Introduction
Persuasion, an art perfected over centuries, finds its influential core in Aristotle’s Modes of Persuasion: ethos, pathos, and logos. This essay explores Liz Ogbu’s persuasive speech on the subject of gentrification, that holds historical significance. As an architect devoted to spatial justice principles, Ogbu skillfully utilizes ethos, pathos, and logos to address the intricacies of gentrification and convincingly advocate for a reevaluation of urban development practices.
Ethos: Building Credibility Through Personal Narrative
Liz Ogbu cleverly establishes her character at the beginning of her speech, skillfully utilizing the audience’s confidence in her viewpoint. Coming from a family of social scientists, she presents herself as an architect with knowledge that surpasses mere formal education. Drawing on memories from her childhood, where she enjoyed sketching and creating things by hand, she uses this personal background to connect with others and present herself as someone they can relate to. By ingeniously incorporating her experiences into the conversation, Ogbu successfully links her narrative with wider societal concerns she discusses later. This personal link has two important roles: it shows that Ogbu is not just an experienced architect but also a caring person who truly comprehends the difficulties faced by society. By revealing private discussions around her family’s dining table, particularly about the effects of people moving to cities and healthcare problems in San Francisco, Ogbu demonstrates how deeply she is involved with societal issues (Ogbu, 2017). This helps her create a mutual understanding with her audience and establishes herself as someone who actively supports improving things rather than simply being a speaker.
Additionally, Ogbu reinforces her credibility by firmly opposing the traditional custom of constructing monuments that solely emphasize the stories of those in power. Instead, she clearly emphasizes her dedication to elevating the voices of marginalized societies. This statement strengthens her credibility and positions her as a defender of fairness in spatial matters, giving more weight to her later arguments and appealing to the audience’s perception of what is right and just.
Pathos: Eliciting Emotion Through Personal Stories
Liz Ogbu effectively employs pathos, the appeal to emotions, as a strong weapon in her persuasive tactics. She skillfully aims for a deep connection with her audience by depicting the significant changes in a historically African-American neighborhood in San Francisco. With great mastery, Ogbu creates empathy within the listeners by vividly portraying the difficulties faced by this community following the shutdown of a power plant. The image she paints of “30 acres of asphalt” situated right behind their homes strikes an emotional chord and symbolizes their arduous struggles (Ogbu, 2017).
In addition, Ogbu uses strong emotional language to express the intensity of the community gathering, characterized by “anger and pain (Ogbu, 2017).” This selection of words amplifies the emotional impact of her storytelling, guaranteeing that listeners not only hear but also experience the difficulties affected residents face. Ogbu introduces gentrification as a cause for distress to further strengthen this emotional bond. She encourages her audience to imaginatively empathize with those who are being displaced and think about the heartbreaking loss they endure when their cherished neighborhood becomes unaffordable due to exorbitant rent costs.
Ogbu brings a unique perspective to the issue of gentrification by highlighting Developer Majora Carter’s thoughts. This shows that the sentiment towards this phenomenon is not based on a dislike for progress but rather on the sad recognition that many people cannot enjoy its advantages. By making these passionate appeals, Ogbu generates strong feelings of empathy and comprehension among her listeners or readers. As a result, they begin to view gentrification as more than just an abstract matter; instead, it becomes something deeply personal and deserving of our collective attention and action.
Logos: Constructing Arguments Through Spatial Justice
Ogbu skillfully constructs her argument using logos and focuses on spatial justice to analyze urban development. She emphasizes that spatial justice is essential in her logical framework, highlighting that justice is not just an abstract concept but also has a physical presence. Ogbu argues that fair distribution of resources, services, and access should be considered a fundamental human right rather than merely a preference. This compels the audience to perceive urban development from a perspective of moral duty. Ogbu explores her involvement in the Bayview Hunters Point project, vividly demonstrating the community’s difficulties near an old power plant (Ogbu, 2017). She utilizes specific instances like job training sessions and an annual circus to provide concrete evidence of how her team is dedicated to tackling issues related to fair space allocation. By presenting statistical data indicating that more than 12,000 individuals have actively participated in transformative endeavors at the location, Ogbu strengthens her point by highlighting measurable results and emphasizing the tangible impacts of spatial justice efforts.
Nevertheless, Ogbu does not avoid recognizing the drawbacks of events as a separate resolution. This subtle admission brings an added level of intricacy to her viewpoint, revealing her sincerity in thinking. Acknowledging these limitations demonstrates a tactical change in her method. It encourages the audience to ponder the various aspects of spatial justice while contemplating more holistic approaches for long-lasting urban progress. In this manner, Ogbu constructs a persuasive argument using logical reasoning and urges the audience to contemplate how justice within physical spaces is constantly changing.
Avoiding Deceptive Tactics
When examining Liz Ogbu’s speech on gentrification, it is clear that she effectively expresses her viewpoints with clarity and honesty, avoiding the use of deceitful methods. Ogbu actively engages in open conversation by presenting the difficulties experienced by communities affected by gentrification without distorting facts or resorting to misguiding statements. She employs a simple storytelling approach throughout her speech, blending personal anecdotes with concrete examples to convey her message. Throughout her discourse, Ogbu stays focused on maintaining authenticity and avoids embellishments or exaggerations that could weaken the credibility of her arguments. Her depictions of the challenges communities face, historical injustices’ impacts, and ongoing issues related to gentrification are presented factually. By doing so, Ogbu ensures that accurate information reaches her audience while fostering an environment built on trust.
Additionally, Ogbu exhibits a strong dedication to transparency through her recognition of the constraints surrounding the events arranged by her team in Bayview Hunters Point. She admits that while these endeavors have yielded positive outcomes, they alone cannot adequately tackle the underlying problems. This acknowledgment demonstrates an unusual level of sincerity amidst misleading speech. Consequently, Ogbu’s discourse distinguishes itself for its transparency, honesty, and unwavering commitment to offering an authentic depiction of the difficulties linked with gentrification.
Conclusion
Liz Ogbu’s talk about gentrification is an excellent example of persuasive communication. She uses ethos, pathos, and logos to create a convincing story that grabs the audience’s interest and prompts them to think about the social issues related to urban growth. Ogbu consistently shows her dedication to spatial justice and skillfully combines personal anecdotes with factual arguments. As listeners, we are convinced by Ogbu’s ideas and motivated to consider how we can contribute towards creating fairer and more inclusive communities in the future.
References
Ogbu, L. (2017). What if gentrification was about healing communities instead of displacing them?Www.ted.com. https://www.ted.com/talks/liz_ogbu_what_if_gentrification_was_about_healing_communities_instead_of_displacing_them?referrer=playlist-talks_to_help_you_understand_s
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