formal revision essay 6

4th25 is a military rap group out of Ft. Hood in Killeen, TX and their latest release “Live from Iraq” is a very politically charged song. The song is written in first person from a soldier’s point of view. Upon hearing this song, you will feel constant fear and trepidations of the harsh and dangerous life that the soldiers face daily in Iraq. The song wants Americans to understand the truth behind the war and how what is being reported is nowhere near the truth of the dangers they face. The song begins “every day’s like a gamble here this is no joke this is live from Iraq where we’re prayin we make it home,” showing the person speaking is actually experiencing the horrors of war first hand and is telling us the truth about those horrors. The artist relies heavily on ethos and pathos to ensure the listeners that they are a credible source.

When the group says “59 of us April 4th 8 of us dyin…this is bombs in the street blowin up when I drive by em or it’s rpg’s launched at me...home of too many soldiers graves”(verse 1 lines 21-27) you can really feel that these are true soldiers of this war. The 4th25 wants to show that while they may not agree with the reasons of the war, they are still going to fight hard and never give up. When they say “but we don’t fold hands the cards we are dealt get played” (chorus line 12-13) they are in essence saying their plan is not to disagree with the government, but to bring a new light to the topic. It is so controversial and many of us try to over look it; however, you can’t overlook something that is real life for these men and women. Saying “media cast and the scoop covered over the answers cause you can’t handle the truth...Plenty of lives lost over a scandal” (verse 2 lines 31-33; 24-25) they are trying to let the American people know that they have not heard the full truth from the news reports.

The song is created relying a lot on pathos and ethos. The words “we sleep with body armor blankets...Nights with no supper man home aint promised man, long journeys qualified hell from a promise land” (verse 1 line 15; verse 2 lines 2-5)tells you that while you fall asleep with a full belly, they sometimes go without food. By using ethos it shows their credibility as real life soldiers in this war. They are there experiencing everything first hand and are telling us these things from their observations. By using the persona ethos it unites us, because not only does the government hear the plea of the soldiers, but also the anger from the American people at the life the soldiers are forced to live.

The pathos causes us to have empathy because we can almost feel the fear, the heat, and the hunger that they feel. The words that they use are raw and honest. You can tell they chose the words for their shock value and it has worked. “True gutter for you fuckers, hell/ promised land, nights with no supper, and rpg’s launched at me.” (Referring to entire song see verses 1 and 2)We listen to their cries and are able to feel their pain. They hope we use the information they give us and voice it to our political leaders here in America. While we are home enjoying the freedom that each day brings they remind us that they are not in lyrics such as “And there are no blue skies here every color is gray...Sure it’s politics back home here it’s bullets thru our tissue”. (Chorus 5-6; verse 3 3-4)

The persona is accomplishing the goal of getting people to listen and to see beyond the words of our political leaders because it gives us the extra little push to voice our concerns. It bestows on us the courage that we need to not be afraid to say that this is wrong. However at the same time even if we do not stand up and speak out against the war; the soldiers are achieving their goal of getting someone to hear their story. Some people criticize the military for doing their job, but they are doing nothing wrong. They are only trying to protect our country and let us know the hell they are going through for our right to freedom. The next time I hear friends complain about the rush hour traffic I just might say to them “This is nothing yall been thru yall aint seen shit” (verse 3 lines 9-10) as compared to the soldiers in Iraq.

The artists got their message across very successfully. They knew how to get our attention and use horrors that they experienced to their advantage. However when they began calling people out it did more harm then good, because now those people are likely to no longer have empathy but anger toward them. Lets be real saying “True gutters for you fuckers think its gutter where you from, here its life by the second this is everything wrong. This is not your beef on the block it’s not that simple” (verse 1 lines 5-10) is probably not the best way to get someone on your side. Because now it seems like you are no longer the victim, but the attackers. These people that you are talking about are likely to become very defensive and switch sides.

Ultimately the overall goal was to show the true light and gain support which they did do successfully. The persona was able to take his pain and loneliness and bring it to life for us through the song. When you hear “Where everybody’s a target when you find out people ain’t hard they just talk shit...And there is no reimbursement for the price we pay” (verse 3 lines 25-27; chorus line 8) How can you not feel for them? We need to remember that the soldiers are angry too; they did not choose to be in this war. In verse 3 lines 13-16 he says “This is your one mistake being in everybody’s business, whether they see their family or its funeral home visits.” although they have chosen to serve and protect our country, they did not choose this particular war and they do not necessarily agree with the president’s decision to invade Iraq.


Live from Iraq.25 October 2007.http://www.lyricstime.com/4th25-live-from-iraq-lyrics.html