San Antonio College students' network for the 2008 election
Hillary Clinton: The Soldier
Fimple, Charles A.
Professor Irvin
English 1302-103 Fresh Comp II
24 March 2008
“The Soldier”
Link: http://www.hillaryclinton.com/video/131.aspx
How do politicians persuade us for our vote? Many politicians use the art of rhetoric. One of the techniques of rhetoric is using metaphors to describe qualities that they possess. Hillary Clinton used many techniques in persuading Texans to vote for her in the Texas Primaries. One of her political ads that was used the day before the Texas Primaries was the “The Three AM Phone Call.” This political ad demonstrated the importance of whom do you want in the White House answering an important phone call at three o’clock in the morning relaying a crisis in the United States. The one political ad that caught my eye was called “The Soldier.” This political commercial demonstrated how Hillary Clinton empathized with the American soldiers and their families. Also, this commercial included some public policies and agendas that Hillary Clinton has done for the United States Armed Forces.
“The Soldier” shows that Hilary Clinton is concerned with the military families and how they are treated. In the beginning of the advertisement, there is a visual image of a soldier at dusk at his post in a foreign country, which creates a feeling of patriotism and pride. Then, the next scene is of a wounded soldier walking with crutches in the hallways of a hospital with the narrator stating that Hilary Clinton hears the voices of the fallen soldier when they are ignored. The next scene is of a mother holding her child in her arms on a porch of a house with the narration “Hilary Clinton hears the voice of the loved one’s who are left behind while their loved ones are fighting over there for our freedoms.” Then, Hilary Clinton’s accomplishments are written in text in the advertisement which states, “She expanded healthcare access for all 21,000 national guard in Texas.” In addition, Hilary Clinton is pushing to protect bonuses of the wounded soldiers. In the advertisement’s closing, the narrator states that Hilary Clinton will never stop fighting for those who fight for our freedom and will give a voice to those who do not have one. Throughout the whole advertisement the narrator states periodically, “She hears you” which creates a sense of empathy and caring.
The conceptual metaphor that is used here in this video is the nurturant parent model, using empathy, nurturance, and fairness as morality. According to George Lakoff:
“The Nurturant Parent Model. The family is of either one or two parents. Two are generally preferable, but not always possible. The primal experience behind this model is one of being cared for and cared about, having one's desires for loving interactions met, living as happily as possible, and deriving meaning from one's community and from caring for and about others”(Liberalism).
She reveals herself as the nurturing mother that this country needs. This is a conservatives’ point of view. In the advertisement Hilary Clinton will provide protection, which is a form of caring; she illustrates empathy by having the statement “She Hears You” which you can assume that she feels your pain and hardships. This is a great example of morality as empathy because she feels what another person feels. In the Metaphor, Morality, and Politics, Or, Why Conservatives Have Left Liberals In The Dust written by George Lakoff:
“Morality as Empathy: Empathy itself is understood metaphorically as feeling what another person feels. We can see this in the language of empathy: I know what it's like to be in your shoes. I know how you feel. I feel for you. To conceptualize moral action as empathic action is more than just abiding by the Golden Rule, to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. The Golden Rule does not take into account that others may have different values than you do. Taking morality as empathy requires basing your actions on their values, not yours” (Liberal Metaphors for Morality).
Therefore, the metaphor of Morality as Empathy is very well demonstrated and paints a pretty picture that Mrs. Clinton feels your pain and will listen to your concerns. In addition, the metaphor of morality as nurturance is illustrated because nurturance assumes empathy. Therefore, nurturance and empathy work together. George Lakoff stated, “Morality as Nurturance: Nurturance presupposes empathy. A child is helpless and to care for a child, you have to care about that child, which requires seeing the world through the child's eyes as much as possible” (Liberal Metaphors for Morality). So in order to take care of a child that is helpless you have to understand their pain and concerns which shows empathy which in turn shows nurturance. Also, this clip shows morality as fairness by having equal distribution, impartial rule-based distribution, and rights based distribution. According to George Lakoff, “Morality as Fairness: Fairness is understood metaphorically in terms of the distribution of material objects. Metaphorical fairness concerns actions conceived of as objects given to individuals. One can act to the benefit of others equally, impartially and by rule, or according to some notion of rights” (Liberal Metaphors for Morality). So fairness is basically equal distribution. Therefore, Mrs. Hillary Clinton uses the nurturance parent metaphor which demonstrates empathy, nurturance, and fairness.
