Prompt #9: Analysis of a TED Talk
For this blog post, I decided to watch and analyze Sue Klebold’s TED Talk regarding her son’s role in the Columbine shooting. This was an extremely interesting speech, as this topic is something unimaginable. People talk about school shootings often, the effects that they cause on the students, the reasoning as to why the shooter killed, and other psychological analysis. People never really consider how the parents of the shooter must have reacted as it is not deemed as important, and people often blame the parents as they raised the person who executed the shooting.
The theme revolved attempting to move forward from the tragedy and becoming a mental health advocate. Sue now speaks at many different places in order to get the message across that suicidal thoughts can become homicidal thoughts. She expresses how it is necessary to put more thought into mental health care in order to avoid massacres like this in the future.
She definitely expanded my understanding of the topic. She expressed how her son acted before the shooting and how hard it was to notice his behavior. He acted like any other teenager would, which is why it is so important to continue checking on people and knowing their inner thoughts.
The strength of her talk was absolutely her appeal to emotions. She expressed so much guilt from the actions of her son, Dylan Klebold, and explained that this is something that she will never move on from. She took viewers into the eyes of her son and how twisted his mind must have become before he completed his legacy. She depicted the power of toxic friendships and how drastic they can become as well.
This is a talk and not a speech in many ways. Her presentation did not include visuals as many TED talks do, but she moved around the stage and made eye contact with audience members as if she was trying to create a personal connection with each person listening to her speak. Her voice remains strong as she does not get overly emotional during her talk. I think that this aspect was vital to the effectiveness of her speech as well. If she had been overly emotional, it could have seemed as if she was seeking pity from the audience.
Overall, Sue Klebold’s speech was extremely effective and made me think about these topics a lot more. She caused listeners to reevaluate those around them and the thoughts that turn into mass shootings. This was a great TED talk and it allows viewers to have a more inside look into the tragedy of the Columbine shooting.
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