Kairos of "I Ain't Marching Anymore"

Phil Ochs's song, "I Ain't Marching Anymore", came out in 1965 in the midst of social frustrations with the possible stale mate of the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War started in 1955 , and the US got involved in 1964. Along with the rise of the Hippie movement came the rise of the anti-war movement, which is embodied in the lyrics of this song. Ochs captures a frustrated soldier's point of view by implying that the war is pointless, especially when it comes to sacrificing young lives. The song alludes to a myriad of previous American battles, in order to emphasize the point that war is not answer, as the country is repetitively involved. This song can be compared to Paul Hardcastle's "19" (http://www.metrolyrics.com/19-lyrics-paul-hardcastle.html), which also takes an anti-war approach in regards to soldiers' lives lost, though written 20 years later. Hardcastle sings, "All those who remember the war, they won't forget what they've seen. Destruction of men in their prime whose average age was nineteen." Ochs's lyrics are very similar to Hardcastles when he says, it's always the young to fall…tell me is it worth it all." From "the battle of New Orleans" to a post-war reflection on the Vietnam war, there is a repetitive theme of young soldiers dying for a questionably good cause, regardless of the time period.

Audience of Phil Ochs Song "I Ain't Marching Anymore"

Phil Ochs was not just a musician in the 1960s. He was a key protest singer, or as he refered to himself, a "topical singer".  His was known for infusing political messages in his music, and through his extrinsic ethos, he can reach a wider audience.  Ochs as a musician was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor, earnest humanism, insightful and alliterative lyrics, and distinctive voice.  In a time of war and civil unrest, Ochs humanism and messages were recieved by the public with open arms, because they were able to connect with his lyrics.  In comparison to other protest singers like Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs was more well received as a musician.  His wit and charm appealed to many especially the younger crowd, which is why is "I Ain't Marching Anymore" gained so much success in a younger crowd.  With gaining popularity in a younger generation, it was able to make a political impact in how the youth reacted to the war, and how they were treated.   The intended audience was received as they were able to act upon the messages of Phil Ochs songs, and take their messages to action.

Audience in "After Total War Can Come Total Living"

  The intended audience in the poster ad "After Total War Can Come Total Living" is the American public who either opposed or were skeptics of the war. The ad evokes the message that it takes a full commitment to war, on both an individual and national level, to achieve a worry-free society. The poster is a form of government propaganda, but its ability to convey the positives of the government's intended audience is questionable. The picture highlights a man and a woman looking over a town into the future, but it does not directly deal with the atrocity that war brings. I think that perhaps addressing what the public is facing could have appealed more to a skeptic audience, as it would more directly address their present issues. This British government ad (https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/10/fc/62/10fc62cbe31e2cdfa6d5764e8fcc6f97.jpg)  from World War I, for example, deals more directly with what the audience has to face -- their loved ones going to war. The ad depicts an upset mother, daughter, and child who are all looking at the soldiers marching away to war with their guns. The British ad doesn't highlight what the future could be like, but instead, focuses on how the government expects their constituents to act.  The government expected their people to "say go!" and support both their men and the war in general. The audience of both ads are scared and skeptical constituents, but only the British ads directly appeals to them.

Kairos of "After War Can Come Total Living"

This advertisement was established to give hope to American's while supporting the war effort. Throughout America's history, different ideologies towards war have appeared. Therefore, different forms of propaganda have been used to support those ideals. For example, looking back at colonial times, the "Join or Die" propaganda created by Benjamin Franklin (http://www.apstudent.com/ushistory/docs1751/joindie.htm), used the idea of unity and fear to support the Revolution. This technique worked specifically during that time period, due to past events and the colonists perspectives. Similarly, the "After War Can Come Total Living", poster is effective due to the era in which it was established. During the 1960's, the Cold War was ongoing and the Vietnam war had just begun. Both of these wars were against the spread of Communism. The idea that war is necessary for life parallels the idea that after the defeat of communism comes the sucess and capitalism. Since many Americans had a fear of communism, this promise for future prosperity would be effective on the common person's emotions. The viewer sees the characters, dressed in respectable attire, gazing down onto an organized and healthy community and desires to be these characters. This ambition would motivate Americans to support the war effort. Although war is laborious, the end result of life would be worth the prior struggle. However, if fear and unease or the desire for something more was not as high in the 1960's, this poster would not have been as effective in motivating the American citizens. After all, timing is everything.

