Our next unit in AP Language will be economics. As a warm up, watch this Ted Talk, Shut Up and Listen.
After listening to the talk from Ernesto Sirolli, write a rhetorical analysis of what his argument is and how he convinces his audience of this argument.
To be quiet and to truly listen is one of the greatest and most difficult tasks we face as human beings. Oftentimes we feel that we have great ideas on how to help and how to fix something that doesn’t have much to do with us. These ideas often make it worse or more difficult for the people being helped. In Ernesto Sirolli’s talk “Shut Up and Listen” he details the importance of listening to everyone.
ReplyDeleteThrough Sirolli’s talk, he guides his audience on how he came to the conclusion that it is better to listen than force someone else’s idea onto another person. He starts off speaking about how he spent seven years in Africa and all of the projects he worked on, failed. When he was twenty-seven, he began to realize that people had ideas, and their ideas should be the focus of all these government projects. Their ideas should be nurtured to success. He decided to stop talking and start listening to the locals. The locals knew what would work in their area and what wouldn’t. They wanted to achieve their ideas, they didn’t need new ideas, their ideas needed to be nurtured. People can’t create something big by themselves, they need people to work with them. It made the most sense to Sirolli to work with people who had ideas and turn them into a successful career.
Sirolli repeats the word “passion” many times throughout his talk, it is very prevalent. As the audience, we can see passion in the way he speaks to us. He speaks of something he loves, of something most people love, helping each other. His passion was to nurture other people’s ideas and help them grow them into something great. We see his passion for this in the way he speaks. Not only do we see passion in his talk, but we hear him speak of it. He says that every single person has a passion, that passion will not be found through forcing one person’s idea onto someone else, but it will be found through a friendly conversation.
In his talk, Ernesto Sirolli uses a shared belief that most people have, that helping people is one of the most important things we can do. Helping someone doesn’t always come in the form of sharing our ideas, but it is most prevalent in helping their ideas. We must be willing to help to grow another person’s passion so that they may rise to their full potential.
This is great, Audrey! I highly agree that using passion was a huge aspect of his talk. I also like that you talked about how new ideas may not be needed, but instead they need to be “nurtured.”
DeleteNice essay! Passion is definitely needed in order for a business to thrive, and you highlighted that concept well. I also liked how you tied the passion of the people back to Ernesto himself.
DeleteGreat essay, Audrey! I loved the part where you talked about how people share a want to help those in need. I agree that this helped him create a sense of unity with the audience. I was intrigued by the part about how many times he said passion. Good work!
DeleteErnesto Sirolli said, “So years and years ago, I had this idea: Why don't we, for once, instead of arriving in the community to tell people what to do, why don't, for once, listen to them? But not in community meetings.” Sometimes individuals think that they know what is best for people, but everyone has a different reality. No one thing is going to benefit every person, it all depends on where they are in life. His use of the word “passion” and stories that exhibit that listening is the only way to accomplish anything are both ways that he strengthened his argument.
ReplyDeleteOne of the strongest parts of this talk is when he talks about passion. As Ernesto stated, “The most important thing is passion. You can give somebody an idea. If that person doesn't want to do it, what are you going to do?” Listening to someone and finding out where their ambition and passion lies is the first step to making an idea become a reality. Until one sits down and truly listens, a cycle of people not enjoying what they do will be continuous. Everyone who sees someone lacking passion should wonder how different things would be for that person if someone would listen to them.
Another vital aspect of Ernesto’s speech was his use of stories that prove his point. One of these stories was about how he worked in Africa and wanted to get the people there to plant crops in this certain area. He says, “When the tomatoes were nice and ripe and red, overnight, some 200 hippos came out from the river and they ate everything.” The people who lived in this area knew that this would happen, but did what they were asked of anyway. This shows that even though individuals may think they know what is best, no one knows everything. One of the most important things that people can do is learn from others, and no one can do that unless they are willing to listen.
This talk was fortified by showing how passion correlates with listening and the true stories that he used. Simply respecting and listening to others would make the world a much better place, and it would help others understand that no one has the same reality because everyone has different experiences.
This is a good essay! I liked your usage of quotes and your explanation of them was well written. Your own takes on Ernesto’s ideas was also enjoyable to read. Well done!
DeleteVery well done, Melaina! I really enjoyed reading your essay. The way that you utilized direct quotes from Sirolli really helped solidify the claims you made. Nice work!
DeleteIndependence is something everyone wants. After all, who likes to be bossed around? Foreign countries have wanted to help developing countries for years, but their efforts only end up making matters worse. The solution? Listen to what the people want. Ernesto Sirolli, an entrepreneur, figured out that it is far more effective to listen to his client, rather than guess what to do. Sirolli argues that by being able to adapt to the environment and meet the desires of the local people, not their own, will allow prosperity.
