Persuasion-The Death Penalty

I personally was more persuaded by Kroll because I am more affected by pathos (and also probably because I agree with Kroll more than Mencken.) Kroll used a lot of words and phrases with a specifically negative connotation to express his opinion, such as his description of the "nakedly barbaric" killing of his friend: "His head began to roll and his eyes closed, then opened again. His head dropped, then came up with an abrupt jerk and rolled some more. It was grotesque and hideous...we were in the middle of something indescribably ugly. Not just the cold-blooded killing of a human being, and not even the fact that we happened to love him-but the ritual of it, the participation of us, the witnesses, the witnessing itself of this most private and personal act." He writes with a raw passion that shows that despite what his friend did, he should not have been killed in the manner that he was. This in itself is a more convincing factor to me than katharsis, a use of the death penalty as a source of revenge.

"Race for the Prize" by the Flaming Lips

What is the theme of this song?

The theme of the song is that some goals are attainable only through the utmost dedication and if the "prize" is considered worth it. The song's musical elements seem almost sad and hopeless; there is a distinct melancholy tone, but it is accompanied by a strong sense of determination. In addition to this, the lyrics say that "theirs is to win if it kills them" and then change to "theirs is to win; it will kill them." It shows that sometimes the goal is not worth the struggle and the sacrifice for it.

Fallacies in Famous Speeches

In Patrick Henry's famous speech (ending in "Give me liberty or give me death!"), he uses many common fallacies as well as good reason. One fallacy-specifically, appeal to faith-was present when he said, "There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us." This is appeal to faith because it gets power from the beliefs of the listeners; those listening were very religious and their political beliefs would, Henry knew, be strengthened through the reference to faith. They were given more reason to believe that Henry's plan would work because it was what God wanted, giving much power to his argument.

Duck and Cover

-What is the overt message? How do you know?
-What is the covert message? How do you know?
-Is it propaganda or persuasion? Why?

The overt message was to duck and cover in times of danger.
The covert message was that, with the US in danger, it is important to know how to protect oneself.
It seems to be completely informational-the purpose was to prepare people, particularly children, to be safer in case of a bombing. They gave many instances of where someone could be and where would be best to "duck and cover" to protect themselves. There was little evidence of propaganda or persuasion; it seemed very straightforward with the intentions of the producers.

Propaganda: Destination Earth

-What is the overt message? How do you know?
-What is the covert message? How do you know?
-Is it propaganda or persuasion? Why?

The overt message is that oil and competition provide for a better society. This is clearly the overt message because it is very blunt and is really the plot to the story.
The covert message was that oil and competition are essential for a working society, and that without them, all would fail. This is the covert message because it is hinted at but is not the clear message given.
This was propaganda for an oil company; it used techniques such as plain folks along with a cute storyline to portray the makers' opinions of petroleum and to encourage others to realize the benefits as well. In addition to this, bandwagon was used when it was said that "anyone can [make such a good society]," as well as glittering generalities; all words to describe America had positive connotations to encourage the audience.

Propaganda (WWII 1941-1945)

-What was the overt message?
-What was the covert message?
-How does the disparity in the two of these make it propaganda?

The overt message was that people could consume less bread, (marked clearly by the text on the picture) leaving more to be rations for the troops. It was encouraging the consumption of other foods so that more could be sent to the troops.
The covert message was to support the American troops and to be patriotic, particularly during the war times.
This is considered propaganda because nothing in the picture directly assures the viewer that eating less bread will mean something for the war. However, by eating less bread (and sending it on as rations) the message that was meant to be sent was supported.

Clampdown-The Clash

-What is the song about? How do you know (lyrical evidence)?
-What musical elements add to your lyrical interpretation?
-How does this song relate to propaganda, persuasion, argument, deception, or rhetoric?

This song is talking about the Holocaust/Nazi Germany. The lyrics say, "Taking off his turban, they said, is this man a Jew?" and also briefly referenced the fall of the Berlin Wall. It says later that they "will train [their] blue-eyed men to be young believers, meaning that people that were the stereotyped blonde-haired blue-eyed would be given freedom and opportunity.
The background music is very short and staccato, giving the song a specific feeling of restriction. This imitates the government style at this time, which was extraordinarily strict and oppressive.
The song shows propaganda and persuasion through the intended recruitment of the "blue-eyed men" and deception through Hitler's intentions and actions. It illustrates that people were called upon to be "believers" (or were not) based on things that completely out of their control.

Propaganda

3. When a man you like switches from what he said a year ago, or four years ago, he is a broad-minded person who has courage enough to change his mind with changing conditions. When a man you don't like does it, he is a liar who has broken his promise. FRANKLIN P. ADAMS (1861-1960).

9. If you could master one element of personal communications that is more powerful than anything we’ve discussed, it is the quality of being likable. I call it the magic bullet, because if your audience likes you, they’ll forgive just about everything else you do wrong. If they don’t like you, you can hit every rule right on target and it doesn’t matter. ROGER AILES, You Are The Message, 1988.

23. Propaganda is a soft weapon; hold it in your hands too long, and it will move about like a snake, and strike the other way. JEAN ANOUILH (1910-1987), The Lark, 1955.

153. People on the whole are very simpleminded, in whatever country one finds them. They are so simple as to take literally, more often than not, the things their leaders tell them. PEARL S. BUCK (1892-1973), What American Means to Me, 1943.

Roger Ailes is essentially saying that people base their opinions of others on whether they already like them or not. He says, "if your audience likes you, they’ll forgive just about everything else you do wrong," showing that he thinks that likeability is more crucial when attempting to persuade someone of something. For instance, someone that a person is friends with might be honest and caring, but makes many mistakes. In this case, the original person is likely to pardon their friend's mistakes. However, one might know a person who is absolutely brilliant but does not have a good personality. Ailes would argue that their good ideas would be blocked by their personality. He overall believes that the image of a person is often more important in persuasion.