A Rhetorical Analysis Of TED Talk By Graham Hill

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Living small is a life changing experience that has monumental benefits. That’s what Graham Hill insists is the truth at least. During his TED Talk in October of 2011, Hill passionately points out his main idea of life: less equals more. His goal is to inform anyone who has any thought at all about improving themselves or the world around them. He believes that “stuff” does not create happiness. Hill conveys the importance of being a minimalist with ethos and a solid didactic tone. Hill focuses on his credibility to create a convincing argument for the audience to hear. This use of ethos is very effective due to the fact that he literally lives the life he preaches. Each word comes from his heart, his mind, and his whole body. To introduce …show more content…

Hill uses False Dichotomy during his speech, he believes there are only two options when there could possibly be many. He claims that either a person lives big with a huge house and tons of impersonal objects that cause depression rather than joy, or they much live in a tiny house or apartment with only a bed to sleep in and food to eat. He does not see the possibility of combining these two outcomes of life and mending them into something that is feasible for some that cannot give up the big house with the walk in closet full of clothing they may have only worn once. It makes it harder for the people living big like that to side with the speaker. He does, however, rely on how a person can impact the earth themselves to counteract. ¨So I’m going to suggest that less stuff and less space are going to equal a smaller footprint¨ (1). If people truly believe they are helping the environment, it may make them happier than all of the stuff they do not truly need. Hill knows that he is creating a smaller footprint for himself, and with confidence, he becomes an extremely credible person. His argument is compelling because everyone has ¨stuff¨, and everyone has a little room for change. This common ground can be the most convincing of