Pathos: "Where is the Love?"

In my opinion, pathos is the most effective rhetorical appeal used by the BEP in “Where is the Love?” The BEP use pathos because appeals to emotion are often very successful in conveying messages and convincing listeners. The powerful lyrics of the song force the audience to take a step back and actually comprehend all of the problems that society is facing. The multiple references to children such as "children hurt can you hear them crying?" and "chemical gases filling the lungs of little ones" attract empathy from the listeners. By bringing children into the picture, the audience is compelled to feel sad and sorry because things always seem worse when they are happening to young people. Kids have so much ahead of them to look forward to, so when their lives are ruined by something early on, it seems like much more of a tragedy than if its happening to adults. The many issues in the world that are mentioned throughout the song such as terrorism, racism, selfishness, war, etc make the audience realize how many problems exist in the world. The great amount of troubles in the world all listed one after the other, truly speak to listeners, actualizing the extent of the problem in the world. While the verses inform listeners as to what is occurring, the chorus of the song serves as a plea to all those causing chaos to stop making problems and also as a cry to God for help. The tone of the song shifts from angry and powerful in the verses to soft and heavenly in the chorus. This change in the tone activates a different part of the mind, appealing to the more thoughtful and reflective side of brain rather than the enraged and and frightened side. The pleading for God's help touches the spiritual side of the audience; The BEP feel that they and all of the world need to turn to God in order to change the present  dire situation. The song concludes by repeating that we only have "one world" that has something wrong with it that needs to be fixed. This repetition emphasizes the alarming urgency of the situation, begging the audience to make an effort in assisting to change the world.

-Gabi Yaffee