Critical Analysis of the Speech on Why School Should Start Later

Critical Analysis

The debate of whether or not schools should start later has been a prominent issue on the minds of many for years now. Various people have made their arguments known. However in this essay on “Why school should start later?” we will notice that in the speech of Wendy Troxel “Why school should start later for teens” she gives a very convincing run down of her opinion. Wendy gave her speech in November of 2016 in front of roughly over 1,000 people from various different fields. She presented her information at the TEDx Manhattan Beach location. A recording of the speech was also posted on the TED YouTube page for the public to view at any time. The type of speech Wendy presented is known as a persuasive speech. Persuasive speeches are crafted so that the speaker uses different methods to convince the audience that the speaker’s point of view is worthy of believing. Besides convincing, other goals can be created such as the goal to educate, inform, and to motivate the audience. Persuasive speeches should include different tactics to help support their overall goal. A few examples of these methods include using ethos, pathos, and logos. It is to be expected that by the end of the speech, you feel more inclined to believe the information that the presenter is giving you. In Wendy Troxels’s speech, she does an excellent job creating an effective speech by using rhetorics such as ethos, logos, pathos, and various visuals.

Ethos

The first strategy Wendy used in her speech was ethos. For those who don’t know what ethos is, it’s essentially the credibility of the person speaking or writing. Credibility can be shown through the presenter’s previous knowledge and experiences, the speaker’s use of trustworthy sources for their information, and through the way that they choose to present their information. An example of ethos in the speech would be when Wendy says, “You see, I’m a sleep researcher. So I know far too much about sleep and the consequences of sleep loss.” This is an important piece of information to include because it gives the audience a sense of credibility and trustworthiness. A sleep researcher’s job is strictly to gain knowledge about the effects and consequences of sleep loss. Since Wendy holds the title of sleep researcher, it automatically gives her more credibility since she uses science almost on a daily basis to study everything there is to know about sleep.

Logos

The next method I observed was the use of logos. Logos can be defined as the use of logic or reasoning to solidify the speaker’s argument. Logos can be presented as statistics, evidence, or any fact that is proven to be true. An example from Troxel’s speech emphasizes, “Only about one in every ten gets the eight to ten hours of sleep per night recommended by sleep scientists and pediatricians. Using such a shocking statistic will take the audience by surprise, resulting in them feeling a need to change it or they will begin to side with the presenter. The quote also uses the terms scientists and pediatricians since they are trustworthy and credible sources. This lets the audience know that the information they are given is true and not something made up.

Pathos

Another tactic that Troxel used well was pathos. Pathos refers to the ability to appeal to the audience’s emotions. In pathos, it is most commonly seen through the use of heart wrenching stories that pull at the audience’s heart strings. Wendy implemented pathos at a perfect time when she said, “They’re also pitting teenagers and their parents in a fundamentally unwinnable fight against their own bodies.” The use of this quote brings out sympathy in the listeners since it gives them an image of immensely tired people fighting to keep themselves going against their own body. It is meant for the listener to feel bad for the teenagers who are working tirelessly to keep up on school, clubs/sports, and sometimes even work. As she said, it is an unwinnable battle, which pushes the audience to feel that they need to make a change. She later follows this up by saying that it is “contributing to many of the mental health problems that skyrocket during adolecense, including substance use, depression, and suicide. This deepends the audience’s emotions since they may experienced one of those illnesses, or they may know someone who has.

Visuals

Finally, the last tactic I saw was the use of visuals. Visuals can be used to paint a picture in the listener’s mind to help them better understand what the presenter is talking about. This can be shown through text or through a physical picture, graph, or through the arts. Wendy uses many visuals through her words throughout the speech. One of the examples that I picked started off by describing the darkness of the six in the morning sky, she then follows the description up with, “I flip on the light and physically shake the poor boy awake…” She is referring to how she wakes her son up in the early mornings for school. By describing this image so vividly, Wendy gives the audience a sense of what it would be like to be in the shoes of this poor boy. This also brings in pathos since it allows the listeners to feel sympathy for the boy since they may have also been there before.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Wendy Troxel created an excellent speech and argument on why schools should start later for teens. To assist her argument, she implemented various rhetorical methods including ethos, logos, pathos, and visuals. The use of statistics, her background, stories, and images helped to create a strong support for her argument. Troxel’s speech was an excellent example of the things that we have learned in this class.