Logos in John and Yoko's Bed-in

The image of John and Yoko definitely has a strong Ethos and Pathos, however is Logos present? The image itself may not be saying much, but the ideas behind it, expressed in the movie of John and Yoko's bed in, are logical. John uses specific examples from the civil rights movement to express his ideas. He says that the violent attempts of groups to gain equality have not worked. He argues that the people who are fight violence with violence are not winning. The logical argument here is that the only way to gain peace is with peaceful movements because violence has proven ineffective. But is this expressed in the image? In my opinion, the viewer of the image makes the logical connection that if you protest by staying in bed, America will be more peaceful. It may be a logical fallacy, however, in the movie John and Yoko explain that it is only a gimmick. The couple hoped that the viewers would take this as inspiration for more effective and smarter ways to protest.
Jeannette Van Sickle

Rhetorical Situation of Edwin Starr's "War"

The hit song, "War", was released by Edwin Starr in June of 1970, during a pivotal point in the Vietnam War. President Richard Nixon put forth the Nixon Doctrine, which worked to withdraw troops from Vietnam. The American population was very irritated by the war in general at this point, and were seeking changes that promoted peace. While this doctrine was a step in the right direction, society at large was still greatly frustrated with their country's actions during this time. While Starr certainly agreed with this movement towards peace, he only was able to cover "War" because of fear from the label of which he belonged. Originally created for the popular Motown band, The Temptations, Starr landed the single because record executives did not want to risk altering the public's view of The Temptations by having them sing such a controversial song with such significant exposure. The song had initially gained popularity from its first release by The Temptations, so by the time Starr released his version it became a chart-topping single with ease, greatly contributing to its ability to persuade the public that war is not a solution.

Olivia O'Keefe

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_(Edwin_Starr_song)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War

Comparing the Ethos of John and Yoki's Bed-In with Edwin Starr's "War"

While both the John and Yoki's Bed-in photo and Edwin Starr's "War" display vehement anti-war propaganda, the ethos of each peace-promoting medium serve as an interesting contrast.  The ethos of the photo of John and Yoki's Bed-in arises from the popularity of John Lennon and his "Beatles."  Revering the "Beatles" for their musical talent, American populace placed additional credibility on anything the "Beatles" did such as this photo of John and Yoki protesting the Vietnam War on their honeymoon.  Thus, the extrinsic ethos of the "Beatles" provided the photo with much of its effective rhetoric.  In contrast, Starr's "War" lacked the extrinsic ethos of the "Beatles" and, therefore, he relied on the lyrics of his song to provide its intrinsic ethos.  When Starr released his single of "War," very few people had heard of him as a singer.  However, the message resonated with the American public.  In turn, the popularity of the song heightened Starr's prominence as a singer, especially among left-leaning groups, and spread the anti-war message across America.  Thus, while the extrinsic ethos of the "Beatles" allowed the photo of John and Yoki's Bed-in to protest the Vietnam War before a large audience, "War" only relied on its own intrinsic ethos to further its anti-war cause.

Shawn Rosofsky

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_(Edwin_Starr_song)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bed-In

Additional Pathos of John and Yoko's Bed-In

The image of John and Yoko  was taken at a slight angle rather than head on probably because the photographer was just one of the many press members to be in the room at the time. Many photographers were documenting this popular event in order to present to the public. The couple is very welcoming and willing to share their views with anyone who will listen. John and Yoko are smiling and appear to be happy in this picture. They enjoy having others in the room so they can promote their message of peace. This was a time of love for the couple in this picture. Their marriage was just conducted and they are in the middle of their "honeymoon phase." They take this opportunity to spread their love to the audience by presenting the message that as a country everyone should make love and peace with one another. 
  -Sara Conover

Ethos of "War" by Edwin Starr

Edwin Starr's popularity as an acclaimed soul singer provides extrinsic ethos to his song, which grabs the attention of the audience and makes them listen to his new song "War". The song "War" sold over 3 million copies and was awarded a gold disc, which also gives the song extrinsic ethos, and persuades the audience even before the listen to the song. However, the song "War" is undoubtedly Starr's claim to fame, so when the song was first released, it may not have had as much ethos, so Starr has to persuade his audience effectively. Starr subtly developed powerful intrinsic ethos throughout his song, by establishing the Vietnam war as a problem and creating a sense of urgency through his tone of voice. Starr briefly addresses the opposing argument in his line "they say we must fight to keep our freedom", and follows it up by saying "But Lord knows there's got to be a better way". Starr effectively uses the "they say I say" format in a brief two lines of his song. By addressing his counterarguments, Starr gains respect from his audience. He shows the listener that there is another way to solve the problems of the 70's.

Jeannette Van Sickle

Pathos of John and Yoko's Bed-in

The photograph of John and Yoko's Bed-in appeals to pathos for many reasons. The picture was taken during their honeymoon, which pulled out a lot of strong feelings due to the marriage culture during the 1960s. Most newlyweds are very self involved, and value their honeymoon as a time to relax from the stress of planning a wedding and to celebrate a bountiful life together. The fact that John and Yoko took this as a time to protest draws in emotions from almost everyone, married or not, because the institution of marriage was so significant and universal in almost every culture. While marriage is still a major institution today, perhaps this specific component would be less efficient at appealing to pathos in current society because of many people's cynical views on marriage. All of the flowers shown in the photograph also work to make the viewer sympathetic to the cause because it is a reminder that they are still in celebration, but choosing to celebrate by demonstrating against war, which worked to convince anyone who saw it that the cause was worth not having extravagant festivities.