ReplyDeleteThe first matter Sirolli mentions is why the current system of jump-starting business fails. He uses his own experience of helping a village in Africa as proof of his argument. When Sirolli helps the people, he has an idea that agriculture will solve all the problems, but quickly learns of the village’s unique hippo situation. Had Sirolli asked about why they did not have agriculture, he would have tried something different. He then realizes that countries like Africa are failing to develop because bigger countries are imposing ideas which only work on an area-by-area basis. The first portion of his presentation allows for the audience to become open to the idea of a change needing to be established, and will now be more open to Sirolli’s further arguments.
Sirolli then delves into his idea of a solution, which is to just listen to what the client has to say. He then uses evidence that listening to the client works by revealing his successes in Australia. Sirolli mentions that he let people approach him, and did not impose anything onto anyone. In time, he had his first customer. Sirolli listened to what the man wanted, and because of that, he was able to give him a stable source of income by selling fish. In another scenario, Sirolli was able to increase a group of fisherman’s profit by twenty-five times! This was far more effective than just thrusting another, wildly different idea onto a group of people who can not support it. Those fishermen could not farm, so had Sirolli just told them to become farmers, they would never have made profit. Rather, by listening to what they wanted, Sirolli was able to use their skill set, and turn it into a business of its own.
The way Sirolli argues his idea of entrepreneurship is just like that of a true business man: logical and straightforward. He first breaks down something the audience already understands, that Africa is struggling and other countries are helping it. Sirolli builds upon that idea and argues that Africa is still struggling because more powerful countries are too imposing. He then supports this claim by bringing in his own life experiences, and uses it as evidence to show why the current system does not work. It creates a blank foundation in the audience’s mind, and he uses that new foundation to build his argument upon it. He argues that listening to the clients brings lasting success, and once again uses experience as evidence to show why it works. Like a shining, new building, Sirolli builds a new idea of business in his audience’s heads, and because he tore down the old building, Sirolli’s building of ideas will stick for a long time.
Great analysis, Tanner! I like the example you used about Ernesto’s success in Australia, which was all because he listened to people.
DeleteGood analysis, Tanner! I thought it was really great how you used the example of a blank foundation and explained how he built his argument up. Great work!
Delete“Shut up and Listen,” a phrase that so obviously reminds people to pay attention to others. Ernesto Sirolli outlines this phrase as a solution to most issues in his Ted Talk. His point in his speech is this: a community and culture can be revolutionized by its own people, if they harness their own passions and skills.
ReplyDeleteSirolli intends to reach both the people who need help and those people giving the help. He uses his own experiences to explain how communication is important to solving world issues. He speaks of a time when he was in Africa starting an agricultural project there. His team had a successful season and grew the largest tomatoes he had ever grown before. They were overjoyed with how successful the harvest would be. However, all of the hippos in the area ate all of the tomatoes before they could be harvested. All of the native people told them that they knew the hippos would do that. Sirolli is joking when he finishes this memory, the audience's positive reaction to the punch line helps him to hammer down his last point. He realized that all of the trouble they had gone through to grow the tomatoes would have been avoided if they had spoken to the African people. Sirolli uses his past experiences to persuade the audience to trust his authority on the subject. He also uses imagery of the hippos eating the crops in Africa to show issues in miscommunications. This visual of how issues may get in the way helps the audience better understand Sirolli’s point.
Sirolli uses logic in his argument. First, Sirolli shares how he uses trust to work with clients to build up his business. Then, he is able to make changes in the world for people who need help. He mentions how no man can think up a project, make it happen, and handle the money. These claims strengthen Sirolli’s argument because they again show people need other people. He makes it obvious that members of a community need each other to solve issues. He ties this claim together with a reference to the church. He explains how even the church doesn’t work under one man’s command. This can be supported by the fact that the church is found in the gathering of people, not simply just in the building.
Overall, Sirolli was successful in making his point that people need to listen to each other and make changes in their own communities. He spoke on the importance of passion in a tone that shared just how passionate he was about the topic. He used imagery, rhetorical questions, and his own experiences to drive home his point.
Great Job Gina! I like how you mentioned that he used humor to get his point across and appeal to the audience.
DeleteI love how you included his use of humor to convince the audience and how you included his reference to the church. Great job Gina!
DeleteEveryone wants to be heard, which creates a problem when it comes to listening. Ernesto Sirolli brings this problem to light in his speech “Shut Up and Listen.” He explains the benefits and the success that can come from just simply listening to others. Sirolli outlines that it is necessary to listen to those in which you are trying to help in order to achieve the ultimate goal.
