This image is showing a veteran during Veteran’s Day, possibly at a parade. He is explaining to a couple of children the meaning of his medals. This image is directed at other veterans, who know the difficulty of obtaining health benefits from the VA. The purpose for the cartoon is raising awareness about veteran’s health benefits. This is a message straight from a veteran.
Logos, ethos, mythos
The first bit of visual rhetoric this image has is logos. Logos is anything written that conveys a statement. The veteran is pointing out to us that he has fought in Iraq; he has fought in Afghanistan and now is forced to fight at home for healthcare from the VA. The statement being made is that veterans stand up to do a dirty job and then they must keep fighting to have injuries they may have sustained during combat cared for.
The next piece of visual rhetoric is ethos. Ethos is use of images to instill trust and confidence. The two images of trust in this cartoon are the flag and the soldier himself. The flag is often used to convey a sense of trust, whether in a product, politician or company. The soldier is a ranking decorated member of the military. He appears to be a sergeant, which to other junior members of the military means someone to look up to. Even to the uninitiated civilian, he is wearing stripes. The stripes themselves are seen by many as something to look up to. He also has three medals, which shows that he has been somewhere and done something, also an indicator of his importance.
Finally is mythos. Mythos is using images that invoke feelings of patriotism, familial feelings or community. The use of Veteran’s Day and the American flag are patriotic images. Veteran’s Day, as written on the banner, is a day associated with patriotism. The flag is a very patriotic symbol with Americans. It’s image can be very stirring and unifying.
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