Article Review On Ted Talk Analysis

Ken Robinson enthralls the audience, mostly professionals and parents of the younger generation, with his humor filled oratory skills while emphasizing the need for educating the whole being of the younger generation rather than up the waist and centered toward the head. Robinson strongly criticizes the present education system throughout the world that fails to exploit a variety of inborn talents in the children beyond their academic ability. Thus, an ideal education system should secure the future of younger generation by developing the innovative and creative talents in them. Robinson establishes his credibility to the audience (ethos) by disclosing his former profession as teaching even though he continues to criticize present system of education and teachers. No wonder the audience loves to hear him, often responding with laughter at his humorous presentation skills. He appeals by quoting Picasso, who said that all children were artists, reminding the audience that the present education system kills the creativity of children born with diverse talents. Robinson also appeals to the audience (pathos) mostly humorously while not diluting the seriousness of the issue. He cites the story of a schoolgirl who was sitting at the back and drawing the picture of God while the teacher thought she was not good at studies. The little girl’s response that everyone would see God through her drawing to the teacher’s apprehension in sarcastically telling the girl that no one had ever seen God is thought provoking. He also emotionally appeals by reminding the audience that children do not mind committing mistakes, but as they grow they do not want to commit any more mistakes because the school system does not want them to fail. Robinson wants the audience to fight the stigma attached with mistakes or failures in school so that new artists and creators would emerge. Robinson addresses the audience (logos) by presenting the truth that the education system with its own hierarchy of subjects is the same everywhere. He indicts the system of teaching which gives more importance to math or humanity than art or dance by citing Gillian Lynne, a successful dancer who was stamped a failure by the education system. He also warns about the UNESCO’s prediction that in the next 30 years, people who graduate would outnumber those who were graduated since the beginning of history, thus causing an “Academic Inflation.” Robinson concludes by repeating the need to secure the future of younger generation by exploiting their inborn talents.