ReplyDeleteSiolli begins his speech by telling the audience a story about his failed projects in Africa. The people had no interest in growing the tomatoes that Sirolli had decided they would grow. The tomatoes grew wonderfully, but were all eaten by hippos. The citizens there knew that this would happen and explained that this was the reason why they had no agriculture. Sirolli tried to force agriculture on these people without questioning. All that was necessary was one simple question and listening to the local people who are familiar with their home. This brought him to the realization that listening to their ideas and turning them into something successful is far more efficient than barging in and giving orders. This story is a perfect example of Sirollis ultimate point that listening is key to creating something prosperous.
He then discusses that he was successful in Australia when he took a different approach. He became a servant to local passion, shut up, and listened. People began to approach him in Australia because of the goals he helped others accomplish by transforming their passions. Sirolli’s personal passion for the success of others strengthens his argument greatly. He shows that by being open minded and caring about what his clients want can change the end result into a success. He proves that by having passion for the clients desires, intelligence can lead to a satisfied client. Sirolli emphasizes that working together, listening, and serving local passions is more efficient.
Sirolli’s talk was aimed at getting people to understand how necessary listening is not only in entrepreneurship, but everyday life. He used stories, logic, and a shared passion of reaching success to support his argument. Listening and using intelligence to nurture people's passions is vital in reaching success.
I love your point in how Sirolli used stories to get his objective across. I also love how you mentioned his passions. Great job Abby!
DeleteI really enjoyed reading your essay Abby! I love your closing point about how both listening and intelligence is necessary to care for others successfully.
DeleteThe Ted talk by Ernesto Sirolli discusses how to truly help people and struggling countries. Many have traveled on mission trips to help foreign countries and people only to find their attempts useless. Sirolli goes into detail about the way this can be solved. People need to shut up and listen.
ReplyDeleteIn this argument, Ernesto uses emotion to convey his topic. He uses strong words like “rubbish”, and “killed” to explain what he was doing wasn’t working. The word “damage” is used several times highlighting the impact Americans have truly caused. He also uses the word “passion” several times. He shows people the passion he has in his work and how others passions can be pursued. It makes the person listening believe their own passions can be pursued. Even in the title “shut up and listen”, he uses strong language that will impact the audience before they begin.
Sirolli uses his past experiences and his work to establish authority within the crowd. In the beginning of the talk he starts with his explanation of all of the mission work he has done. Who would know that mission trips don’t work like someone who has gone on many? He also mentions his trials and his positive feedback to show that he truly knows that it will work.
Ernesto uses logic to convey his point. He uses billionaires' writings to show how many times they have used “I” to convey the point that one person cannot do everything. He uses the prediction in the New York population to show the impact that a small car business had. He makes sure to number the amount of business that his company has helped.
Great analysis Elena! I loved how you tied together Sirolli’s ideas of business and his mission trips.
DeleteGreat job on your analysis, Lani! I liked how you used a lot of direct quotes of words Sirolli used in his talk. I also liked how you mentioned that he used his past experiences.
DeleteGreat job Lani! I loved how you talked about his word usage!
DeleteLani, I thought you brought up a lot of good topics. I agree that his talk talked about how you can truly help those who are struggling.
DeleteErnesto Sirolli is an Italian entrepreneur who believes that entrepreneurs are important in shaping the future. Within his TED talk, Sirolli speaks about a trip he took to Africa and how he learned the valuable lesson of shutting up and listening. The story Ernesto shares affirms that in order to truly be helpful toward others, being quiet and listening to their needs is necessary.
ReplyDeleteSirolli’s recount of his trip to Africa begins with him and others wanting to help the people of Africa. As Africa is a poor country, people from many different countries including Sirolli’s home country of Italy, the United States, and Britain traveled to try and help. There is nothing wrong with wishing to help. The issue is how the African people are treated badly and sometimes forced to do work. If the volunteers simply listened to what the African people needed and what they could use help with, the revival of the African communities would be achievable.
The treatment of the African people was also absurd and not necessary. Sirolli claimed that they taught the Africans how to grow Italian vegetables including tomatoes and zucchini. The African people were being treated similarly to slaves and were told to farm. The vegetables were growling wonderfully and better than in Italy. Then the crops were all wasted as hippos came and ate them all. The Italians were surprised and asked the community why they didn’t mention the hippos. They’re answer was that the question was never asked. The Africans must’ve also thought that they wouldn’t listen. Not listening to others can lead to ignorance and misfortune.
