THE ROCK WALL

THE ROCK WALL

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Link:: https://www.ted.com/talks/alex_honnold_how_i_climbed_a_3_000_foot_vertical_cliff_without_ropes/up-next

Summary

The argument being made in the TED Talk titled, “How I climbed a 3,000 vertical cliff- without ropes” by Alex Honnold is that with the right mindset and preparation your largest aspirations are able to become reality.  Throughout the course of the TED Talk he analyzed how he led up to the treacherous climb, the actions he took and what he did to mentally prepare himself. Perhaps the most important aspect of the TED Talk was when he explained what it felt like to finally reach the top of the mountain- a 3,000 foot vertical cliff I might add.  He described what it felt like to finally have achieved “mastery” in his free soloing climbing journey. The next most important aspect was his description of what preparations he took leading up to the climb- his repetition of the climb, stretching so he could make a specific move during the climb, removing loose rocks from the side of the cliff, etc.  Finally he analyzed his first free solo climb up Half Dome and probably the least significant part of the TED Talk, he briefly described how he got into climbing when he was 10 years old.

The Story Telling Techniques

Throughout Alex Honnold’s presentation of perhaps the largest accomplishment of his life, he utilized many techniques to convey his point.  First, he established the credibility of his story and his rock climbing ability by starting out with a breakdown of how he became a rock climber and furthering his credibility with a story of the first time he summited a cliff...without ropes.  Not only did he already climb a cliff without ropes once, he decided to do it again, but this time on an even larger cliff, around 3,000 ft if we’re being exact.

Alex Honnold then utilizes logos by breaking down what exactly he had to do to ensure he wouldn’t plummet to his death off the side of the cliff.  He describes the process of climbing the cliff over and over with ropes on and making sure he memorized every single move that he would have to make on the cliff to be able to reach the top.  

But perhaps the most signficant technique utilized was Honnold’s use of pathos.  IN order to get his point across that it is possible to accomplish dreams he had to emphasize what it felt like to accomplish his dream.  He was able to achieve true mastery and he spent a great deal of time explaining what this mastery felt like. He worked incredibly hard and emphasized his work by explaining the emotions invoked by each step of the process.  He was able to summit the, “most crown jewels of climbing” and introduced the audience to his feat by showing them footage of “the 30 best seconds of his life”.

Personal Connection

Ok but first of all, WHAT THE *bleep*!  I remember being in 3rd grade and being dared to climb the rock wall at the YMCA and lemme just tell you...I almost peed myself.  But, I’m not that much of a coward and so I ended up climbing the small little rock wall by the racquetball courts (but also because someone told me that they had prizes and cool stuff at the top of the wall...well they lied).  One thing however, that I do remember besides the trembling fear as my hands gripped each synthetic “rock” bolted on the wall, was the feeling of great relief and triumph as I was then slowly propelled to the squishy mat at the bottom of the wall.  

And let me just say, I did all of this while being held by a counselor at the base of the wall that was holding a rope that looped through a harness around my body.  This man climbed a 3,000 foot vertical cliff, with NO ROPES. NOBODY WATCHING HIM. I can only imagine the relief, joy, pain, exhaustion, and pure glory that this man felt when he reached the summit ALIVE.  And this in itself is why his TED Talk on his experience was so convincing and powerful. Even if I didn’t know what it felt like to climb a rock wall and how difficult that in itself was, I could still relate to the pain and exhaustion and pure joy he must have felt at his accomplishment.

I love personal victory stories because I love when people are successful in reaching their dreams.  I also feel like a part of me shares in their joy, even if I wasn’t directly involved in what happened.  The world is full of amazing people and I love hearing when people are able to do something that they have worked so hard to achieve.