Persuasion: Kroll vs. Mencken

I personally was not affected, nor was I persuaded by either Kroll or Mencken's article. While Mencken appealed more to logos, Kroll appealed to pathos. I am more of a pathos person, but I also had to look at the other side. Kroll completely avoids the fact of what Harris did. He never mentions what Harris did to put him the position that he was in. After research, I found that what Harris did was completely unforgivable and he deserved to be executed. While Kroll did a good job appealing to pathos and persuasion, he was not logical, nor was he rational at all. Avoiding a complete side of the story ruins the whole appeal. For me, this almost counteracted his initial view and point, and made me argue against him. He also came from the viewpoint of Harris's friend, which automatically creates bias. One must overlook bias to see what is fact. Mencken's article then appealed to logos; however, his argument was not very strong. While I respected his viewpoint, he did not seem to have any impact on what I believe (although I am for the death penalty, anyways). Were I against the death penalty though, Mencken's article would certainly not have persuaded me to be for the death penalty. His arguments were weak and he did not support his arguments completely. Therefore, neither Kroll's article, nor Mencken's article persuaded me in either direction.

"Sixteen Military Wives" by the Decemberists (2003)

This song is about people in war and how they are dying to save other lives, resulting in leaving their wives at home alone. No matter how hard it is, "if America says it's so, it's so." The theme of this song is that people all over America are going on with their lives while servcice men are going to fight for their well-being. The wieves of the men, along with their families, are left with shattered and broken lives when they don't come home, but the rest of America lives on without a clue. The rest of America doesn't see how much these people are giving up to protect us and this proves how inconsiderate we are. We don't seem to understand how awful this is and the fact that we don't care what the people are doing by fighting for our lives shows that we need to change and be aware what's going on around us.

"Race for the Prize" (1999) by the Flaming Lips

The theme of this song is that when racing after something you really want, never give up. The music is upbeat and is in a major key; it seems almost hopeful. The lyrics talk about how the scientists are trying to better the world for humans. Even if it kills them, they will do whatever they can-even if they are only human. They will die trying to help the world, but it's worth it. It creates a tone that, more or less, latches you onto the song and focuses you on the lyrics of the song. When it is important and there exists a dream worth running after, don't give up and do everything you can to make that dream happen; this is message the song is trying to portray to its audience.

Fallacies in Famous Speeches

In Patrick Henry's speech, many fallacies are used alongside rhetoric and facts. One specific fallacy happens to be his first line: "No man thinks more highly than I do of the patriotism, as well as abilities, of the very worthy gentlemen who have just addressed the House." While, yes, he may think very highly of the people who have addressed the House previous to him, this is no way guarantees that he is the one who thinks most highly of them. He can't possibly know how highly everyone else thinks of the people who have just talked; therefore, this is argument to omniscience. The definition of argument for omniscience being "an arguer would need omniscience to know about everyone's beliefs or disbeliefs or about their knowledge", this line definitely constitutes as being this fallacy.

Propaganda Journal "Destination Earth"

The overt message in this ad is that oil improves a society as a whole and competition benefits the development of unity in a society. We know this because everyone on Earth is smiling and happy with their oil production and the competition to get the oil makes the world flourish even more. The covert message is that you can only benefit your society by tapping into the system of competition for oil. We see this through the alien that went to Earth because the message he is pushing is that everyone should compete for oil so that their planet can flourish like Earth did. This is propaganda because they never directly say that one should benefit their planet by competing for oil, but this is the hidden message.

"Duck and Cover" 1951

The overt message was to merely duck and cover when there were warnings of danger.
The covert message was that during the war, the US was in danger, and it's important to know how to protect yourself in times of distress. This would ensure that you were safer than being completely exposed to the threat of the bomb.
I see this ad as informational because there was no hidden message. The ad is advertised so that people are aware of what danger is coming and how to be prepared if we were ever to encounter an atom bomb. This was shown in schools, and kids were taught how to "duck and cover" as well as people throughout the country. I don't see any hidden message in the ad; therefore, it's neither propaganda nor persuasion.

Propoganda (WWII 1941-1945)

The overt message that by consuming less bread, the bread could be used for the troops at war; therefore, the consumption of less foods that were easily accessible were looked down upon so that they could be sent to the bread. The woman in the kitchen was a symbol for cooking more, rather than buying processed foods while their husbands and sons are at war.
The covert message was to be respective of the troops in war and to be faithful to the country during the war.
This is propaganda because the ad does not specifically say anything about food going to the troops. The eating less bread was specified, but not it's meaning; therefore, it had a hidden message and is then considered propaganda.

"Clampdown" by the Clash (1979)

I think this song talks about the Nazis and the work they do. I saw the "clampdown" as being part of the Nazis. At the beggining of the song, it mentions a man removing his turban and they say "is this man a Jew?" This led me to believe that Jews were being discriminated against, like the Holocaust. People don't want to be a part of the discrination, acting as a Nazi, but then it later says "How can you refuse it?" This asks if the people can really refuse the government's will for people to become Nazis. When the song talks about how "you" start working for the clampdown, you wear brown and blue and you "make your first kill now". I took that literally, meaning they finally gave in and became a Nazi.

The chaotic beat and random spruts of evergy when the singer comes back in shows how there are twists in his life. There are also little interjections that seem to come from nowhere that show the disorganization and how he doesn't know what to think. The music is heavy and fast, showing how fast-paced everything is going.

Persuasion is used by the government by the control and power they have over the people. They target the "young believers" so they can train them while they are still young so they are able to get them to follow their footsteps. Then they use deception because as the song continues, you can tell that more and more people have started working for the "clampdown". Finally "you" become dragged into it; this is where the deception comes in. It says that the work "makes you feel big now." This is deceiving because what they are doing is wrong, but the power and control they have over the people makes it feel good and right to them. The deception used throughout the song all builds up to show how "you" finally give in.

Propaganda, Persuasion, Rhetoric, and Argument

13. Choice is at the core of democracy; the absence of choice means that democracy is lessened to one degree or another, depending on the nature of the lost choice.
-Dean Alger, The Media and Politics, 1989.

As I read this quote, I couldn't help but think back to slavery and before women's rights. The state in which we lived in surely could not have been recognized as a democracy. The Merriam-Webster dictionary definition of democracy is: a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections. This certainly includes equality of all people. Before slavery was ended and women's rights were approved, I don't think we lived in a true democracy. However, propaganda and persuasion were used to get the majority of the people to believe in, per say, slavery. Slaves would do work, you could by them to be your very own, you had everything you  needed right at the tip of your fingers without any work. Who wouldn't want a life like this? Persuasion was used to get people to follow in these footsteps. However,democracy includes the equality of all people and the freedom of choice. Now today, all people have choices.
This quote addresses the issue of choice in democracy. With  more choices and freedoms, the idea of democracy is able to hold its true meaning. However, as these choices decrease, democracy is "lessened to one degree or another." We must hold true in our hearts the meaning of democracy to ensure that we do have the right to choices and opportunities within this society. If we were to go back to a system of something like slavery, the democracy would be decreased, due to the lack of choice the "slaves" would have. This quote merely addresses that with decrease in choices, democracy is diminished.