Rhetorical Analysis Of Ted Talk By Dalia Mogahed

Alice Goffman, the speaker in this TED Talk, does a great job reaching out to her audience in a great number of ways. Her purpose in this TED Talk titled, “How We’re Priming Some Kids for College, and Others for Prison,” is to grab the attention of all people, but it is directed towards the younger generations, to show them that they have to work together in order for change to be made. The change would be to work together to help end the problem of mass incarceration; to help completely rebuild the Criminal Justice System. Throughout her talk, Goffman uses examples of logos, ethos, and pathos to reach her audience in an effective way, and to inform them of the problems going on with the United States Criminal Justice System.

In Dalia Mogahed’s ted talk she explains what it’s like to be Muslim in America. Not only is it hard for her, but it’s also very hard for her family to be going through a situation that she went through on September 11, 2001. Dalia remembers every detail of what she went through on this horrific event. People saw her religion as a threat on this day and she will never forget the fear she went through.

Jackson Katz’ Ted Talk attempts to investigate a solution for violence against women and men through gender equality. This video is created from the mindset of an American educator on gendered violence within workplaces, families, households, and schools. Katz refers to his hypothesis that the human brain’s cognitive structure is programmed to condemn the victim of the violence thus setting back the progression of eliminating gender violence. Katz dissects the fact that we have numerous amounts of technology to develop society’s knowledge of violence and analyzes the significance of brutality as a deeper sociological systemic complication.

In society, there are some misconceptions about who Muslim women are and the identity they have. Through hasty generalizations, Muslim women are often depicted as being only Arab, figures of oppression, and being poles apart with everyone. Popular media fails to recognize the diversity in this group in terms of race, ethnicity, nationality, cultural norms, gender role, education attainment level, occupation and upbringing. I believe that the intersection of social inequalities in these identifying components has rendered Muslim women invisible in society.

To inspire change in an audience well-set in their ways, sometimes an argument has to be just as bold as the bold ideas presented. This robust approach creates can present a well-crafted, effective argument, for it confronts the audience with a strong ethical stance and difficult to ignore facts, forcing the audience to undergo an examination of their own beliefs. Peter Singer utilizes this form of argument while using dramatic hypothetical situations and statistics in his essay, which ultimately proves to be effective than his more passive TEDtalk speech. Singer throughout his essay establishes strong logos, starting off with describing the findings of philosophy professor Peter Unger. Paraphrasing some of Unger's findings, he describes how

In this essay I will be concluding what I have learned through-out the course from the text. I will be discussing how “Islamophobia” played a big part in each lesson, though it wasn’t highly stated in the first few readings, I believe it was a constant theme. Lastly, I will be addressing a “persona” I felt that was throughout the in-class discussions, and readings about “US” (Americans) vs “THEM” (Muslims).

American Muslim are oppressed by the the impression that the hijab is a reminder of the threat of terrorism. In Asma Khalid’s National Public Radio’s article, "Lifting The Veil: Muslim Women Explain Their Choice" where she interviews American Muslim women they discuss this as one of the reasons for unveiling. In the NPR article,Rasmieyh Abdelnabi, age 27, agrees with this concept talking about the huge responsibility that comes with the hijab, citing her own experiences she elaborates. “I’m the kind of person who likes to walk into a room and be unnoticed…when you wear hijab and you walk into a room, everyone notices you; everyone stares at you; everyone makes assumptions about you”(Khalid). The attention women receive from where the hijab is further discussed in an article on the website Arabs in America, a project directed by Dr. Sahar Amer, a Professor of Asian Studies at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Amer writes that some women believe“the headscarf brings more attention to women and is thus contradictory to its original purpose” (Amer). Both articles shared the concept of the hijab as an expression of cultural and religious identity.The negative perception of Muslims and the rise of “anti-Muslim zeal” post 9-11 is oppressive to American Muslim women as they fall victim to mistreatment, violence, and

Despite many Muslim American women openly declaring that their choice to don a hijab is a celebration of their personal identity, some American feminists believe that hijabs embody Islamic oppression through forcing overly conservative fashion on women (Haddad 261-262). These feminists fail to understand the nuances of the mid-twentieth century Islamic revival, which occurred as a response to many Muslim-majority countries beginning to westernize through the adoption of western fashion and the consumption of alcohol. During the revival, many Muslim women throughout the world began to revert back to traditional Islamic customs, such as wearing a hijab. This open acceptance of religious tradition allowed these women to reaffirm their faith and have a constant reminder of how their personal identities align with their spiritual beliefs (Gomaa).