Many people were greatly affected by this political advertisement. One of these many people was my Aunt. As the wife of a military member, my Aunt understood the hardship and the different trials some of the military spouses had to go through while their husbands were deployed. She felt that Hilary Clinton demonstrated the concept of caring and empathy. Also, my Aunt thought Hillary Clinton displayed some evidence on how she cared and listened to the U.S. Armed Forces by expanding healthcare access for all 21,000 national guard in Texas. In addition, my Aunt stated, “Hillary Clinton has obtained some great experience as a U.S. Senator and as the wife of an American President. I believe she will be a great President.” One scene that caught her eye was with the wife and her daughter on the porch of their home waiting and watching for their loved one to come home and be with them once again. This scene reminded my Aunt of herself when she was waiting for my uncle to come home from Desert Storm. I asked my Aunt, “Which of the following best illustrates this political commercial: empathy, nurturance, happiness, or fairness?” She stated, “Empathy.” Then, I asked her why she said empathy. My Aunt stated, “Because Hillary Clinton says she hears the concerns of the American soldiers, she speaks for those who do not have a voice, and she makes it seem that she cares for everyone and their well being.” According to my Aunt, Hillary Clinton, the best Presidential Candidate, listens to the citizens about their concerns and problems, creating solutions and proposing a future plan to make the United States of America a better place economically and socially.
Therefore, I asked myself what Hillary Clinton really did do for the U.S. Armed Forces. According to Nicholas Confessore and Nate Schweber in The New York Times article “Clinton Seeks More Help For Veterans,” Hillary Clinton did represent the American soldiers in New York state and demanded laws to help the American soldier rehabilitate to civilian life, “Mrs. Clinton called for passage of legislation that would require the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs to expand programs to aid returning service members with combat-related medical and mental health problems. The legislation, which she has sponsored, is known as the Heroes at Home Act and would also provide new help to reservists”(26). In addition, according to Magie Dominic, who wrote a letter to The Washington Times, Mrs. Hillary Clinton has made an impact in the legislative process in fighting for our American soldiers, “As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, she worked to provide access to Tricare for National Guard and Reserve members. She authored the Heroes at Home Act to help service members struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury”(B02). Hence, Hillary Clinton has fought for the American soldier and has carried out public policies that have helped the American Soldier and their families. Also, Hillary Clinton has showed her support and patriotism toward the United States Armed Forces by visiting the troops in the war zones. According to the Daily News, Micheal McAuliff wrote about Mrs. Clinton’s visit to the war zones in Afghanistan and Pakistan, “With a top rival for the White House preaching peace in her backyard yesterday, Sen. Hillary Clinton took her four –day war tour to Afghanistan and Pakistan”(15). Thus, Mrs. Clinton does have an idea of what the United States Troops are going through while at war. Recently, Mrs. Hillary Clinton has created an agenda to end the War in Iraq. According to The Washington Times, Donald Lambro stated, “Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said yesterday she would end the Iraq War as president if the conflict was still raging when she took office”(A01). Therefore, if Mrs. Hillary Clinton is elected into office, the Iraq War will be stopped and our troops will be coming home. As you can see, Mrs. Hillary Clinton has made a great effort to help improve the United States Armed Forces.
