Josephine Flores-Foster

Mrs. Thompson

10-27-17

Ted Talk Analysis

There is no denying the fact that our law system is flawed. Adam Foss talks about how

we as people and the prosecutors will send people away to jail without helping them when they

asked. Adam Foss is a prosecutor in Boston. He is the adopted son of police officer, a marine,

and a hair dresser. Foss tries to show how helping as a prosecutor can be more useful, helpful,

and safer for our communities. Foss is effective in his argument that a prosecutor's best interest is

to help the defendant through the use of appeals to pathos and logos.

Foss uses logos throughout his talk. He states There are 2.3 million people in American

jails and prisons, making America the most incarcerated nation on the planet. He proves how

prosecutors do not have to be creative. They are given a file and prosecute the defendant without

their input. Even with the 2.3million in jails or prison, there are still seven million people on

probation or parole. This points out how helpful the prosecutors are being. They without question

put people in jail or prison by convicting them of crimes that could have been prevented.

Again he uses logos to point out and enhance his argument. He then goes to state how

many cases could have been helped, could have been prevented. It costs 109,000 dollars in

some state to jail a teenager for a year. With all that money used there is still a 60% chance that

teen will return to that same system. He pushes at the fact that prosecutors could do so much

more. There is no usefulness is spending all that money to have a teen incarcerated, when they
could use it to try and help those convicted. It is also unsafe for the community to have such a

high incarceration rate and have such a high chance of returning to jail. By stating logistical fact

he gives solid evidence aiding his argument.

Not only does Adam Foss use logos, he also uses pathos. To start off his pathos views he

tells the story of an eighteen year old in Boston that that he ended up not convicting. The boys

name was Christopher. He told the story of how he helped christopher pay for the crimes he had

committed. And gave him no criminal record. His speech starts to slow as he says how because

of him christopher was able to graduate from a four year college and is now a manager of a bank.

He also gives the story of how when he as a teenager was caught carrying illegal drugs. With the

help love and support of friends and family and also the law system he was able to move on.

That support from friends and family is what he believes should always be an option for those

convicted of crimes. Throughout this whole point he tries to pull at heartstrings and he tries to

use it to push his argument froward.

Adam Foss uses logos and pathos to get his point across. He states that prosecutors

should be helpful and not condemning. Some may say that what Mr. Foss says is out of

proportion because it is a scary thought but it is true. He ends with a request that we all try to

make it possible for that number of convicted Americans to decrease.