Propaganda In Johnny Got His Gun

Also, to Joe it is a hypocrisy that “they” use the word “we” when they mention fighting. But in reality, the only ones who are fighting the war are the soldiers while “they” sit back and watch. In addition, would someone decide to go to war all because of a song? Well, the use of pro-war songs are popular advertisements. Songs, words and lyrics are everywhere even when soldiers are leaving, therefore, escaping war propaganda is unfeasible. While Joe is saying his last goodbyes to Kareen and his family, rhetorics bombard their conversation, “Don’t get scared Kareen. It’s alright.’ ‘As the great Patrick Henry said.’ ‘Johnny get your gun get your gun get your gun” (Trumbo 36). In this quote, the songs are a sensory profusion. This is ironic considering

However, as Joe sees it, war is only evil so there is no victory or holiness. The only result is death and suffering. The government also uses propaganda by hiding the truth and results of war. In Johnny Got His Gun, Joe’s body is a perfect replica of how ugly war actually is. Yet, his body is held captive in a hospital room that serves as a prison. He is closed off from the public because the leaders who rally war do not want the world to see the affects of war on servicemen. Trumbo reveals this by, “He was the future he was a perfect picture of the future and they were afraid to let anyone see what the future was like” (Trumbo 240-241). From Trumbo’s perspective, the government officials who rally war cover up the ugliness of war and the scars that it leaves on people’s lives. Through their use of propaganda and deception they make war into the cheap plastic rings that people buy in quarter

This is the relationship between propaganda and the realities of war. Propaganda gilds the actualities of war. In reverse, Joe wants to change the advertisement of pro-war by displaying his body to the public. He wishes to fill the definition of “liberty” and “freedom” with true meanings. The true meanings to these words are not glorious like the people with power show them off as, instead they are horrific like his body. Joe wants to have a “sign over himself and the sign would say here is war and he would concentrate the whole war into such a small piece of meat and bone and hair that they would never forget it was long as they lived” (Trumbo 215). Nonetheless, the government would never show Joe’s body to the public as Joe wants them to. The truths of war would only cause permanent damage to the minds of the public. Therefore, they manipulate the public and soldiers by not telling them how horrendous war actually is. All in all, the government uses manipulation and propaganda through abstract ideas to lure Joe into