Recently in the news, the argument is who has the most experience between the presidential candidates to carry out the duties as the President of the United States. Some people may say that Hillary Clinton is the best choice, because of her great experience as being the first lady and a Senator of New York. According to The Washington Post, Michael Kinsley stated, “With her ‘on-the-job training’ jab, Clinton was clearly referring to work experience. But there is also life experience. Being first lady is sort of half job and half life but good experience in either case”(A17). Thus, Mrs. Clinton would be a good president because of her experience in her life.
In closing, Hillary Clinton used conceptual metaphors to demonstrate the nurturant parent model, using empathy, nurturance, and fairness as morality. In addition, these metaphors paint a picture that is worth a thousand words for the public to understand and relate to on a personal level. Mrs. Clinton showed her empathy by demonstrating that she can feel someone’s pain and suffering. Also, Hillary Clinton displays nurturance by providing protection through the National Security Plan and appeasing America’s pain. Lastly, she provides fairness by equal distribution of medical benefits and civil rights in her national agendas. Therefore, her political commercials reflect that she possess empathy, nurturance, fairness and other abilities to become the next American President.
Works Citied
Confessore, Nicholas, and Nate Schweber. "Clinton Seeks More Help for Veterans." The
New York Times 23 July 2006, Late ed., sec. 1: 26. LexisNexis Academic. HERMES. SanAntonio Community College, San Antonio. 28 Mar. 2008. Keyword: Hillary Clinton.
Dominic, Maggie. "Mrs. Clinton's Stellar Legislative Record." The Washington Times 17
Feb. 2007, sec. Letters: b02-b02. LexisNexis Academic. HERMES. San Antonio Community College, San Antonio. 31 Mar. 2008. Keyword: Hillary Clinton.
Kinsley, Micheal. "Who Needs Experience?" The Washington Post 24 Nov. 2007,
Regional ed., sec. Editorial Copy: a17-a17. LexisNexis Academic. HERMES. San Antonio Community College, San Antonio.
Lakoff, George. Metaphor, Morality, and Politics, or, Why Conservatives Have Left
Liberals in the Dust. University of California At Berkeley. Berkeley: Graduate Faculty of the New School for Social Research, 1995.
Lambro, Donald. "Hillary Vows to Endwar; Iraq Hot Topic At Meetiong of Democrats."
The Washington Times 3 Feb. 2007, sec. PAGE ONE: a01-a01. LexisNexis Academic. HERMES. San Antonio Community College, San Antonio.
McAuliff, Micheal. "HIL TROOPS ON WITH WAR ZONES TOUR." Daily News 15
Jan. 2007, Racing Final ed., sec. News: 15. LexisNexis Academic. HERMES. San Antonio Community College, San Antonio. 31 Mar. 2008. Keyword: Hillary Clinton.
Tomkins, Lisa A. Personal interview. 31 Mar. 2008.
Professor Irvin
English 1302-103 Fresh Comp II
24 March 2008
“The Soldier”
Link: http://www.hillaryclinton.com/video/131.aspx
How do politicians persuade us for our vote? Many politicians use the art of rhetoric. One of the techniques of rhetoric is using metaphors to describe qualities that they possess. Hillary Clinton used many techniques in persuading Texans to vote for her in the Texas Primaries. One of her political ads that was used the day before the Texas Primaries was the “The Three AM Phone Call.” This political ad demonstrated the importance of whom do you want in the White House answering an important phone call at three o’clock in the morning relaying a crisis in the United States. The one political ad that caught my eye was called “The Soldier.” This political commercial demonstrated how Hillary Clinton empathized with the American soldiers and their families. Also, this commercial included some public policies and agendas that Hillary Clinton has done for the United States Armed Forces.