Today, Islam is seen as a violent religion, the mention of Muslims anywhere strike fear into people. But yet there are more Muslim doctors, scholars, engineers, scientist, thriving in first world countries than anyone else. Muslim people lack the ability to have their own identity due to the media’s interpretation of them. It’s even more for Muslim woman because they will forever be painted as Oppressed. In American Muslim Women by Jamillah Karim, the author gathers information about barriers Muslim women face living in Chicago and Atlanta, either through segregations, discrimination, and gender roles. The author mentions how people of the same ethnic background tend to stay together, instead of branching outside or their race, and how Muslim women are treated like underdogs when they interact with Muslim men in the mosque, at work, and etc. People that normally identify with the same race, religion, and ethnicity tend to stay together. This reading discussed “boundaries” that women face in the mosque and how they are bound to the back, while men are privileged with front row seats, closer to the Unman. The reason could be that these women that feel oppressed

With over one million views, Dan Gross’ TED Talk capitalizes on the issue of gun control. The viewer gains a deep insight on an individual’s views who left their dream career to become a gun control activist. Dan Gross uses rhetorical speech and persuasion in order to educate his audience on why “gun violence can’t be our new normal.”

In March of 2010, Sam Harris presented “Science can answer moral questions”, a TED Talk in front of people of high degree. Sam Harris is a neuroscientist, which is crucial to his stance as it helps him with his research and data analysis. On top of being directly involved in the field of science, Harris is also an atheist and philosopher. The audience Sam Harris is speaking to during this TED Talk is made up of fellow speakers who will be presenting TED Talks themselves.

The terrorist attacks, in America, propelled Arab-Americans and Muslims into the spotlight, and that light has yet to diminish. The presence of Arbs in the United States is recorded from the earliest days. Yet today, they are considered a minority. Finally, different societal groups are opening their doors to Muslims and Arab-born women. To most people, this opening door portrays a step in the right direction. When examined more closely, it becomes evident that the opening door is a manifestation of racism where these so called "other" women are viewed as victims of their culture and seen as powerless. At the same time, many consider the husbands, fathers, brothers, and sons as the real threat to national security. Arab-American literature offers little to off-set the oppressed image of Muslim women. Nada notes women are the authors of most acceptable Arab-American literature in the West. She further observes the West hungers for tales of Arab women's oppressed sexuality. Female writers who criticize Islam find more favor over those writers condemning the occupation of their homeland by democratic nations. Islamophobia points to the notion that the Arab women behind those hijabs are faceless women, pitied because of the social injustices they endure in their Arab homeland. Nada contends women of Arab descent must take every open door as an opportunity to denounce Islamophobia. The forefront of Arab-American literature must shift towards the difficulty and intolerance faced by Arab-American people by the hands of their non-Arab fellow citizens. This literature must accentuate the real struggle Arab- American women face as citizens of the USA, then, perhaps Islamophobia will begin to

This film is extremely relevant to my study of women and religion because it sheds light on how being a Muslim is not limited to possessing a religious identity.  In other words, it explores the totality of women and how they live their lives in daily contexts. Additionally, this film is relevant to my study of women and religion because it strategically offers experiences of women in a way that defeats orientalist beliefs concerted by western cultures. To illustrate the importance of this theme the director stated, “I don’t see them as ‘Muslim’ women; I just see them as women. I hope the documentary deconstructs that sense of ‘otherness’ that has been attached to women who wear the veil."

Zainah Anwar is a Muslim woman who sees much controversy between her vision/perspective of her role as a female of the Islamic faith and that of the Koran’s. To begin, Anwar’s mission statement is supported by the following quotation: “I see no contradiction in being a Muslim and being a modern person who leads a joyous and meaningful life inside and outside the home.” This being said, she is a powerful woman who holds strongly to her firm beliefs about the life she would like to live versus the life she is expected to live. According to the article, Zainah Anwar states “I am a feminist and I am an activist.” She sees her role as being able to object to statements she does not agree with and allow her part in Muslim society to become more significant

A year after moving to the U.S., she established the Ayaan Hirsi Ali Foundation to help protect women in the West against “militant Islam”. The author’s efforts to strive for her goal and the recognition she received shows she has gained the public’s attention and takes her stance against Islam seriously; however, despite the background, her writings on criticism of religious texts are still debatable and unsuccessful.