As we move beyond the pandemic, we will need to focus on healing collectively and connecting better. Providing greater access to the arts — and using them to share stories across cultural and social difference — will be an important part of this path to recovery.
This is the best point the article makes. If people were given greater access to theatre and the arts, I think we'd see a lot less division and separation between people.
What artists intuitively understand, social scientists can now illustrate with data: The arts are essential to human flourishing. At a time when polarization and distrust are growing, our studies suggest that theater is one salve against these changes. Yet this art form has been shut down at a time when we need it most.
This is exactly the point I want people to know. Theatre is more important right now than it has ever been. Theatre can help our society come together and learn from each other.
rovides the chance to see the experiences of people who differ from us in environments unlike our own. That may be why psychologists have found that effective efforts to reduce prejudice often incorporate storytelling.
This different perspectives are key to understanding other people, and it's important that we go to theatre or storytelling to be exposed to these perspectives.
A classic finding in social psychology is that repeated, positive encounters with people unlike ourselves can build empathy and reduce prejudice. Many of us have too few experiences — or too little interest — in creating such encounters.
This is especially important in today's world, where nobody really spends much time trying to meet or understand strangers.
Being on the stage can build empathy as well. For instance, taking acting classes can improve students’ empathy. The same is true for experiencing more solitary art forms, such as reading. Even reading “Harry Potter” has been shown to reduce prejudice toward stigmatized groups (such as the LGBTQ community or immigrants) in children. Before theaters open up, you can still expand your empathy at home by picking up a novel.
I find it interesting that anything that offers a perspective on someone else's struggles can help someone build empathy, even if it's not just theatre.
Why does live theater have these effects? Sitting in the dark watching a play can make us forget our own worries and transport us into the life and mind of a different person. We found that the more people reported feeling “immersed” or “lost” in the play, the more their beliefs and behaviors were changed by it.
Theatre does this like no other art form is able to. Movies and TV cannot have the same effect, as it is the connection with the audience that makes Theatre so powerful.
The effects we found in our studies were small, but statistically significant — for instance, an 11% increase in giving. But consider the scale involved. Before the pandemic, about 44 million people per year attended theater in the United States. A regular workout at the empathy gym, when spread across tens of millions of people, could make a sizable impact toward building a more compassionate society.
This is a good point, and it further explores what theatre could do for society.
The plays also changed behavior. We gave audience members the option to donate some of their payment for completing our study to charity. The more they gave to charity, the less money they would receive as a gift card for themselves. After seeing the plays, audience members donated more money to charity — whether or not the charity was related to the topics in the plays.
This is also super interesting. It shows that theatre makes people more empathetic to those who need help, as theatre really helps to make us feel connected to those around us.
After seeing the plays, we found that audience members expressed more empathy for the groups depicted onstage and changed their attitudes about a wide range of political issues.
This REALLY shows the power that Theatre can have. Seeing the struggles of another person on stage can help others understand.
We handed out surveys to audience members immediately before or after seeing the plays (alternating every other night), and asked them a series of questions about their empathy for groups depicted in the plays — such as same-sex parents. We also asked about their beliefs on a number of issues related to the shows, such as inequality and racism.
Last few paragraphs have just been explaining what the studies did.
Can watching theater actually build people’s capacity to care? In research done before the COVID-19 pandemic and published this month, our lab explored this idea.
An interesting question, that is key to proving the articles' point.
“Our theater is an empathy gym.” Oskar Eustis, artistic director of the Public Theater, says theater is essential for democracy, in part because it helps us build the “emotional muscle of empathy.”
Further building the point of "the importance of theatre".
But for others, theater is more than entertainment; it is a vital way to build psychological skills — especially empathy, or our ability to share, understand and care about others’ emotions.
Here's where we get the main idea of the article for the first time. The importance of what theatre can do is vital to the point of the article.
That’s not good for theaters, many of which will not survive the pandemic. To some, this is a sad but negligible loss. Performing arts are often dismissed as a luxury, and even in better times arts funding or arts education in schools is regularly threatened.
This is a good issue to bring up at the start. For many, Theatre is just inaccessible because of the price of tickets, locations, and many other things.
Near the top of the list is live theater. Sitting in a dark room with hundreds or thousands of strangers, watching dozens more strangers on stage, a story unfolding in the collective space — all feels hard to remember.
The article starts out like this to give the reader an idea of where this article is going. It's a good way to get the reader thinking about what Theatre is, or rather what it was before the pandemic.
