Nicholas Barbera
Professor Jackman
English 503
4 October 2017
Exercise 5
Haggerty’s Ted Talk highlighted the process of how to accomplish an issue. She started out talking about the issue of homelessness and how her organization was working to eradicate it in Time Square. She explained that she thought her method for solving the homeless issue in New York was ultimate solution. Her organization was a complete success and they didn’t show signs of slowing down. Then she got to a point where she finally realized that her process of solving homelessness couldn’t be replicated in other areas of the country. This realization allowed her to see that solutions to social issues aren’t as cut and dry as she once thought. Just because you had success with an issue in one instance, doesn’t mean it will carry over to another scenario. After highlighting this point, Haggerty goes into more detail about how to apply a successful process to another situation. She points out what you can do to make a process successful.
The Ted Talk that Haggerty spoke about can most certainly be considered a proposal. She highlights an issue, explains what is it with examples, and then offers a solution to the issue. Haggerty also includes facts and statistics to make her argument more credible.
Haggerty is making the argument that not every solution can be applied to ever issue. Certain scenarios are unique and don’t relate to other situations. For example, she began her successful organization to end homelessness in Time Square, but failed to bring that success to other part of the country. Time square had its own set of challenges that were unique to that area. Other areas, like LA, have challenges, but they are also unique to the area. As she states in her speech, “A program is a solution to a problem, but a good process is a way of finding solutions” (Haggerty). What she had in New York was a program that worked. What she needed to make that program successful in other areas was a process. Something that can be replicated and be effective.
The TedTalk did share many of the aspects of a formal proposal. She followed the same guidelines that would be used to write out a proposal. She identifies an issue, and offers a viable solution. I found it hard to find a weak point in her presentation. Haggerty’s layout of her speech was executed very well. The only aspect I would add to this would be more referencing to formal sources. If she supplied the audience with statistics regarding the homeless, such as mortality rate, sickness, abundance, etc., her claim would be much stronger in the eyes of the audience.
Her strongest aspect during her speech was her ability to reflect on her own experiences, and use them as evidence to support her claim. This method is extremely effective and gives her extreme credibility. She even had pictures to represent specific instances she was quoting. This appeal to pathos really tugs at the heart strings of the audience.
In the end, Haggerty proposed a viable solution to the problem she identified. Her entire speech addresses the process she took in order to find a viable solution to her problem-solving process for the homeless. She even goes as far as reiterating her major points for solving a huge problem like the one she was faced with.
Works Cited
Haggerty, Rosanne. “How to Solve a Social Problem: Rosanne Haggerty at TedxAmherstCollege” TED. Dec. 2013. Lecture.