Never Let Me Go Post

Link- https://www.ted.com/talks/ed_gavagan_a_story_about_knots_and_surgeons

This Ted Talk by Ed Gavagan was a story about his life when he was stabbed by some gangbangers and luckily survived. He used his story to make the argument that everything that happens in your life happens for a reason and shapes what happens in your life later; and all the moments and people in your life help shape who you are. He starts by describing the predictability of life. He then talks about one of his common subway rides. One night on his subway ride there were these two college age students practicing tying knots on some string. He was a little confused by this until a man came over to help the two college students. He later found out that these two kids were medical school students practicing the latest and greatest suturing knots, and the man that came over to help them happened to be the professor of the seminar the students were on their way to see. The idea sent Gavagan into a flashback of his story about how he was stabbed. It brought him to his time in the ambulance after he was almost killed by the gangbangers. He then describes his surgeries he had to go through and the chances he had at survival. He was lucky to survive and the doctor tells him that he had about a %2 at living. He is now back on his subway train thinking about showing his scars from surgery to the med students and then he thinks that he probably shouldn't. He uses this story to highlight his main thesis on life to connect is first ever scar from his umbilical cord and his other scars connecting. His brush up with the gangbangers is what lead him to his medical team and his medical team helped him push back against the chaos.

Gavagan uses many different types of emotional appeal to portray the meaning of his talk to the audience. He first uses the predictability of life to connect with the members of the audience who often experience the same predictability. He then uses emotional appeal through the story of the two med students trying to learn suture knots on the train before their seminar. He also uses his story of facing death after he was stabbed to really draw emotion from the audience and allow them to connect with him as he is telling the story. Gavagan use of emotional appeal in multiple circumstances was effective at driving home his point that the experiences we have in life and the people in our life shape us into the person we are because without his scuffle with the gangbangers he would have not met his medical team. He also uses the example of the two med students. If they had not been practicing suture knots on the train they would never receive help from the professor who taught them in the future.

The title of the ted talk is what really grabbed my attention. I wanted to be an orthopedic surgeon one day so I thought I could relate to this story very easily. I hope that one day I can make differences in my patients lives like Gavagans surgeon made a difference in his life and helped shape him into the person he is today.