“The Soldier” shows that Hilary Clinton is concerned with the military families and how they are treated. In the beginning of the advertisement, there is a visual image of a soldier at dusk at his post in a foreign country, which creates a feeling of patriotism and pride. Then, the next scene is of a wounded soldier walking with crutches in the hallways of a hospital with the narrator stating that Hilary Clinton hears the voices of the fallen soldier when they are ignored. The next scene is of a mother holding her child in her arms on a porch of a house with the narration “Hilary Clinton hears the voice of the loved one’s who are left behind while their loved ones are fighting over there for our freedoms.” Then, Hilary Clinton’s accomplishments are written in text in the advertisement which states, “She expanded healthcare access for all 21,000 national guard in Texas.” In addition, Hilary Clinton is pushing to protect bonuses of the wounded soldiers. In the advertisement’s closing, the narrator states that Hilary Clinton will never stop fighting for those who fight for our freedom and will give a voice to those who do not have one. Throughout the whole advertisement the narrator states periodically, “She hears you” which creates a sense of empathy and caring.
The conceptual metaphor that is used here in this video is the nurturant parent model, using empathy, nurturance, and fairness as morality. According to George Lakoff:
“The Nurturant Parent Model. The family is of either one or two parents. Two are generally preferable, but not always possible. The primal experience behind this model is one of being cared for and cared about, having one's desires for loving interactions met, living as happily as possible, and deriving meaning from one's community and from caring for and about others”(Liberalism).
She reveals herself as the nurturing mother that this country needs. This is a conservatives’ point of view. In the advertisement Hilary Clinton will provide protection, which is a form of caring; she illustrates empathy by having the statement “She Hears You” which you can assume that she feels your pain and hardships. This is a great example of morality as empathy because she feels what another person feels. In the Metaphor, Morality, and Politics, Or, Why Conservatives Have Left Liberals In The Dust written by George Lakoff:
“Morality as Empathy: Empathy itself is understood metaphorically as feeling what another person feels. We can see this in the language of empathy: I know what it's like to be in your shoes. I know how you feel. I feel for you. To conceptualize moral action as empathic action is more than just abiding by the Golden Rule, to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. The Golden Rule does not take into account that others may have different values than you do. Taking morality as empathy requires basing your actions on their values, not yours” (Liberal Metaphors for Morality).
Therefore, the metaphor of Morality as Empathy is very well demonstrated and paints a pretty picture that Mrs. Clinton feels your pain and will listen to your concerns. In addition, the metaphor of morality as nurturance is illustrated because nurturance assumes empathy. Therefore, nurturance and empathy work together. George Lakoff stated, “Morality as Nurturance: Nurturance presupposes empathy. A child is helpless and to care for a child, you have to care about that child, which requires seeing the world through the child's eyes as much as possible” (Liberal Metaphors for Morality). So in order to take care of a child that is helpless you have to understand their pain and concerns which shows empathy which in turn shows nurturance. Also, this clip shows morality as fairness by having equal distribution, impartial rule-based distribution, and rights based distribution. According to George Lakoff, “Morality as Fairness: Fairness is understood metaphorically in terms of the distribution of material objects. Metaphorical fairness concerns actions conceived of as objects given to individuals. One can act to the benefit of others equally, impartially and by rule, or according to some notion of rights” (Liberal Metaphors for Morality). So fairness is basically equal distribution. Therefore, Mrs. Hillary Clinton uses the nurturance parent metaphor which demonstrates empathy, nurturance, and fairness.
Many people were greatly affected by this political advertisement. One of these many people was my Aunt. As the wife of a military member, my Aunt understood the hardship and the different trials some of the military spouses had to go through while their husbands were deployed. She felt that Hilary Clinton demonstrated the concept of caring and empathy. Also, my Aunt thought Hillary Clinton displayed some evidence on how she cared and listened to the U.S. Armed Forces by expanding healthcare access for all 21,000 national guard in Texas. In addition, my Aunt stated, “Hillary Clinton has obtained some great experience as a U.S. Senator and as the wife of an American President. I believe she will be a great President.” One scene that caught her eye was with the wife and her daughter on the porch of their home waiting and watching for their loved one to come home and be with them once again. This scene reminded my Aunt of herself when she was waiting for my uncle to come home from Desert Storm. I asked my Aunt, “Which of the following best illustrates this political commercial: empathy, nurturance, happiness, or fairness?” She stated, “Empathy.” Then, I asked her why she said empathy. My Aunt stated, “Because Hillary Clinton says she hears the concerns of the American soldiers, she speaks for those who do not have a voice, and she makes it seem that she cares for everyone and their well being.” According to my Aunt, Hillary Clinton, the best Presidential Candidate, listens to the citizens about their concerns and problems, creating solutions and proposing a future plan to make the United States of America a better place economically and socially.