Sirolli also mentions in his Ted talk a powerful message about how no successful business is run by one person alone. People are meant to work together by using their talents. All peoples different qualities contribute to the efficiency of a business. This philosophy can be seen as true in almost every group setting, not only within business and between entrepreneurs.
Sirolli ends his talk by affirming his beliefs that to shut up and listen is the best way to help someone.
Being understanding and finding solutions to real world problems is as simple as looking someone in the eye and hearing what they have to say.
Great job on your essay, Hope! I really enjoyed how you mentioned that Sirolli spoke about powerful business and how they require more than one person to run it.
DeleteI loved your essay hope!! I liked how you outlined the treatment of the people he helped our! Good job!
DeleteGreat essay Hope, I like how you mentioned that the different qualities and opinions from everyone on a team is the most beneficial approach
DeleteErnesto Sirolli’s Ted talk reminds us all that sometimes we all need to shut up and listen. His talk revolves around the mission trips people tend to go on to help foreign countries. However although these trips are done in good will the outcomes are more often than not unfavorable. Little to no issues are resolved and the native people are left in the same position that they began in. Sirolli begins his talk by outlining the failed missions he had in Africa.
ReplyDeleteHe tells the story of when he travels there to help the native people with their crops. Stirolli insisted they plant tomatoes against the native peoples wishes. The tomatoes grew well but were eventually eaten by hippos. The townspeople explained that they knew this would happen and tried to tell Sirolli in the beginning. If only he listened Sirolli thought then they could have saved both time and resources in helping the people.
Sirolli figured out that all he had to do to help people was to listen to their problems and what they believe could help instead of assuming he knows best. After all people know their situation the best. By using stories Sirolli is able to convey his point. In Australia Sirolli was more successful. He did his best to understand the people and worked together to help create solutions.
People began to respond to him and they could tell he had a passion for his work. By channeling his ambition and passion for his goals he was able to get a positive response from his audience. Sirolli was able to give an impressive speech and he was also able to inspire those he helped and those he assisted.
Tiff, I liked how you brought up how he planted the tomatoes, and then the hippos just ate them. I also liked how you said that people assume, when it is just easier to ask.
DeleteTiffani, I really like how your rhetorical analysis touches on the purpose of his trips to Africa and how listening affected them. I also liked that you mentioned hoe he can get a positive response through listening and response.
DeleteErnesto Sirolli tells us that, “you can change the
ReplyDeleteculture and the economy of this community by capturing the passion, the energy, and the imagination of your own people.” This can be accomplished if we just sit down and listen to what people have to say. In Enersto Sirolli’s words we have to “shut up and listen.” Taking the time to just listen to someone can be difficult at times, but it can benefit many people in the long run. It all starts with listening.
Throughout his talk, Sirolli uses a lot of jokes so he
can lighten the mood for his speech. He does periodically while telling some stories from an earlier time in his life. One of the stories was about when he was helping people over in Africa. He thought that he had a good idea when he decided to plant some crops. He didn’t think that anything would go wrong, but it did. Some of the local animals, the hippos, ate all of the fruit and vegetables that they planted. All of the local people laughed because they knew that this would happen. Sirolli asked why they knew about it, but no one told him. None of this would have happened if he talked and listened to the local people.
In the very beginning of his speech, Sirolli
tells the audience where he worked at. He worked for an Italian NGO, but he traveled a lot for his job. Knowing that he is going around the world helping people that the audience know that they can trust him. He also gives the people in attendance some advice. He tells them that when they can’t make the product, sell the product, and manage the money all of the same time, it is impossible. Nobody can do it all by themselves, and he gave some examples of well known people that did not do it on their own. Another piece of advice he gives them is to just listen to the people. A lot of productive stuff can get done if this happens.
Tami, I really like your analysis, I like your use of quotes, and how you mentioned that jokes helped lighten the mood of his speech.
DeleteI liked your analysis Tami! I enjoyed the way you used the opening quote. Overall great job!
DeleteListening is a hard concept for everyone, and it is often regarded as one of the most difficult tasks. Ernesto Sirolli outlines and discusses the importance of listening, and the ineffectiveness of not listening to the needs of others and imposing ideas on others. By using various rhetorical techniques, including emotion, authority, logic, and the rhetorical situation, Sirolli is able to convey his argument in a sound, persuasive manner.
ReplyDeleteThe rhetorical situation is
By using emotion, Siriolli is able to present a sense of relatability and connect with the audience, by telling his story, he is also able to share his emotions and viewpoints with the audience in a way that will resonate with them. He also discusses many themes, including passion, which he conveys as essential to listening and connecting with others. By using this in combination with the rhetorical situation, he is able to connect with the audience and invoke a desire to change habits, especially toward listening.
