As students, we have all faced the never-ending threat of becoming victims of a school shooting. This reality transcends all districts, all cities, or states. I know I have jumped when a loud noise clangs in the hallway; the room is temporarily still before returning to normal after the moment passes.   

The video we just watched is a campaign titled “Lost Class of 2021”. The graduation ceremony shown was for all the students who would be moving onto the next stages of life but were killed from school shootings. There would have been 3,044 students graduating, represented by 3,044 empty chairs. The man giving the speech is David Kenne, the president of the National Rifle Association from 2011 to 2013.  

This campaign uses a few major lenses to covey its point, like Kairos, ethos, visual rhetoric, to implore the United States and its government to relook at the lack of restriction on gun laws.  Kairos, according to Keywords, means the “opportune moment” (Keywords). In this scenario, this would be the event taking place at a graduation ceremony. By using this event, it shows the world what these children lost, and how the actions of the future can prevent another shooting.  

This video uses visual rhetoric to show the impact of gun violence in America, mainly school-aged children. The object placement of the empty chairs evokes negative emotions, as the viewers know students are supposed to be sitting there. These emotions are meant to urge the audience to want change, so there would never be another “Lost Class”. The colors in the campaign are another aspect of visual rhetoric. Blue represents bravery, dedication, and freedom, whereas green establishes safety. The white folding chairs symbolize innocence, purity, or death in some cases. These subtle cues highlight the main argument, that gun violence in schools needs to halt.  

The Lost Class uses ethos in an ironic way. The speaker, David Kenne, was the president of the National Rifle Association from 2011 to 2013 and is now an active board member. Kenne giving a speech at a civic engagement-like event only adds to the credibility of the original argument. By having a huge proponent of the opposing side give a speech in this context, it makes the speaker seem heartless. Ethos is all about trusting the person for their identity, and this is a great example of ethos in a less typical way.  

Our generation will be the first that has always had school shootings. We are the first generation that has had to map out paths out of our classrooms, the first generation that has had active shooter drills, the first generation to text our loved ones goodbye. I urge the public to watch campaigns like these, so we can understand the immense emotions and heartache that school shootings cause. Thank you.