And I will carry this: It is the policeshield of a man named George Howard,who died at the World Trade Center tryingto save others. It was given to me by hismom, Arlene, as a proud memorial to herson. It is my reminder of lives that endedand a task that does
He uses pathos again here by mentioning a specific first responder. I think this may be the most impactful part of the speech.
Each of us will remember whathappened that day and to whom it hap-pened. We’ll remember the moment thenews came, where we were, and what wewere doing. Some will remember an imageof a fire or a story of rescue. Some willcarry memories of a face and a voice goneforever
He uses pathos again here to make sure people remember that day. He wants everyone to remember who they were, where they were, and what they lost that day.
I know thereare struggles ahead and dangers to face.But this country will define our times, notbe defined by them. As long as the UnitedStates of America is determined and strong,this will not be an age of terror; this willbe an age of liberty, here and across theworld
He creates another narrative with logos here. He wants people to think that America will succeed overall here, and that it will be changed in the months to come.
Tonight we face new and sudden nationalchallenges. We will come together to im-prove air safety, to dramatically expand thenumber of air marshals on domestic flightsand take new measures to prevent hijack-ing. We will come together to promote sta-bility and keep our airlines flying, with di-rect assistance during this emergency.We will come together to give law en-forcement the additional tools it needs totrack down terror here at home. We willcome together to strengthen our intel-ligence capabilities, to know the plans ofterrorists before they act and find thembefore they strike
He uses logos here to create a narrative of what the world will look like from here on out. He wants people to feel more safe through his words.
I ask your continued participation andconfidence in the American economy. Ter-rorists attacked a symbol of American pros-perity. They did not touch its source.America is successful because of the hardwork and creativity and enterprise of ourpeople. These were the true strengths ofour economy before September 11th, andthey are our strengths today
He uses pathos here to appeal to the audience's sense of pride. He wants them to know that they were strong before the attacks, and that they can continue to be strong.
Americans are asking, what is expectedof us? I ask you to live your lives andhug your children. I know many citizenshave fears tonight, and I ask you to becalm and resolute, even in the face of acontinuing threa
I think he builds more ethos here by trying to get people to trust him to bring safety back.
We ask every nation to join us. We willask, and we will need, the help of policeforces, intelligence services, and bankingsystems around the world. The UnitedStates is grateful that many nations andmany international organizations have al-ready responded with sympathy and withsupport, nations from Latin America toAsia, to Africa, to Europe, to the Islamicworld. Perhaps the NATO Charter reflectsbest the attitude of the world: An attackon one is an attack on all
He uses pathos here to call for help. He wants to make it clear that 9/11 wasn't just an attack on the US. He wants the audience to believe it was an attack on civilization itself.
So tonight I announce the creation ofa Cabinet-level position reporting directlyto me, the Office of Homeland Security.And tonight I also announce a distinguishedAmerican to lead this effort to strengthenAmerican security, a military veteran, aneffective Governor, a true patriot, a trustedfriend, Pennsylvania’s Tom Ridge. He willlead, oversee, and coordinate a comprehen-sive national strategy to safeguard our coun-try against terrorism and respond to anyattacks that may come.
I do like that he is not just saying that there will be justice. He's actually working on new initiatives to stop terrorism.
Every nation, in every region,now has a decision to make: Either youare with us, or you are with the terrorists.From this day forward, any nation that con-tinues to harbor or support terrorism willbe regarded by the United States as a hos-tile regime
Yet another warning from Bush. He tells any country that is listening that they will be regarded as enemies if they stand in the way.
We have seen their kind before.They are the heirs of all the murderousideologies of the 20th century. By sacri-ficing human life to serve their radical vi-sions, by abandoning every value except thewill to power, they follow in the path offascism and nazism and totalitarianism. Andthey will follow that path all the way, towhere it ends, in history’s unmarked graveof discarded lies
He uses logos here by correlating the terrorists and earlier regimes like the Nazis in WWII. By doing this, he makes it clear who the enemy is.
also want to speak tonight directly toMuslims throughout the world. We respectyour faith. It’s practiced freely by manymillions of Americans and by millions morein countries that America counts as friends.Its teachings are good and peaceful, andthose who commit evil in the name of Allahblaspheme the name of Allah. The terror-ists are traitors to their own faith, trying,in effect, to hijack Islam itself. The enemyof America is not our many Muslim friends;it is not our many Arab friends. Our enemyis a radical network of terrorists and everygovernment that supports them.
