Rhetorical Analysis Of George Takei's Ted Talk

In his Ted Talk “Why I love a country that once betrayed me” George Takei explains his idea of patriotism through the perspective of being an Asian American that lived through internment camps. This Ted Talk is an important reminder to Americans to uphold civic values to keep society running smoothly and to make progress towards the ideals of the American Dream. It gives the idea that instead of bullying the government for the wrongdoings of democracy, we must hold ourselves to a higher standard through the expression of patriotism. Through his use of rhetoric and positionality, George Takei is able to create a convincing argument about what it means to be patriotic.

Takei expresses that Americans need to look at patriotism in a different

He uses ethos to establish the importance of learning from the past and using it to help shape the future into a better place. Takei speaks about the aspect of forgiveness within patriotism when he speaks about the Japanese-Americans that chose to fight for the United States in World War II after being imprisoned in Japanese internment camps. Japanese Americans at the time, “Went from behind the barbed-wire fences and put on the same uniforms as their guards” (Takei 10:28). This example shows patriotism in its ultimate form. The Japanese-Americans were aggravated with their country and went to war fighting for their country with the intent of pushing for a return to American ideals of equality. By continuing to be patriotic even though their families were imprisoned and America was not showing respect to them, these men showed forgiveness and unwavering devotion for their country. The 442 infantry regiment went to war for the US and came home the most decorated unit. Because of the intense patriotism that these men showed, they were honored and appreciated. President Truman stated, “You fought not only the enemy, but prejudice and you won”(Takei 14:07). This example shows how remaining patriotic and showing forgiveness when the country is not where it should be brings everybody closer to the ideals of the American

Being part of the Japanese- American community that has been targeted in the US during pearl harbor furthers his sense of ethos in his Ted Talk. He says, “They gave me a legacy… I am dedicated to making an even better america. to making our government an even truer democracy”(Takei 14:43). This further portrays his ethos because Takei is showing that if he was able to forgive his country after going through the misery of internment camps as a child, we today should be able to conquer feelings of doubt for our country and remain patriotic just as he did. He closes his Ted Talk by saying, “Because of the heroes that I have and the struggles that we have gone through, I can stand before you as a gay japanese-american. But even more than that I am a proud american” ( Takei 15:11). Takei’s story proves that patriotism pays off and shows that patriotism has in the past and will continue to in the future keep the American Dream