Bates 1

Natalie Bates

Lisa Tyler

Eng 1101

20 October 2021

Hear to Serve

In April 2011 Keith Nolan, a Deaf military activist, delivered a speech entitled “Deaf in

the Military'' to those attending the Tedlxslay conference. The passionate Nolan spoke about the

active argument of should the deaf be allowed to enlist in the military. Nolan presents a

compelling speech that is intended to inform the audience that it is possible to be deaf and serve

in the military. Nolan’s speech does give a successful speech while teaching his listeners for

several reasons, particularly his use of statistics that rely on logos and his use of personal

experiences with the ROTC that appeal to pathos .

In his speech, Nolan demonstrates pathos, or emotions. He begins his speech with

impactful events that have taken place throughout his life. Nolan explains to the audience his

hopes and dreams to enlist in the military as a young boy to serve the country he loves. “I have

various family members, such as my grandfather and great uncle, who fought in World War II.

And like them, I wanted the same thing: to serve my country”(1). By establishing an emotional

connection early on, Nolan connects with his audience on a personal level. Nolan uses this

element throughout the entire speech but it was particularly at the start of his speech. It is critical

that the audience has a connection to the speaker on an emotional level. It was wise for Nolan to

start his speech with his personal story to engage the audience and draw them in for the

remainder of the speech.

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The element of ethos, or credibility is used to focus on the trustworthiness of an author

throughout a speech. Nolan uses this element most towards the start of his speech. Establishing

credibility early on in speech is important because if you are viewed as creditable at the start of

your speech the audience won’t question what you are saying and will ultimately be more

engaged throughout. By using these examples early on in his speech he proves to his audience

why he is qualified to be speaking on this issue, “I wanted the same thing: to serve my country.

So the question is: Can I? No, I can’t. Why? Simply because I’m deaf”(1). Within the first

minute of his speech Nolan proves he is qualified to speak on the topic of if the deaf should be

allowed to enlist in the military because he himself states he is deaf. Nolan further displays

credibility throughout his entire speech because of his demeanor. Despite being shot down on

multiple occasions by multiple organizations to enlist in the military, he remains persistent and

fights for his cause. Nolan proves to his audience that he knows a great deal about this topic and

should be taken seriously.

The use of logos, or logic is used to appeal to an audience's sense of reason during a

speech. Nolan uses this element towards the ending of his speech. Not only does Nolan present

statistics to support the argument but he also shows the audience his own successes in the ROTC

program that support his cause. “Colonel Phelps has tried to speak with the higher-ups in the

chain of command and explain to them that I’m one of the top cadets, having passed all the

events and receiving high marks on my exams”(1). By pointing out that he is not only excelling

in the program but is leading his class, Nolan provides the audience with undeniable evidence

that he should be allowed to enlist in the military.

Nolans choices in his use of pathos, ethos, and logos, give him the ability to show the

audience that being deaf does not stop him from achieving his dreams but rather the rules in
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place by the United States Military do. This piece helps to inform viewers of the stigma placed

on being deaf and wanting to serve the United States. Though progress has been made in Nolans

case, there are still many ROTC programs throughout the country turning away the deaf from

joining their programs. Nolan’s message provides his listeners with a new idea that being deaf

does not automatically make you disqualified from serving. Despite his efforts to fight for his

right and the rights of the deaf community in terms of enlisting in the United States Military, they

were unsuccessful. Nolan was not able to enlist in the military and continue to stage 3 of his

training because of the laws in place by the USM. It is important that we remember what was

said by Nolan and fight for change in the outdated system of rules and regulations of the USM.
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Works Cited

Nolan, Keith. “Transcript of ‘Deaf in the Military.’” TED,

https://www.ted.com/talks/keith_nolan_deaf_in_the_military/transcript?utm_campaign=t

edspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare#t-1071965. 26

Oct. 2021