Phil Ochs established Ethos in "I Ain't Marching Anymore"

Phil Ochs was a known protest singer of the 1960's. Many of his works included anti war rhetoric, such as his song, "Draft Dodger Rag,"(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFFOUkipI4U), which is actually quite comedic. His songs also include some satire of his time period, as seen in, "Draft Dodger Rag". Due to his known reputation as this type of artist, his song, "I Ain't Marching Anymore" already has significance before its lyrics or tune is heard. Therefore, simply because Phil Ochs is the author of the song, it has established credibility as a protest song. This describes the extrinsic ethos attached to the song. However, the song provides intrinsic ethos as well. By describing and listing various wars and battles fought by the American's, the song takes on a nationalist spirit. Also, the way Phil Ochs presents the anti war theme as a statement sung through an appealing tune, it makes the song stronger and more successful. For example, if the song had said, I may not be marching anymore, as opposed to, "I ain't marching anymore," it would have not been as effective in its persuasion. Therefore, the history of the artist along with the presentation of the song both have effects on the impact of this rhetoric strategy.

The Appeal to Pathos in "I Ain't Marching Anymore" by Phil Ochs

As an anti Vietnam War song, "I Ain't Marching Anymore", connects to the listeners emotions through imagery, music, rhythm, and lyrics. The song makes allusions to many different wars that Americans have fought in throughout history, such as the Battle of New Orleans and the two World Wars. Creating images of blood shed and allowing the reader to visualize death and feel empathy for the victims, the song continues to reinforce the disgust of war. Since this is a song, the music and lyrics play a huge role in how it is perceived. Listening to this song for the first time, it was very catchy and makes you want to sing along. In addition, the rhymes add to the smooth transitions and therefore, appeal towards the listener in a positive way. Similarly, the repetition of "But I ain't marching anymore", also supports and reinforces the anti war theme. Like most anti war songs, this song is aimed at a younger audience and has many lyrics that resonate well with a youthful audience. By saying, "It's always the old to lead us to the war, It's always the young to fall, Now look at all we've won with the saber and the gun, Tell me is it worth it all", it grabs the adolescence's attention and questions why he/she should be involved in these foreign affairs. Throughout the 1960s, many other artists played upon these techniques to promote their perspectives. An artist with a similar sound and message as Phil Ochs is Tim Hardin. His song, "Simple Song of Freedom" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uVcr7LIusc) also states the distaste for war. Songs and lyrics are very useful rhetoric devises especially when popularized in society.

Pathos in "After Total War Can Come Total Living" 

     One of the biggest strengths that appears in this pro war propaganda is the appeal to the fear of the people, and the strong emotion that comes from a census of the people.  Historically wise, the second world war had concluded not long before the Vietnam War was taking action, and it created anger and fear in the general public.  Because of this, the general public was typically more anti war than in favor of sending people over seas to fight a war they did not understand.  However, from this propaganda, the government is able to play into that fear, and also boost moral by promising a chance of better living once the war is over.  This is a stark contrast compared to what life during war time was like.  The propaganda also appeals to the general idea of a "nuclear family", a very popular ideal from before the war had started.  The man and woman standing together overlooking a seemingly perfect town gives the sense of a utopian society, which adds to the affect of a perfect society of "total living", appealing to the sense of perfection every human innately has.

The Evaluation Component of Stasis Theory in "I Ain't Marchin' Anymore"

     Phil Ochs in his 1965 song, "I Ain't Marchin' Anymore", utilizes the evaluation component of the stasis theory to argue against the validity and worth of fighting the war on both on an individual and national level. Ochs takes the position of an American soldier who is asking even with "all we've won with the saber and the gun…is it worth it all?" He alludes to previous American battles in order to support his argument to the ineffectiveness of war.  He sings "it's always the young to fall," and this statement itself provides the song's stasis as to there being no valid reason to keep fighting and sacrificing young men's lives. 

     This stasis of evaluating the Vietnam War and concluding that it be best that both soldiers and the country stop fighting can be paralleled to news anchor Walter Cronkite's 1968 Vietnam Commentary (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106775685). Cronkite states "we've been too often disappointed by the optimism of the American leaders", which is similar to Ochs's characterizing politicians as the "old [that] lead [them] to the war." Both statements are stating the same thing: that politicians are making the wrong call on US involvement in war, especially since they are putting soldiers' lives on the line.  Cronkite also suggests that the Americans back out of the war as "honorable people…who did they best they could." From a soldier's point of view, Ochs suggests the same thing through his repetition of "I ain't marching anymore." It is interesting to see how Ochs's song is saying the same things as Cronkite, though written three years earlier. As argued in his song, Ochs, like Cronkite, believes that fighting in the war is in fact not worth it on an individual and national level, and that it is best that both soldiers and the country stop involving themselves in war.

Main Texts

Pro War:
http://imperialgoogie.tumblr.com/post/66458799677/the50s-after-total-war-can-come-total-living

Anti War:
https://play.google.com/music/preview/T5wpelmrrseiy3qjelxmteqd5f4?lyrics=1&utm_source=google&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=lyrics&pcampaignid=kp-lyrics&u=0#