Rhetoric Analysis

State Radio presents a song about the imprisonment of Camilo Mejia, a soldier for the U.S. Army who was charged for desertion when he did not return for a second tour in Iraq. The song titled “Camilo” is powerful in its descriptions of Camilo Mejia’s experience. In the view of the conscientious objector, “Camilo” is a symbol for the protests against the Iraq War. Its analogies and imagery strip the U.S. Army from a stable image, leaving the audience sympathetic and influenced by Camilo Mejia’s actions.
The mood of “Camilo” is established instantaneously. Taking advantage of pathos, State Radio write that there was a “barrel to his head as he braced for the blow” which automatically proves the life threatening danger at hand. A man is preparing to leave this earth before he has even left his own bed. By opening the argument with such dramatic action, State Radio has consumed the attention of the audience while it has also rendered a victim and a villain. There are now two opposing sides where one is portrayed as being aggressive and ignorant where as the victim is shown as being unsuspecting and innocent. There’s no knowledge of why, no description of prior events which easily allows the audience to side with Camilo because they only know of a man who is facing his death.
“Camilo” is now developing into a defined battle between a soldier and his army. The argument of the conscientious objector is established where the lyrics claim, “What life have I to take your own, oh my country won’t you call out. Doorbells are ringing with boxes of bones” where State Radio uses a metaphor to show just what this war is causing. Using artistic appeals, they use the fact that people are continuing to die with no real purpose ; families continually suffer on all fronts where no-one, especially in this case, has the right to even take a life. The lyrics call for action. State Radio, who has creditable ethos, uses the story of Camilo Mejia to bring an end to the Iraq war.
After grabbing the audiences’ attention and calling for action, State Radio begins to look at and define the position of the Army, indirectly the U.S. Government. They set a direct and unyielding tone describing the motives and intentions of the military saying their words are “a bloody fallacy”, “a house of cards you painted white.” State Radio is setting substantial creditability by speaking honestly and using previous wars in comparison. Although it may be biased, they back up judgments and views with metaphors such as “red oil is spillin’ down on the street” and “is blood money just money to you?” Even though this currency is tainted with the pain and suffering of a nation, according to State Radio, the U.S. government will accepted it in any shape, with any stain.
There is a victim and there is a villain. The victim, along with Camilo, is anything and anyone in the way of the villain, or the U.S. Army. The rhetoric of State Radio’s “Camilo” presents a strong argument that has the ability to persuade anyone who is open-minded or is not against their music genre to recognize the abused powers of the army.

The pathos of the video is comparable if not exceeding that of the written lyrics and audio of “Camilo.” Showing the devastating images of the deceased along with the upset faces of the young and innocent, the music video embellishes State Radio’s argument against the U.S. in the Iraq War. It holds what the lyrics didn’t portray: repetitious explosions, helpless families and refugees along with statistics and logos, or hard evidence. Putting a face to Camilo also aids to the argument of State Radio.
The video is not all one sided. There are images and clips of terrorism in the U.S. which is in support of the invasion of Iraq. It’s as if State Radio shows the strengths of the Army’s argument but then destroys their position with the remaining five minutes of the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BkvRnUZJys