Rhetorical Analysis 10: Song

The song I chose is Linkin Park's "Hands Held High." It's available on the right hand of the page.

The argument the song is making is that the war in Iraq isn't any different than any other war, and that the Bush administration doesn't care about the troops or the people of America and have their own agenda. The audience they are targeting is people that like Linkin Park and support the war.

They use logic to make their argument. In referring to the Bush administration, they say, "Like they understand you in the back of the jet/When you can't put gas in your tank." This is intended to make listeners feel resentful and isolated from the government. For the most part, however, they use emotion to get their point across. First, they paint themselves as the lone voice in the wilderness fighting against a great evil. "'Cause I'm sick of being treated like I have before/Like it's stupid standing for what I'm standing for." Then they use repetition to destroy George Bush's authority, first by pointing out how stupid he is ("For a leader so nervous in an obvious way/ Stutterin' and mumblin' for nightly news to replay/ And the rest of the world watchin' at the end of the day/In their living room laughing like 'What did he say?'") and then how dangerous he is ("Meanwhile, the leader just talks away/Stutterin' and mumblin' for nightly news to replay/ And the rest of the world watchin' at the end of the day/ Both scared and angry like 'What did he say?'") Lastly, they use a series of intense images to scare their audience into agreeing with them. "It's ironic, at times like this you pray/ But a bomb blew the mosque up yesterday./ There's bombs in the buses, bikes, roads,/ Inside your market, your shops, your clothes." The chorus is also composed of "Amen" repeated over and over, invoking the image of prayer, as though they are on the side of God.

The argument is not sufficient in that it does not point out any legitimate evidence for what they are saying. However, it is sufficient in that it effectively plays with your emotions. The argument is typical because much political arguments are made mostly of passion and little of facts. The argument is not accurate because it is paranoid. It is relevant because the war in Iraq is a controversial topic today.

I don't believe this argument is efficient. I would put myself as part of the audience that they are working to convince, and the song did not make me withdraw support of the war. It is a moving song, but it actually works against them. Thinking of all the violence overseas convinces me that our troops need to stay there until it is resolved. Attacking Bush the way he does makes me feel sympathetic for Bush and want to support him even more.