Maysoon Zayidâs, âI Got 99 Problems: Palsy is just Oneâ,
In Maysoon Zayidâs, âI Got 99 Problems: Palsy is just Oneâ, Zayid utilizes narratives in her Ted Talk in order to advocate for both greater and more positive representation of the disabled in the entertainment industry. Â Through the utilization of narratives Zayid establishes her identity as a woman who is arab, muslim and disabled and also shares her personal experiences and struggles as she strived to work in the entertainment industry. Â Narrative gives Zayid the ability to establish her authority with her audience because of her own experience and also gives the audience an ability to understand her purpose through her experiences. Her push for positive representation in the media is also reflected in personal and positive experiences which she interweaves throughout her narrative.
In order to convey her message Zayid implements various macro and micro level elements in order to shape the narratives she uses to tell her story. Â Genre, being a macro element, is identifiable as both a Ted Talk (which is a genre in itself) and a narrative. Also, Â because, âGenre and modality go hand in handâ (Strauss, Feiz, 2014, p. 64), there is a need to note how her use of oral discourse is an important element. Because oral discourse, âlends itself to immediate responsiveness on the part of the other co-present participantsâ(Strauss, Feiz, 2014, p. 64) we see Zayid at one point urge her audience to react to her comment she has made regarding the disabled in film,
