Rhetorical Analysis Of Born In The USA

The Irony of “Born in the U.S.A.” As the fireworks explode in the night sky to celebrate Independence Day, “Born in the U.S.A.” by Bruce Springsteen plays loudly for the audience to hear. As the men, women, and children bellow out the chorus proudly, they never seem to grasp its intended meaning. By studying the appeals and irony used in Springsteen’s lyrics, it is easy to see how Springsteen’s message of the poor treatment of Vietnam War veterans is misconstrued by millions of listeners into American pride. Springsteen’s intended audience is a group made up of mainly white, blue collar Americans- a group not likely to accept criticism of America. Through unclear lyrics and a poorly selected audience, Springsteen’s hit “Born in the U.S.A.” is a rhetorical failure. In order to gain credibility, Springsteen uses ethical appeal. Springsteen begins the song with the line, “Born down in a dead man’s town,” (Springsteen) and he concludes with, “Nowhere to run ain’t got nowhere to go.” (Springsteen) Springsteen uses introductory words as well as a conclusion to give the listener his life story from start to finish. By doing this, Springsteen establishes credibility by making sure the listener can understand that this song is a tragedy and his life was doomed from

His usages of logical, ethical, and emotional appeal combined with the ironic chorus simply are not heard due to one great constraint. Springsteen’s audience is made up of mainly white Americans, a group that very rarely criticizes America. Criticizing America is very rare in this audience’s culture because they love America. Springsteen used the resource that most Americans know at least one suffering veteran. This resource was not strong enough because of the audience’s overwhelming patriotism. In the end, the audience’s strong love for America contributed to Springsteen’s failed