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