Zak Ebrahim - I am the Son of a Terrorist - Speech or Presentation Example

Persuasion Theory: Zak Ebrahim: I am the Son of a Terrorist Introduction Persuasion, as a topic attracting much systematic thinking and research, has been in existence since the 5th century, dragging scholars such as Aristotle, Gorgias, Isocrates, and Protagoras into it. To this day, persuasion is evident in the major aspects of human life such as in the family, in boardroom, in campaign trails, in advertisements, and courtrooms to mention but a few. Concisely, the idea of persuasion is to inform and shape human decision making.In these revelations, there emerges the importance for one to not only understand the creation of persuasion but more importantly know when persuasion will be positive or detrimental. As Beeson (2014) puts it, it is important to be armed with the tools to recognize deceitful or fallacious messages. Beeson acknowledges that persuasion invades one’s mental space, and can therefore be of negative influence. This study will draw on her theory of attitude change featured in her bookPersuasion: Theory and Application as a form of persuasion and demonstrate its working by evaluating Zak Ebrahim’s speech entitled I am the Son of a Terrorist. Here’s How I Chose Peace. The theory In persuasion, one of the key fundamentals applied is the infliction of attitude change in which case attitude defines an individual’s overall evaluation of a subject or object. Beeson, rather inclined on protecting her readers from rhetorical persuasion than in enabling them to engage in persuasive disclosure, seeks to define attitude as the main tactic applied in achieving persuasion. It is from here that the attitude change theory emerges as a form of communication aimed at creating persuasion. As is the case in courtrooms, lawyers will know that someone is guilty of an offense but will seek to twist the perception (attitude) of the jury in securing freedom for their clients. The concept in this theory is that one should understand how attitude change can be applied as a means of persuasion and will not only be able to persuade, but also know when persuasion is being of positive or negative influence (Beeson, 2014). Key ideas In this theory, the main idea emerges in the sense that attitude is one of the most important factors than can influence an entire person. In short, by altering the attitude of a person, it is very possible to inflict say, behavioral change in their life. Second, this theory not only focuses on the target person but also incorporates other parties around them. For instance, a drunkard may be persuaded to quit the detrimental habit by explaining to them that the people closest to him such as family or friends think that alcohol is bad to him, and that he should quit. In this way, the theory alters the target’s conception about what those closest to him think they should or should not do. In this way, it is easier to influence their attitude thus behavioral change. This explains the context of the theory: that if one’s attitude can be influenced, then they can be persuaded. The main weakness of the attitude change theory arises when it takes a normative approach.This approach is defined by the norms or beliefs affecting a group of people, and can be quite swift in persuading. Persuaders understand that beliefs and norms can be relevant factors in attaining persuasion. This explains why college students are likely to engage in substance abuse since their exposure to campus gives them “freedom”. Once they attain this attitude, they are easily influenced [into substance abuse]. As such, the theory can be misused if not properly understood and applied. The artifact The artifact to explain this theory is Zak Ebrahim’s I am the Son of a Terrorist. Here’s How I Chose Peace.It is a 2014 documented speech presented by Ebrahim who is the son to El-Sayyid Nosair; a terrorist responsible for the World Trade Center’s bombing in 1993. He also assassinated the leader of the Jewish Defense League in 1990, and planned several attacks in New York that were fortunately foiled by the FBI.Ebrahim narrates how his father and the people he looked up to as uncles tried to introduce him to the world of hate and violence based on religion and race. However, he was able to develop a different attitude after attending a Philadelphia National Youth Convention. Additionally, he worked one summer at the Busch Gardens Amusement Park, and finally got influenced by Jon Stewart of The Daily Show. Collectively, through these experiences, he got to befriend a Jew (termed as enemies by his father), met gay people, and Stewart capped in his attitude change by brushing off the discrimination of people based in their sexual orientation, religion, or race (Ebrahim, 2014). The speech attracted loud applauds from his audience immediately he was through with it, and when posted online, has been receiving positive feedback and has been circulating across major social networks. The impact of the speech goes two ways: first, it persuades other children who might be facing similar situations to look beyond the bigotry they are placed into by their guardians. Concisely, they should understand things on their own and make their own informed decision. Second, it persuades the wider public that just because a father was a terrorist it does not mean that son is necessarily one. Correlation with attitude change theory Ebrahim’s speech correlates with the attitude change in multiple ways. Generally, it adheres to Beeson’s concept of readers not being inoculated in persuasive techniques termed as surreptitious mostly applied in public relations, advertising, politics, art, religion, and law (Beeson, 2014). Ebrahim had been the target of negative religious and ethnic persuasion from his father. However, he was not embedded into the violent cocoon being designed by his father since he gained the tools of telling between positive and deceitful persuasion advocated in Beeson’s book. In this way, he was able to escape the grim aftermath of being a terrorist’s son by making his own decisions. The attitude change theory applied significantly in informing Ebrahim’s change. Evidently, the life of always being on the run, being bullied at school, keeping away from other children, and hating others for no particular reason must have weighed heavily on him. His father’s ways of hating Jews and applying extremist religious beliefs fit into the normative aspect of the theory. In short, his father, being an extremist Muslim believer, created the [misinformed] perception that Muslims should hate Jews, and that violence is the way of treating “outsiders” such as Jews and Americans (Ebrahim, 2014). In the event that Ebrahim had not accessed the real situation of things beyond his father’s thinking, he might have probably ended up like his father. This would have been the case if his attitude would have been poisoned to hate Jews, non-Muslims, Americans, as well as resorting to violence for comfort. Conversely, Ebrahim was lucky to have positive attitude influence when he realized that Jews could be as good friends. Additionally, he understood that gay people were normal and that their sexual orientation was more than they could control. More importantly, Jon Stewart [unknowingly] replaced El-Sayyid Nosair as Ebrahim’s father in terms of influence. Collectively, these experiences altered his attitude to a more realistic and positive one. In the end, the theory of attitude change as a form of persuasion worked to transform Ebrahim from a killer terrorist’s son to an influential motivation speaker who strongly condemns terrorism and preaches love. Conclusion Evidently, persuasion as a topic of research deserves the multiple-century duration of study that it has accumulated. This is because as the study justifies, it is one of the most complex, yet the most used element of human communication. It is through persuasion that the products will sell, or a jury will determine a convicted person guilty, or worse still, convince an individual to carry out a suicide bombing. According to Beeson, persuasion is a key factor that one should understand in order to be secure from deceit and negative influence. As provided by Ebrahim’s speech, he was able to resist his father’s surreptitious influence because he got to alter his attitude and in it, attain positive behavioral change. References Beeson, L. (2014). Persuasion: Theory and Applications. Oxford University Press. Ebrahim, Z. (2014). “I am the Son of a Terrorist. “Here’s How I Chose Peace”. Ted.com. Retrieved on February 11, 2015 from http://www.ted.com/talks/zak_ebrahim_i_am_the_son_of_a_terrorist_here_s_how_i_chose_peace/transcript?language=en#t-537722 Read More