Death Penalty

Kroll's article witnessing the execution of his friend Robert Harris was a much more convincing read than Mencken's Penalty of Death. Let me start by using one of Mencken's own tactics and pointing out the flaws in his argument; right off the bad Mencken shoots down two of the arguments of his opposition. He then ignores all other logical disagreement outside of those two discredited points and assumes that since those two are not true then he must be right. Mencken alienates the reader greatly in his piece very early on and as a result his following argument, which only stands on one solid point, ends up being fairly weak. Kroll took a different route in his piece, instead telling a parable that the reader could relate to, drawing them in and linking them to the issue on an emotional level. Then in paragraph 24, Kroll subtly hints that he feels that capital punishment, or at least carried out in this manner, is wholeheartedly in humane. Also by portraying the people performing the execution and thier supporters in a negative light, Kroll is able to discredit his apposition on an emotional basis alone. Using narrative and an appeal to pathos Kroll comes out being much more persuasive than his opposition, although Mencken does teach us a valuable lesson: if you're going to appeal to someones logical side, make sure your logic is sound first.

Sixteen Military Wives

This song is about the disparity of the American people and those whom we consume so that we can exist freely. It talks about the military wives who must bear the burden of their husband's sacrifice so that we may be happy.The verse that spoke to me most was about the students in the academy chairs, i feel that this embodies the apathy that our youth today have towards everything and how our 'celebrity minds' can only focus on things that are flashy or shocking or popular. The Newscaster saying la-de-dah is to represent that either the news that we hear is actually drivel or to again reinforce the inability of the American people to look at the reality of the world around them. Americans are the cannibal kings who subsist on the lives of those who have served and died for our country and those celebrities whose lives we exploit and twist to make us feel better about ourselves.

Race for the Prize

 The theme of this song is that no prize is great enough to be worth sacrificing your world for. Many lyrics from the song manifest this idea, such as "But it's so dangerous, but they're determined" In this quote the two scientists make the step to disregarding their own safety in the name of finding whatever they're looking for, they are willing to sacrifice their mortal flesh for their goal. this is superhuman determination and can only be described as an obsession. The music was rather dreamlike and plaintive which made me imagine the scientists were lost in the dreamlike world of life under a microscope, and had become detached from reality.

Fallacies of J.F.K

"In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than mine,will rest the final success or failure of our course", Such empowering words, to think that its up to us to decide whether we succeed or are destroyed, But what about an alternative? Some sort of middle ground must exist between success and failure, this is why as good as this quote may sound it is clearly not logically sound. The excluded middle makes the people being addressed in the speech feel that there is an incredible weight upon their shoulders, they assume more responsibility as a result. Although this speech does commit many logical fallacies in addition to this one, it remains to this day one of the most moving and inspirational addresses from a president. This is because the charisma of John F. Kennedy was unmatched, and the way in which he presented his ideas won people over just by the sound of his words alone. by keeping his goals and promises vague he was able to appeal to a wide range of people.

Duck & Cover

The overt message from this informational film was that in the event of the detonation of an atomic bomb, ducking and covering as the video instructs may help protect you form more serious bodily harm. The video gave many situations in which ducking and covering could protect you from the blast of an atomic bomb. it also gave you advice on what you should do to protect yourself before a bomb drops, such as going to the nearest public shelter and always listening to adults. The covert message if any, was the idea that the national defense agency had your best interest in mind and that they were tirelessly working for your own well-being. this video also gave the American children a sense of security, for although ducking and covering would probably not protect you from and atom bomb's blast it does make you feel better to know there's something you can do that might help. Contrary to the other videos we watched in class I would say that this was a purely informational presentation, there were no ulterior motives at play, simply information in the best interest of Americans.

Destination Earth

The overt message of this film was to show how much that oil and competition between companies has helped America. They come right off spitting out fact about all of the jobs that depend on the oil business, and also the importance of petroleum related products to the american people like cars, cosmetics, and plastics. The covert message of this Film was to show that without a free market and competition people were unhappy and the world was a very negative place, the makers of the film want citizens to remember that capitalism offers the spice of life. Before the Martians are introduced to the oil and knowledge of competition of america, they are all very sad, depleted, uniform looking people who are ruled by a mustachioed autocrat named the Ob. this is clearly meant to have parallels to the Soviet state in Russia, where uniformity and the lack of personal possessions and ambitions are out of the question.I would say this video was propaganda because it was a video made by an  oil company about how great oil is also the subtle attack on the construct of communism planted the seed for a more widespread love of capitalism.

Propaganda WW2

The overt message in this piece of WW2 propaganda was that the american people should eat less bread. The covert message was that by making sacrifices in your daily life you could patriotically aid your country in victory over the forces of evil in the world. The woman's red, white, and blue dress and grinning face while cooking encourage both the victorious and patriotic undertones to the piece. The main difference between the two is the way that the woman who is eating less bread and contributing to the war effort looks. The woman in the picture is happy and smiling, whereas a woman who was being subjected to the rationing programs of the 1940's and sacrificing for her country would definitely be allot less healthy and happy.

The Clampdown

This song is about the Nazi Party's control of Germany, particularly the establishment of the Hitler Youth. In the opening verses of the song it says, "We will train our blue-eyed men to be young believers". This was a reference to the indoctrination of young men into the ranks of the Nazi party through the Hitler Youth program. The song's message is about resisting popular movements like this and others, refusing to take part in the status quot. The song's upbeat nature and rather defiant, rough singing made the rebellious theme of the song come through better.This song relates more to propaganda because it is about the turning of the German people towards a fascist mindset through the use of propaganda.

Propaganda, Coercion, and Rhetoric

#403, #394, #417, #399
#403   He who best knows how to conceal his necessity and desire is the most likely person to find redress.
… the true use of speech is not so much to express our wants, as to conceal them. OLIVER
GOLDSMITH, “On The Use of Language,” The Bee, 20 October 1759
     This quote outlines the idea of the ultimate purpose of using rhetoric in speech, when you are able to distract someone from your true intentions you can push your agenda without them knowing. Presenting your point artfully or with an emotional appeal is one of the best ways to influence someone. Your decadent words and literary technique will fascinate the masses and leave them vulnerable to absorbing whatever it is that you really want them to believe. Hitler was a great speech writer and the way that he presented his ideas to the German people made much of his success possible. If he had come out and told them of his wholesale plans to slaughter the Jewish people bluntly, he would have been received much less warmly. Rhetoric in speech enables us to hide our true colors while still gaining the support of the people.