passion

How to Live Passionately

The link to the TED talk I watched: https://www.ted.com/talks/isabel_allende_how_to_live_passionately_no_matter_your_age#t-484136

I chose this TED talk because the name struck my attention right away. "How to live Passionately" As a senior, it is really hard for me to stay focused in some of my classes because I think am losing passion. Before watching this TED talk I was eager to hear what the speaker had to say about passion... haha but I had a different kind of passion in mind than she did. Sometimes she discussed passion in an affectionate way which is not what I was expecting at first, but it was interesting. I think that another aspect of her talk that can be connected to my life, is when she discusses how everything is a choice. You can choose to have a good attitude or you can choose to have a poor one. Life is full of choices. To be passionate about it or not is up to each and every individual. In addition, I remember, last year we had a unit about communication which I think can connect directly to Isabel's message. One can choose to communicate their passion or not to.

Isabel's main argument was that living passionate is a choice. She has made the conscious decision to live this way. Some of her other arguments are that aging is an attitude. She said that we start the aging process at birth. This was weird to hear because I typically do not associate the start of someone's life with wrinkles which I do with aging people. Isabel has stated that she is no longer stuck in an idea of who she was or what she wants to be, she is liberated. She's saying that she is free from herself in a way. She has chosen to live life without carrying grudges and exclaims that it is much greater to let things go. When given opportunities now, she trains herself to say yes, she says yes to life, yes to everything. I think this is very valuable because life is very short and having a negative attitude when asked things is not fulfilling true potential. Isabel mentions a lot that she is engaged with an open heart, welcoming new and old. Throughout her speech, she references her husband and talks about how she still remains to have passion for him, even at the age of 71.

To deliver her argument, Isabel uses many techniques. More specifically, she uses ethos, logos, and pathos to convey her point. She uses ethos because she is a credible author with several accolades to prove so. Isabel has earned the National Prize for Literature, Presidential Medal of Freedom, Common Wealth Award of Distinguished Service, and American Book Award. Her reputation precedes her. I think that it is a good idea to listen to what she talks about because she points out great points that can pertain to a wide audience-basically everyone any age. Isabel's use of logos is also present throughout her TED talk. Her arguments are logical and make sense. She uses an abundance of evidence to support her arguments. For the most part, she introduces other well-known individuals as examples. She talks mostly about figures who are women because they inspire her a lot. While her points are logical, they are also probably a little bias. She most likely is just now realizing the eminence of life's shortness. She structured her presentation by talking to her audience at first and then when she brought up her supporting evidence, she referenced her visual aids on screens. Overall her argument had more strengths than weaknesses. It was strong because it was persuading, she provided a ton of supporting evidence, she linked her speech to her personal life, and she related to a broad audience. One weakness she had was her evidence was not variated and all of the people she referenced were women, showing her bias toward the female gender. Pathos is another technique Isabel used quite effectively. She evoked emotion when she discussed how she has made changes in her life and how anyone can. When she said that people typically feel younger than they are, she explained that it is because one's spirit is still young no matter their age. She connects to her audience's emotions by expressing her own.

Works Consulted 

Allende, Isabel. “How to Live Passionately-No Matter Your Age.” TED: Ideas Worth Spreading, www.ted.com/talks/isabel_allende_how_to_live_passionately_no_matter_your_age#t-484136.