Olivia O'Keefe

Pathos of Edward Starr's "War"

            Edward Starr’s “War” captivates his listeners with pathos to protest the conflict in Vietnam by illustrating the horrors of war.  For example, in the first verse, Starr depicts war as the cause of “tear[s] to thousands of mothers eyes / when their sons go off to fight and lose their lives.”  Starr uses this image to invoke the sympathy of his audience for the mothers grieving for their sons lost to the war.  From the sadness war brings onto families, Starr then describes the effect of the war on the soldiers.  By explaining that war has “shattered many young man’s dreams / [and] made him disabled bitter and mean,” Starr triggers his audience to deplore Vietnam War for ruining the lives of America’s young warriors.  Although Starr convinces audience sympathizes with the soldiers and their grieving families, he indicates that their sacrifice was unnecessary by repeating the line claiming “war . . . / is good for . . . / absolutely nothing.”  This repetition serves to emphasize that the horrors of war amount to nothing since “peace love and understanding” can end the conflict in Vietnam without the bloodshed.  In addition, this reiteration of the pointlessness of war contrasts with the government’s assertion that “we must fight to keep our freedom.”  In turn, Starr utilizes this disparity to illustrate that the government failed to tell the truth about the Vietnam War, to invoke the American people’s anger against their leaders for those lies, and to direct their discontent by protesting the war.  Thus, Starr’s “War” brings its listeners to oppose the Vietnam War through its emotional appeal.

-Shawn Rosofsky

Rhetorical Situation of John and Yoko's Bed-In

At the time this photograph was taken, the United States was involved in the Vietnam War. John and Yoko were wed on March 20, 1969 and their marriage was a huge event that was covered by the press. The newlywed couple took the exposure as an opportunity to promote their personal beliefs. For their honeymoon, John and Yoko stayed in a room in the Hilton Hotel, where they remained in bed until March 31. The press was invited into their room everyday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Their purpose was to promote world peace and to protest war in a non-violent manner. The couple's public image was used to expose their views on war to millions of people who paid attention to the media. A song, "The Ballad of John and Yoko," was also written by the Beatles that year to chronicle this event. This song was heard by many fans of the band.
-Sara Conover

Ethos of John and Yoko's Bed-in

The photograph of John and Yoko's Bed-in is an appeal to ethos due to the position that these celebrities held during the 1960s. John Lennon was one of the leading members of the British rock band, The Beatles. The extreme popularity of the band allowed John, and his wife Yoko, to become revered members of society by many Americans, and other world citizens as well. Because of this status, John and Yoko were trusted by a significant portion of the population. Their words primarily touched left wing groups like the Hippies and young adults. People listened to what they had to say and took it seriously, so when they protested the Vietnam War by staying in their bed in Amsterdam for an entire week, it greatly helped to spread a message of peace. The amount of press documenting their protest allowed for their beliefs to become somewhat popular opinion, and had a substantial affect on motivating liberal people to take action against the injustices of war. While it was certainly not the only anti-war demonstration of the 1960s, it stands out  as a huge success because  of  it's ability to persuade such a large and diverse part of society.

Olivia O'Keefe

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bed-In

Audience Analysis of "War"

The listener that Edwin Starr was trying to reach with his 1970's hit "War", were people leaning towards anti-war or have not yet made opinions on the Vietnam war specifically. His catchy tune definitely targets the younger audience at the time.  Starr addresses the young people in his song when he sings "war has caused unrest with the younger generation" and "war has shattered many young man's dreams". These lines hit close to home with both the young American men, and their mothers who do not want to see their sons go off to war. The young people of the time were the ones going to war at the time, so his song is most relevant to people under the age of 20. I think that the song resonated well with both the black and white population. Although Starr is black himself, all races listened to his music, and it was a particular goal of his record label, Motown Records, to build a multiracial audience. The song brought the brutal reality of war to the eyes of young people in the 1970's.

Jeannette Van Sickle 

Audience Analysis of John and Yoko Bed-In

The audience that is addressed in the photograph of John and Yoko are mostly fans of the Beatles, who automatically greeted them on the first day of their bed-in. John and Yoko also targeted the general public by means of the press to easily promote the idea of world peace. The couple's public image was used to their advantage in order to get their point across. The audience should have been very familiar with the topic of the Vietnam War. During the 1960s, the war was a very big issue during the this time. The public was well aware that there was a movement in the United States against being involved in the war. Many of them were young adults. Hippies were also a popular group that was involved with this issue. 
        -Sara Conover

Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bed-In

Logos of Edwin Starr's War

            In Edwin Starr’s Vietnam protest song War, he appeals to his audience’s logos by illustrating the pointlessness of war.  By beginning the song with explicitly claiming “war . . . / is good for . . . / absolutely nothing,” Starr instills the idea that war lacks any benefits whatsoever in the mind of the listener.  In turn, this realization prompts listeners to question the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War during the later portions of the song.  Then, Starr indicates that the war only brought “destruction of innocent lives” abroad and “unrest within the younger / generation” at home to demonstrate the negative effects of the conflict.  Repeating the line “war . . . / is good for . . . / absolutely nothing” throughout the song, Starr reminds his listeners that with all the troubles generated by the war they gain nothing from their nation’s participation in the bloodshed.  Since Starr explains that war triggers unnecessary problems while lacking any advantages, he leaves his audience with opposing the Vietnam War as the only logical conclusion.  Utilizing his listeners’ antiwar mindset, Starr invokes his audience to protest against the war by telling them to question the government’s claim that America “must fight to keep [its] freedom.”  In turn, Starr’s logical appeal causes his listeners to seek a peaceful resolution to the Vietnam conflict rather than to desire the continuation of the unnecessary war.

 

-Shawn Rosofsky