It was no longer just a poem, or a presentation against bullying, but one man’s secrets spilling out onto the stage. Shane completely poured the contents of his heart and soul into our laps. The effectiveness of Shane’s delivery was such that the audience could feel the pain and disappointment behind his words, allowing us to gain a firmer understanding that Shane went though as he grew up. There was no conventional conclusion at the end of Shane’s presentation. He did not summarize the points that he had previously made, nor did he reiterate the main purpose of his presentation. He did, however, conclude his speech with the intense and resounding concept that to survive in this world, we should become more concerned with balancing our pain with our beauty instead of believing that pain is all we are worthy of. This atypical conclusion was effective as it gave the audience something to hold tight to, something important to dwell on, as the presentation came to a close. Read More