Therefore, I asked myself what Hillary Clinton really did do for the U.S. Armed Forces. According to Nicholas Confessore and Nate Schweber in The New York Times article “Clinton Seeks More Help For Veterans,” Hillary Clinton did represent the American soldiers in New York state and demanded laws to help the American soldier rehabilitate to civilian life, “Mrs. Clinton called for passage of legislation that would require the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs to expand programs to aid returning service members with combat-related medical and mental health problems. The legislation, which she has sponsored, is known as the Heroes at Home Act and would also provide new help to reservists”(26). In addition, according to Magie Dominic, who wrote a letter to The Washington Times, Mrs. Hillary Clinton has made an impact in the legislative process in fighting for our American soldiers, “As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, she worked to provide access to Tricare for National Guard and Reserve members. She authored the Heroes at Home Act to help service members struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury”(B02). Hence, Hillary Clinton has fought for the American soldier and has carried out public policies that have helped the American Soldier and their families. Also, Hillary Clinton has showed her support and patriotism toward the United States Armed Forces by visiting the troops in the war zones. According to the Daily News, Micheal McAuliff wrote about Mrs. Clinton’s visit to the war zones in Afghanistan and Pakistan, “With a top rival for the White House preaching peace in her backyard yesterday, Sen. Hillary Clinton took her four –day war tour to Afghanistan and Pakistan”(15). Thus, Mrs. Clinton does have an idea of what the United States Troops are going through while at war. Recently, Mrs. Hillary Clinton has created an agenda to end the War in Iraq. According to The Washington Times, Donald Lambro stated, “Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said yesterday she would end the Iraq War as president if the conflict was still raging when she took office”(A01). Therefore, if Mrs. Hillary Clinton is elected into office, the Iraq War will be stopped and our troops will be coming home. As you can see, Mrs. Hillary Clinton has made a great effort to help improve the United States Armed Forces.
Recently in the news, the argument is who has the most experience between the presidential candidates to carry out the duties as the President of the United States. Some people may say that Hillary Clinton is the best choice, because of her great experience as being the first lady and a Senator of New York. According to The Washington Post, Michael Kinsley stated, “With her ‘on-the-job training’ jab, Clinton was clearly referring to work experience. But there is also life experience. Being first lady is sort of half job and half life but good experience in either case”(A17). Thus, Mrs. Clinton would be a good president because of her experience in her life.
In closing, Hillary Clinton used conceptual metaphors to demonstrate the nurturant parent model, using empathy, nurturance, and fairness as morality. In addition, these metaphors paint a picture that is worth a thousand words for the public to understand and relate to on a personal level. Mrs. Clinton showed her empathy by demonstrating that she can feel someone’s pain and suffering. Also, Hillary Clinton displays nurturance by providing protection through the National Security Plan and appeasing America’s pain. Lastly, she provides fairness by equal distribution of medical benefits and civil rights in her national agendas. Therefore, her political commercials reflect that she possess empathy, nurturance, fairness and other abilities to become the next American President.
Works Citied
Confessore, Nicholas, and Nate Schweber. "Clinton Seeks More Help for Veterans." The
New York Times 23 July 2006, Late ed., sec. 1: 26. LexisNexis Academic. HERMES. SanAntonio Community College, San Antonio. 28 Mar. 2008. Keyword: Hillary Clinton.
Dominic, Maggie. "Mrs. Clinton's Stellar Legislative Record." The Washington Times 17
Feb. 2007, sec. Letters: b02-b02. LexisNexis Academic. HERMES. San Antonio Community College, San Antonio. 31 Mar. 2008. Keyword: Hillary Clinton.
