Analysis

In the following pages we guide you through a full analysis of Anand Giridharadas’ TED talk “A tale of two Americas. And the mini-mart where they collided” from 2015.

Looking at the composition of the talk, it becomes clear that most of the talk consists of the story of two individuals: Mark Stroman and Raisuddin Bhuiyan. Like the title of the TED talk indicates, the speaker uses this personal story to illustrate the bigger issue of America fracturing into an optimistic part and a more pessimistic part that is losing hope in building a better life for the future.

The style of language in lines 119-135 is relatively formal, probably because the speaker is trying to deliver his message and rally his audience. He does, however, make use of personification and descriptive adjectives to appeal to the audience’s emotions.

The talk relies on rhetorical devices such as rhetorical questions, direct address, and anaphora. It also draws heavily on the form of appeal called pathos since this goes well with the touching story of the two men.

The speaker’s use of contrasts is a central element in the talk. By contrasting elements such as the two Americas, Giridharadas makes the topic more relatable to his audience.

Anand Giridharadas’ delivery of the talk is impressive: He is a confident speaker with a flair for dramatizing and painting a vivid scene, just as he backs up his talk with authentic photographs of Stroman and Bhuiyan.

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