Pathos is used here again to appeal to the Muslim audience. Most of what I said earlier carries over.
These demands are not open to negotia-tion or discussion. The Taliban must actand act immediately. They will hand overthe terrorists, or they will share in theirfate
Here is pathos. He uses scare tactics here in order to make his point clear. He ensures that anyone or anything that stands in the way of justice for 9/11 will be brought down with the same justice. I'd say it's pretty effective.
In Afghanistan, we see Al Qaida’svision for the world. Afghanistan’s peoplehave been brutalized. Many are starving,and many have fled. Women are not al-lowed to attend school. You can be jailedfor owning a television. Religion can bepracticed only as their leaders dictate. Aman can be jailed in Afghanistan if hisbeard is not long enough
Bush uses logos again here to show the facts of the Afghanistan to persuade those who were unaware. It's also kind of a scare tactic in the way that he uses this. It's meant to be a scary idea to those who live in "freedom".
The terrorists practice a fringe form ofIslamic extremism that has been rejectedby Muslim scholars and the vast majorityof Muslim clerics, a fringe movement thatperverts the peaceful teachings of Islam.The terrorists’ directive commands them tokill Christians and Jews, to kill all Ameri-cans, and make no distinctions among mili-tary and civilians, including women andchildren
He uses pathos here to appeal to the audience that is actually Muslim. He talks a lot about how the terrorists pervert and dishonor the teachings of Islam. I found this very interesting.
On September 11th, enemies of freedomcommitted an act of war against our coun-try. Americans have known wars, but forthe past 136 years, they have been warson foreign soil, except for one Sunday in1941. Americans have known the casualtiesof war, but not at the center of a greatcity on a peaceful morning. Americans haveknown surprise attacks, but never beforeon thousands of civilians. All of this wasbrought upon us in a single day, and nightfell on a different world, a world wherefreedom itself is under attack
Bush uses logos here. It really hammers home his point when he points out that war with the US has never been fought on domestic soil. I think this is a really effective paragraph.
citizens of 80other nations who died with our own: doz-ens of Pakistanis; more than 130 Israelis;more than 250 citizens of India; men andwomen from El Salvador, Iran, Mexico, andJapan; and hundreds of British citizens
He again uses pathos here to appeal to those who are not from the US. I think this also really raises his ethos for foreigners because it shows he doesn't just care about the US.
America will never forget the soundsof our national anthem playing at Bucking-ham Palace, on the streets of Paris, andat Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate. We will notforget South Korean children gathering topray outside our Embassy in Seoul, or theprayers of sympathy offered at a mosquein Cairo. We will not forget moments ofsilence and days of mourning in Australiaand Africa and Latin America.
Pathos is used throughout this entire speech. It's the crux of the speech, if you will. Bush uses the emotions of the people who are hurting to make his point. This was a moment in time in which everyone could relate and understand.
Tonight we welcome two leaders whoembody the extraordinary spirit of all NewYorkers, Governor George Pataki andMayor Rudolph Giuliani
You'll notice that throughout this speech, Bush never mentions himself. He spends all of his time devoted to those who are out there making a difference. I think this builds his ethos as he shows that he doesn't care about himself, rather the people that are hurting and helping.
Tonight we are a country awakened todanger and called to defend freedom
Here's the purpose. The purpose is to bring together a country that is fundamentally broken. HIs purpose is to bring the country together in light of the tragedy. It is also a call for help, from any who would offer it. And lastly, of course, it is a warning.
My fellow citizens, for the last 9 days,the entire world has seen for itself the stateof our Union, and it is strong.
The exigence is present throughout. The call to action from Bush is urgent. This is not only a call to action though, it is also a message of warning and strength, as this sentence demonstrates. The message is perhaps more important than anything else in the world at the time of this speech.
Tonight, no suchreport is needed. It has already been deliv-ered by the American people
This touches on the intended audience. It is the people of the U.S. and of the world. The secondary audience is Al Qaida, as this speech is not a threat or warning, but an omen of what's to come. I'd say the unintended audience doesn't exist. When he gave this speech, everyone was listening.
September 20, 200
Here's the kairos of the situation. This speech was given 9 days after the terrorist attacks on 9/11. This is the most important part of the speech. Without this, the speech is not the speech, if you get what I mean.