Mark Bezos TED Talk Voice

Humor:
     Bezos uses a sense of humor throughout his presentation to keep his audience's attention and to bring a bright, playful side into his story about firefighting. He talks about his silly competition with another volunteer firefighter that got to rescue the victim's dog, while he was told to find a pair of shoes for the barefoot lady. He uses humor to show that he misunderstood the situation, since he didn't realize the significance of getting the woman her shoes, and instead thought it would be more cooler for him to have been able to say he rescued an animal. Throughout his story he mentioned how unfortunate it was for him to only be able to get shoes, but it turned out later, that was the "act of kindness that [the victim] noted above all others." This irony effectively emphasized the importance of not underestimating the power of a simple act of kindness, and Bezos accomplished this through his own subtle humor.
     An example of this humor is when he gave the woman her shoes, he said, "Now, I know what              you're thinking. But I'm no hero," as he posed heroically. This shows how he, through sarcasm,          showed his thinking that this act he performed was insignificant.

Surprising Information and Observations:
     Bezos writes in such a way that surprises us, as he says things in ways and at times that we wouldn't expect. When it seems like he's just going through the motions as he talks about arriving at the scene of the fire, and immediately after he finds out that the other volunteer firefighter gets to save the dog, he shouts, "The dog!" This catches us off guard, and helps to convey the emotion Bezos felt at that moment of jealousy. The rest of the story is very straightforward, and his direct way of calling the other volunteer his "nemesis," and the way he said the woman appreciated his act, all subtly surprised us, and they worked very well in evoking emotion in the reader.

Exhibition of Perceptivity:
     Bezos was very analytical of the scene as he showed up. Before he was told anything, one of the first thing he pointed out was how bad of a day the victim was having. He said, "Here it was, the middle of the night, she was standing outside in the pouring rain, under an umbrella, in her pajamas, barefoot, while her house was in flames." This is something most people wouldn't care to point out or notice until a little later if in his stead. This ability to understand the victim and her problems more than any of his own or anyone else's teaches us that Bezos is a very understanding, caring person. He knows when people need help, and he sees the small details that will allow him to provide them with that help.

Catcher in the Rye Powerful Vignette

An example of a vignette used by J.D. Salinger in his book the Catcher in the Rye is when Holden talks about his suitcases compared to his roommates'. Holden says, "You think if they're intelligent and all, the other person, and have a good sense of humor, that they don't give a **** whose suitcases are better, but they do. They really do" (Salinger 109). This moment tells us that no matter how much you think another person won't get jealous about something as little as having lower quality suitcases, they most likely do. Holden explains this well by simply stretching out the fact that he had nicer looking suitcases, and simply expanding and discussing that as it relates to some of his interactions with that roommate.

Catcher In the Rye Rattle

When Holden discusses his brother's left handed baseball mitt, he begins to talk about his brother, and to describe him. When Holden tells us that his brother died, and how he reacted to that, it becomes apparent to us that he is deeply bothered by it, that it is his rattle that won't leave him alone, yet he is alone in facing it.


In the article "Your Rattle No One Else Can Hear?" by Daran Kagan, a story about Kagan's fairly new car is told. She says that there is an annoying rattle that becomes audible when driving on the highway, but when she took it to the dealership to be looked at, the dealer couldn't hear it. This simple story lets the readers relate, saying they too have an event or problem in their life that they can't forget, and nobody else can help them. The story is a literal translation of a problem that so many people in the world have, and Kagan uses it to show sympathy for the readers. She's using a brief story to say that people who have that rattle are not alone, and she feels for them. This is the true message of the article.


Kagan defines a rattle as "that thing that is the thorn in your side, that others can't see or detect that you're told to get over." To Holden, as discussed before, "that thing" is his brother's death. We know Holden really struggles with this, because he tells us that when Allie (his brother) died, he got very upset and broke windows with his fist and slept in the garage. His family didn't understand, and they were going to get him psychoanalyzed. He gets kind of defensive about his actions too, saying, "It was a very stupid thing to do, I'll admit, but I hardly didn't even know I was doing it, and you didn't know Allie" (Salinger 39). Knowing this, we can tell that Holden feels very alone in his feelings. We know that it's a very sensitive topic to him, but he tries to write it off as not very important. The second half of the rattle article, discussing how she Kagan feels for those that have rattles and feel like Holden does, would probably be very helpful to Holden, because he fits the description perfectly, and what he needs more than anything is someone to share his pain with.