https://www.ted.

com/talks/jad_abumrad_how_dolly_parton_led_me_to_an_epiphany

How Dolly Parton Led Me To An Epiphany: Jad Abumrad

This ted talk is about how Dolly Parton helped the speaker find his purpose as a journalist when
he felt he was lacking in his own self identity. He talks about his time as a reporter for a podcast
that brought out the wonder of science to the world, and how after so many years, that wonder
seemed to go away. It became evident that science was not the only truth to be told during an
interview with a resident of middle eastern warfare who claimed chemical bombs had been
dropped near his mountain village home, and when scientist said it didn’t happen because of no
trace of evidence, the interview ended in tears. This is where Jad Abumrad realized that science
was not the only truth. Growing up in Tennessee, he knew of Dolly Parton, but when he did a 9
part podcast series with Dolly, he had a feeling this would help him figure out the stuck feeling
that he had been dealing with. He discovered that doing this series about how Dolly’s home
meant so much to her, felt wrong, because although they were from the same place, he did not
understand how Tennessee could be a part of him when he wanted to push it so far out of his
grasp. Jad had the opportunity however, to go and see Parton’s actual mountain home, where
she talks about those feelings of love and warmth and belonging. Seeing this home opened up
countless conversations, ones he never thought he would have, like with his father who said her
mountain home reminded him of his in the mountains of Lebanon. This led to Dolly explaining
how her songs are migration music, how they capture a moment already gone. He talks about
how Dolly’s music highlights the struggles and the brightest moments of life, and how she took
those moments and made them beautiful, no matter the issue. The story cannot end in
difference, it has to end in revelation, which is the purpose of Parton’s music.Dolly creates a
cultural third space of understanding, and how Jad now knows that every story has to find the
third.

The Ted Talk was published in June of 2020. There was nothing in particular going on about
Dolly at the time that all of a sudden made Jad realize his purpose, but a collection of events
over time that built up to this realization. He never stated when this realization actually
happened, but the process of finding how to convey it properly was probably found in the earlier
months of 2020, which is why it was published when it was. In the world at this time however,
huge racial justice events, and even a whole pandemic had people splitting and joining sides
from left to right. In Dolly’s world, everyone lives under the same roof and shares different
stories, and she conveys that in her music well.

Jad Abumrad is an american radio-host and composer, studying music composition and
creative writing at Oberlin College. He hosts a widely popular philosophy and scientific radio
show called Radiolab where he talks of deep and intrusive topics with others and his co-host.
He wrote many scores for films over the years. It is important to know the speaker's background
because that allows for the audience to understand why this topic is of importance to them, and
it also lets them know why the speaker's input on a topic can be reliable and important.

The title alone is what drew me into this video first, and I was rather skeptical about it to begin
with, but once I watched it I knew that the story and message within this video was one I was
meant to hear. I had to watch the video twice to find a good grasp on what the speaker was
saying, just because of the way his story was lining up. As a musician, I know that music holds a
power like no other, but so do the artists that create the music. As a big time Parton fan, I knew
this video was going to have some good points for Dolly, but didn’t understand how relevant her
music messages were until he broke down her actual intentions with her songs. I believe this
video is meant for anyone struggling to find their purpose and belonging, because that's really
what it is about; finding yourself in this crazy world.

During the video, the visuals and the use of sounds in the background, as well as how the
speaker talked grabbed my attention and held it. With animations added in as visual effects, it
helped me to truly see what was being talked about rather than just listening to a story, abeling
me to make more connections. I think he chose these connections because it's how a story
should look in your head. I should be able to picture the places he is talking about, and the looks
on peoples faces and differences in their voices when they struggle, so when it is visualized for
you, it makes it easier to stay focused and narrowed in on the topic at hand. If you are able to
make visual, and audible connections, the process of understanding and grasping the message
goes smoothly and it makes for a deeper and more lasting impact.

The speaker used a lot of pathos throughout the video, wanting his audience to connect
emotionally rather than logically, because he realized that doing everything with a strict set of
rules from science is not the only truth that is out there. There were no documents brought up,
or charts or research ideas, but stories and struggles from the speaker and Parton, which then
were used to start other conversations to highlight emotions in others.