Kinsley, Micheal. "Who Needs Experience?" The Washington Post 24 Nov. 2007,
Regional ed., sec. Editorial Copy: a17-a17. LexisNexis Academic. HERMES. San Antonio Community College, San Antonio.
Lakoff, George. Metaphor, Morality, and Politics, or, Why Conservatives Have Left
Liberals in the Dust. University of California At Berkeley. Berkeley: Graduate Faculty of the New School for Social Research, 1995.
Lambro, Donald. "Hillary Vows to Endwar; Iraq Hot Topic At Meetiong of Democrats."
The Washington Times 3 Feb. 2007, sec. PAGE ONE: a01-a01. LexisNexis Academic. HERMES. San Antonio Community College, San Antonio.
McAuliff, Micheal. "HIL TROOPS ON WITH WAR ZONES TOUR." Daily News 15
Jan. 2007, Racing Final ed., sec. News: 15. LexisNexis Academic. HERMES. San Antonio Community College, San Antonio. 31 Mar. 2008. Keyword: Hillary Clinton.
Tomkins, Lisa A. Personal interview. 31 Mar. 2008.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Nicole Aguilar on -
1. The insights I find interesting in this paper is the way Hillary and the word empathy closely tie with one antoher and the soldier. I think the author did a really good job in identifying all the above and explaining them all together.
2. The ideas of empathy and how the author worded it according to George Lakoff I found interesting. The issues concerning the soldiers and how Hillary helped them was greatly detailed information that was important for the paper. The interview with the aunt I found to be really interesting and her response to the questions were not what I expected. I believe the author did a great job in verbalizing the metaphors that fit with the video. I think that the paper comes together and sends a clear message.
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Permalink Reply by Jennyfer Marchand on
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I agree with you, I think the author did a great job when it came to describing the video. I really liked this video because it dealt with a big issue: our soldiers. I am one hundred percent againts the war, but I am very thankful for the soldiers who continue to fight for America. I think that, whether it be Obama, Clinton, or McCain, soldiers should get what they deserve. They are the pride and honor of this country and should be treated like more than heroes. Great job =D
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Permalink Reply by Charles A. Fimple on
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The soldiers of our country should be honored more. I agree too, whoever gets into office we need to bring our soldiers home. Many of their families are suffering financially, socially, and emotionally because their loved ones are at war. We need to have more empathy for our soldiers so when they do come home, we will be patient and respectful to them even if they have some disabilities that will put a burden on us as citizens but we need to be mindful that because of their sacrifice we can live free in our own country. Therefore, we need a leader who is empathic toward our soldiers and will fight for them and not forget about them. We do not want our Iraq War Soldiers to become like the Vietnam Veterans, who did not receive a lot of healthcare and support but to let themselves to defend for themselves.
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Permalink Reply by Charles A. Fimple on
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Thank you. When I first saw this video I said to myself I have to write my paper on this. I have a friend that is injured from the Iraq War. Therefore, I see how my friend is affected by the public policies and agendas toward the soldiers first hand. Now soldiers are being helped more and more but rehabilitating back to civilian life with a disability is hard and a long journey. Empathy was illustrated perfectly in this commercial and the creator this commercial was very creative and smart. This commercial was parallel to Lakoffs concept of empathy and Hillary Clinton being the nurturant parent.
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Permalink Reply by santiago on
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In The analysis of this essay I could visuaize the conceptual rhetoric you describe. From the beginning there is strong support for Lakoff's metaphor of empathy. The ties of the nutireint parent role, empathy and as you described fairness and morality. These grounds were all well supported and I appreciated how your correlation between your Aunt's desert storm experience empathized for those in their situation with Iraq today. Next best described was the "Morality as empathy" and your golden rule explanation.
The structure of the essay was done quite well, you tied together the grounding aspect, organized your sources and had some very effective input from your Aunt which brought to life your approach to the empathetic role of this ad
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