By being logical Siriolli is able to explain how listening can improve situations by telling his story and by thinking rationally about the situation and by showing how they can be improved. He also shows logic when he expresses the importance of listening, and how listening helped improved tensions in areas surrounding failed projects with locals.
Through his experience, he is able to establish an effective authority and convey his prospective. This is crucial to maintaining an argument, and he does this well by using a combination of rational thinking with captivating storytelling.
The rhetorical situation is also crucial, by addressing and relating to his audience he is able to make his argument relatable and is able to connect with his audience. Through this, he is able to invoke a sense of change within the audience.
Therefore, Sirolli stresses the importance of listening in a variety of ways in order to explain to the audience that listening is crucial to human interaction and society, and that things can go downhill when listening is not involved.
This was a great analysis Alex! I liked how you connected the story to all the rhetorical elements.
DeleteListening is a daily task that we all face issues with. In his TED Talk, Italian entrepreneur, Ernesto Sirolli, speaks of how important listening to others is. He conveys this life lesson through the rhetorical strategies of ethos, pathos, and logos. He first begins with pathos, in which he emotionally connects to the audience by using a personal story about his life. Along with this, he is able to share his passion, which he also defines as an essential part to listening and connecting. With this sense of pathos, Ernesto is able to fully connect with the audience and hopefully spark some sense of change in their listening habits. To go hand-in-hand with that, Ernesto also uses logos, or logic. Along with telling his story, he explains how listening can help to improve a situation and its outcome. Finally, he is able to establish his authority, or ethos, which is essential to maintaining an argument. This is another way that his storytelling was key to his overarching argument about listening. Overall, listening is extremely important and sometimes, we all just need to shut up and listen.
ReplyDeleteIn the Ted talk the speaker Ernesto Sirolli talked about when you are helping someone do not tell them what to do. His main point of the talk was to convince people that listening when trying to help some one is the best thing that someone can possibly do. He backs this up many times in the talk but the one point that sticks out to me the most is the story about the hippos. When he went to Africa to help the locals they planted tomatoes and after they grew they got eaten by the hippos, after they got eaten they asked the people, why didn’t you tell us this would happen? And they said well you never asked. The people in Africa called white men boss. This was because they came in to help and told them what to do and how to do it and also did stuff without asking like planting tomatoes for the hippos. His main point with this story was that one it would have been so much easier for them to ask them hey what do you need and how should we get you food and listen to the way they want it to be done, and second that the natives didn’t want their help if they were going to do it their way that is why they didn’t tell them don’t plant the tomatoes.
ReplyDeleteLater in the video he talks about how much success he had just listening compared to the people who just told people what to do. When Ernesto got to the country he was helping people in he first just walked the streets and waited for someone to ask him or for someone to talk to him. He did this because he dod this because people would be more likely for him to help if he wasn’t intruding into their business.
Eddie, awesome essay man. I liked how you explained that Sirolli now uses listening strategies to help people.
DeleteErnesto Sirolli’s main point in his TED Talk, titled Shut Up and Listen!, is that we can be much better in assisting people and communities if we just listen. He argues that sometimes we do not know what is best for everyone, and happiness is a subjective feeling that cannot be applied the same to everyone. He also explains that people who try to help others are prone to jump to a solution, rather than exploring the victims side of things. Sirolli uses personal experiences to tell his audience that he has experienced the issue first hand. This strengthens his argument that people, especially those in the western part of the world, feel like they have to “father” people in need. Sirolli’s recurring message throughout his talk was that communities and people with dreams need those dreams fostered, and not initiated. He says that the absolute best approach to situations in which others need help is to “shut up and listen.” It is not right to impose on people's lifestyles and cultures to push an “objective” agenda. What most of the western world thinks is objective is actually specifically unique to western culture. By using what we know to help others, rather than attempting to obtain more information, we limit our ability to make an effective change. Ernesto Sirolli’s talk was extremely impactful because Sirolli himself has found himself in the middle of this issue. He talks about a trip he had recently taken to Africa, and how the intent of the trip differed from the result. They went in with the intentions of teaching the people of Africa how to farm. Sirolli said his group had done more damage to the community than rebuilding. They were unaware of how to strategically place crops, and used Italian methods instead of educating themselves on different cultures. The crops were destroyed by hippos shortly after being planted. Sirolli said that he and his team assumed they knew what they were doing, and did not even bother to ask the African people what they thought needed to be improved. Ernesto Sirolli does a good job of putting ignorance into perspective by using his personal experience.
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