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Error 404 Essay

The document analyzes Renny Gleeson's TED talk "404, the story of a page not found." Gleeson uses the metaphor of a 404 error page to represent feelings of being "broken" or in a "broken relationship." Through humor and emotive language, he connects the technical error to universal human emotions. Gleeson then shifts to more positive examples of redesigned 404 pages that feature inspirational quotes and cute animals. His overall message is that changing one's perspective, even regarding small issues, can create significant impact and change. However, the analysis argues that Gleeson's layered metaphors may be difficult for a live audience to fully comprehend in one listening.

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Ben Riddle
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110 views5 pages

Error 404 Essay

The document analyzes Renny Gleeson's TED talk "404, the story of a page not found." Gleeson uses the metaphor of a 404 error page to represent feelings of being "broken" or in a "broken relationship." Through humor and emotive language, he connects the technical error to universal human emotions. Gleeson then shifts to more positive examples of redesigned 404 pages that feature inspirational quotes and cute animals. His overall message is that changing one's perspective, even regarding small issues, can create significant impact and change. However, the analysis argues that Gleeson's layered metaphors may be difficult for a live audience to fully comprehend in one listening.

Uploaded by

Ben Riddle
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Running head: ERROR 404 1

Error 404: Essay Not Found


An Analysis of "404, the story of a page not found"
Benjamin Riddle
University of Kentucky
ERROR 404 2

On the surface, Renny Gleeson’s TEDTalk “404, the story of a page not found” is a

lighthearted anecdote about a common occurrence for internet users. His harsh tone and diction,

however, seem to suggest that there is more meaning to be found in a simple error code than one

would expect. In his speech, Gleeson expertly weaves humor and metaphor to create a pathos-

heavy story that pushes an underlying message about the power of the human experience.

Gleeson begins his speech at a logical point: the definition of a 404 error. Despite an

exact definition displayed behind him, Gleeson takes a different route with his explanation. He

describes reaching a 404 error page as a “feeling of being broken… the feeling of a broken

relationship.” In this statement he establishes a metaphorical motif of comparing errors to human

relationships that he follows throughout the story itself. While delivering these lines, his tone

effectively conveys his appeal to the emotions of the audience. Feeling “broken” is a negative

experience felt universally by all humans– he connects the 404 error to this emotion, instilling a

sense of disdain in his audience. He follows up on this feeling by describing a contrasting image:

“you can have unicorns dancing, rainbows spraying out of your mobile phone… a 404 page is

not that.” He finishes this appeal to pathos with more negative imagery, comparing a 404 page to

a “slap in the face.” Having effectively created a strong connection between 404 pages and a

sense of despair, he moves into his anecdote.


ERROR 404 3

Gleeson begins his story by discussing the idea of turning a 404 page into something

creative, fun, and generally positive. His examples invoke an emotional appeal: he uses well-

designed pages that feature inspirational quotes and cute animals. This marks his major shift in

attitude– in stark contrast to the dreary feelings he expressed previously, these new examples are

designed to garner a positive emotional response from the audience. He continues the trend by

offering more examples, involving sympathy, humor, and inspiration. In doing so, he effectively

reworks the audience’s attitude towards these errors, which allows him to smoothly transition

into his final point, the overall message of the speech.

The speech comes to a close on a significantly different note than it opens. Gleeson’s

tone has completely reversed, from one of disdain and annoyance to one of optimism and

hopefulness. He states that by the end of the exercise involving remodeling the companies’ 404

pages, they felt more focused on “what they could be” as opposed to what they are. This, coupled

with his previous quote that “little things, done right, actually matter”, makes the point that even

small changes can make a significant impact. This ideology acts as a formula for what he

believes to be the most important aspect in change: perspective.


ERROR 404 4
The final line of the speech wraps back to the relationship motif, stating that a mistake

can “tell me what you are not… or remind me of why I love you”; in other words, the same thing

can be seen as good or bad, it simply depends on your perspective. This concept appears

everywhere throughout the speech: the tonal shifts, the visual aids, and most importantly,

Gleeson’s attitude towards the 404 pages themselves. The degree of positivity or negativity of all

of these factors is heavily reliant upon perspective. Through his tonal emotional appeals and

inspirational ideas, Gleeson effectively communicates his lesson: we, as humans, have the power

to make significant changes in our lives and attitudes. All we require is a little change in

perspective.

Unfortunately, given the number of layers this meaning is behind, the average audience

member might not fully understand the central ideas. They may feel informed or inspired, but

couldn’t see the themes through the heavily-veiled metaphors, especially given that they only

have the chance to hear each part once. Many of the meaningful details get lost in the humor, and

unless the member was paying specific attention, they may have not even noticed any of the

shifts in tone or attitude. The best way for Gleeson to improve this speech is to be more

straightforward with his themes and concepts. While his methods are excellent in a format that

can be carefully studied, a live audience makes it difficult to clearly convey his ideas.

References
ERROR 404 5
Gleeson, R. (2012, February). 404, the story of a page not found. Retrieved January 25, 2018,

from https://www.ted.com/talks/renny_gleeson_404_the_story_of_a_page_not_found#t-219600

[Google 404 Error Page].(2018, January 25). Retrieved from https://google.com/benriddle

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