Visual Rhetoric One

Visual Rhetoric One: 

A soldier returns home after a 12-month deployment, having been away from all his family and friends. One of his friends sees him and greets him with a warm welcome home. The welcoming civilian views the returning soldiers as survivors because, daily, they hear about the constant casualties.  However, just because a soldier is home safely does not mean the war is over.   The image below tells this story.

The image engages our feelings (pathos) and our belief system (ethos) because it grabs our attention about the reality for a soldier when he/she returns. The returning soldier may look the same on the outside, but he/she might not feel the same on the inside—he/she has changed.

The cartoon informs us (logos) of the issues regarding the soldier. Mythos plays a part in this image because we civilians are thankful to the soldiers for sacrificing their lives for our country. 

Retrieved December 8, 2012;www.socgen180cd.wordpress.com/page/3/

             

The soldier in the image above is still in uniform and is labeled “P.T.S.D” where his name should be. Instead of a head on his shoulders, his head is replaced with a ticking bomb. His patriotic friend is greeting him and states, “Great to have you home, Bro and not a scratch on you.”

These details engage me because every small detail means something much bigger. The ticking grenade as a head means that the soldier’s head is about to explode from all the thoughts and tragic memories going through is mind that he wants to forget but can’t. We empathize with the soldier’s situation (pathos).  The P.T.S.D name tag signifies the soldier being singled out from the other soldiers with his diagnoses (logos). It informs about what the soldier is going through. The patriotic friend (mythos) is ironic because he says “…And not a scratch on you.” However, in reality, even though his battle scars are not visible, this doesn’t mean he does not have internal issues.

This image is a perfect example of how civilians view soldiers, especially the ones who have been to war. We are so caught up in having them return home safely so that our lives can get back to normal. My mother continually stressed how she could not wait until my father returned home. She was tired of being a single parent. I was tired of having to grow up early and assist my mother with my siblings.  We had mixed emotions toward the army and toward my father, both when he was present and when he was away. Every time my father returned we just expected him to jump back into the routine of picking up the children from day care, helping with house chores, cooking, helping the children with their homework, etc.

However, it was during my father’s return from his last deployment that when we noticed something was wrong. We greeted him just like the guy greets the soldier in the image above, but, as in the cartoon, my father’s brain was going to explode.  For example, my father is quicker to snap at a member of his immediate family versus a complete stranger out in public because I think that the afflicted soldier is more likely to vent and lash out at a family member or close friend because, instinctively, he/she knows family members won’t hold the outburst against him/her.

           

            On a good note, everywhere we go people thank my father for his service, and he sometimes receives free items. When he is around other people I feel he is calmer and a better person.