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[Name] [Teachers name] English 112-85 28 March 2014 An Analysis on Introversion Susan Cain, in her much acclaimed TED Talk, The Power of Introverts, demonstrates a distinguished usage of the rhetorical situation. Uploaded in February of 2012, this speech has surpassed over seven million views and in turn inspired many to reflect on the importance of the introverted personality. Being an introvert herself, Cain uses this rhetoric to call to mind the difficulty of being an introvert in a world where personality is put on a pedestal. However, rather than defending her approach by bashing extroverts, she argues for both sides in her thesis stating, what Im saying is that culturally we need a much better balance. We need more of a yin and yang between these two types (Cain). Through her emphasis on the ideal world where introverts and extroverts can create, innovate, and work together, Susan Cain is able to effectively captivate her audience and prevail by using the rhetorical situation to her advantage. Opening up her speech, Susan Cain reflects on a childhood experience she had when attending camp for the first time. As a timid nine year old whose family often read together, she brought a bag full of books along expecting to meet other girls who enjoyed the same activity. Instead what she found was a boisterous group of girls and a camp counselor who encouraged them to be constantly rowdy. This was the first time Cain was exposed to being outside her comfort zone, but certainly not the last. She laments, I got the message that somehow my quiet and introverted style of being was not necessarily the right way to go, that I should be trying to pass as more of an extrovert. And I always sensed deep down that this was wrong and that introverts were pretty excellent just as they were (Cain). By telling this story she appeals to

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pathos in appearing as the isolated and strange one out of the group. The audience, who are typically expected to sympathize with a misfit, are drawn to Cains story because they see her as a shy girl who did not know any better. The death of her grandfather, who was a significant figure in her life, also expresses pathos as she recalls the crowds of people coming to pay their respect at his funeral. By describing her grandfather as an inspiration of modesty, Cain even considers him to have inspired her into being the introvert she is today. It is clear that through her family and experience, Cain utilizes each to conduct empathy and earn favor from her audience so that they may better understand the false stereotyping of introverts and see them as down-to-earth, amiable but reserved people. The purpose of Susan Cains argument is for a nationwide acceptance for introverts. Her first call to action appeals to schools and workplaces for an end to continuous group work. Although she supports the collaboration between the two places, she rebukes both for invading an introverts comfort zone. Introverted children need their space to effectively flourish in academics while extroverted kids should learn to think independently on their own without letting others override an idea. In workplaces, Cain suggests they offer chatty cafe-style types of interactions and for extroverted managers to be more open to other opinions or ideas. In a study conducted by Adam Grant at the Wharton School, Cain uses this investigation to apply logos. According to research, introverts make better leaders because they allow their employees to propose solutions to a problem instead of listening to their own reasoning and neglecting to hear what other people have to say. This is a problem that some extroverts fail to recognize. You might be following the person with the best ideas, but you might not. And do you really want to leave it up to chance? she asks while presenting the audience with a rhetorical question (Cain). Susan Cains second call to action is to encourage people to unplug and get inside our own

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heads a little more often. She believes that both the traditional introvert and extrovert should find a comfortable place away from the hustle and bustle of the world and revert to their own ideas. Solitude being a major factor for many innovators, she uses Charles Darwin, Dr. Seuss and Steve Wozniak as examples of how isolation can open the mind to creativity. The third and final call to action is based on a metaphor Cain creates with her black bag to signify a persons journey through life. Take a good look at what's inside your own suitcase and why you put it there, she brings to mind (Cain). While extroverts may carry more flamboyant items, Cain counters that introverts bring a part of themselves that is unique and in which sometimes makes them too shy to share. I hope you will open up your suitcases for other people to see, because the world needs you and it needs the things you carry, she says metaphorically imploring all introverts to bravely share their ideas with the rest of the world. One repetitive trait in Susan Cains speech is the repetition of unity which makes her argument so appealing to viewers. She directly implies that introverts should be recognized as the brilliant contributors that they are and when it comes to creativity and to leadership, we need introverts doing what they do best. However, she does not just harken on how introverts make the world go round, but rather suggests that working together and letting other peoples ideas be heard may help us progress efficiently as a team and not prevented by an indifference of personalities. By supporting introversion awareness, while balancing out the two, Cain suggests that our society could achieve a great deal. With careers in science and economics being perplexing subjects, both could prove to be more efficient if both personalities were proportionately encouraged in a workplace. The more freedom that we give introverts to be themselves, the more likely that they are to come up with their own unique solutions to these problems, Cain implies.

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The intended audience for Susan Cains speech includes both introverts and extroverts. She speaks to them as if they are uniformed about the importance of the quiet type and uses this opportunity to address it as an issue. Cain then turns her attention to informing them about the 20th centurys turn in history when personality first became a major part in the transformation of America. By this conviction of logos, she encourages the audience to understand that the progress America has undertaken has not necessarily been for the best of both sides. Through educating them on this evolvement, Cains intention was to win the acceptance of the extroverts and change their minds on how they perceive their opposite. The objective for introverts, on the other hand, was to embolden and explain to them that they are just as important to society as extroverts. In effort to motivate both sides, Cain communicates to her uniformed audience that the problems society has created, based on the fallacy that everyone needs to be personal and gregarious, can only end if they work together to create a cultural acceptance for both personalities. For many introverts who dislike large amounts of stimulation, public speaking can be an unpleasant experience. As a viewer, Susan Cain expressed positive body language making motions with her hands while regularly walking the stage. However, one could not help but notice a sense of awkwardness in some of her word choice and verbal presentation. Especially with repetitive pauses after finishing a sentence and appeared to shakily collect her thoughts for her next passage. After explaining that a large number of historical leaders have been described as introverts, Cain quotes, They all took the spotlight, even though every bone in their bodies was telling them not to . . . they were driven to do what they thought was right. Despite pertaining to historical figures, this could also be interpreted as an analogy describing herself. Even so, later in her speech she confesses that public speaking is not her natural milieu.

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Through practicing for almost a year, Cain describes herself as determined to perfect her rhetoric skills in order to effectively accept the role of a leader in a new kind of revolution. This emphasizes ethos and although conveying hesitance and reluctance at first, Cain is now using her newfound voice to change the public attitude towards introversion. In conclusion, Susan Cain was able to effectively make an argument by successfully using the rhetorical situation correctly. By displaying logos, pathos, ethos and other strategies, she was able to communicate on an emotional and logical level and efficiently persuade her audience to adopt her idea. Despite speaking to a room with a variety of different opinions and ideas, Cains speech proved to be a success on both sides of the issue. The response as she finished her speech was met with an unforeseen end as the audience gave her a much elated standing ovation. This proves how successfully thought provoking Cain was in persuading her audience. More importantly, by displaying a theme of unity and changing the personality bias toward introverts, Cain was able to not only convince a room full of diverse individuals, but also inspire a new kind of revolution in obliterating the oppression against the quiet.

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Works Cited Cain, Susan. "The Power of Introverts." TED2012. Long Beach, California. Feb. 2012. Speech.