Civic Artifact Essay Progress:
In a grim, monotone statement to the American public, Director of the Office of Civil and Defense Mobilization Leo Hugh proclaims the supposed future of safety within the American household: “No home in America is modern without a family fallout shelter. This is the nuclear age” (Walt Builds). After the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics tested their first nuclear weapon in 1949, American citizens contested their government’s ability to defend itself from an emerging threat and its unknown capabilities. Following this dramatic and monumental test, apathy replaced itself with apprehension as the legitimacy of the post-war federal government cracked at its foundation. In response, the United States Federal Civil Defense Administration and the Office of Civil and Defense Mobilization produced the films “Duck and Cover” and “Walt Builds a Family Fallout Shelter” in a dire attempt to prevent widespread panic during the escalating Cold War era. Through the lens of analyzing the rhetorical situation and establishing trust with regard to these films, one can ascertain the reality of the federal government’s pervasive influence over public perceptions of safety at the dawn of the age of modern warfare.
In the midst of the Korean War in 1952, deep diplomatic chasms splitting US and Soviet Union relations formed into the impassable wasteland of the nuclear age. At the domestic level, McCarthyism destroyed lives and spread panic among the American populus. Although many may consider this paranoia as an extensive challenge for policymakers, the Federal Civil Defense Administration considered this kairotic moment as an opportunity to transfer fear into preparedness when releasing “Duck and Cover” to public schools throughout the nation. With a definitive exigence of promoting fallout culture to the public and building false notions of preparedness ensuring safety, the administration deliberately chooses the impressionable audience of children as an access point into the American psyche. “Duck and Cover” utilizes distinct pathetic elements to capture a child’s attention to the propaganda. Diction within comparing atomic bomb drills to fire drills conveys emotions of confidence from the FCDA for its audience to reflect on: “We all know the atomic bomb is very dangerous…we must get ready for it just as we are ready for many other dangers that are around us all the time” (Duck and Cover). This deemphasis on a scale that a child comprehends works in transferring fear into confidence when performing a duck and cover drill at school. The administration also promotes emulation through introducing the amiable yet cautious mascot of Bert the turtle to the audience. Bert epitomizes civil obedience while accompanied by narration to support his action of ducking and covering: “Bert is a very careful fellow, when there’s danger this is the way he keeps from being hurt, it even saves his life” (Duck and Cover). Although Bert undoubtedly displays a sense of apprehension regarding the atomic bomb, children can comprehend his sense of certitude that ducking and covering saves his life. These elements, when placed alongside dynamic graphics, cheerful music, and anthropomorphic characters, effectively sway a child’s emotions by the time the film concludes.
As conflict continued to drastically escalate between the two Cold War superpowers in 1960, the federal government moved from educating the nuclear-aware young population to appealing to adult Americans. The twenty-seven minute informational film, “Walt Builds a Family Fallout Shelter”, utilizes similar pathetic techniques as “Duck and Cover” when enticing the populace to submit to fallout culture; however, a drastically changed audience forces alterations in how the Department of Defense portrayed the propaganda . Through continuous references to ensuring the safety of family members in a time of intense uncertainty, the Office of Civil and Defense Mobilization effectively transfers emotions of affection for loved ones into action to construct a fallout shelter within one’s home. Alternative uses for the shelter support this pathetic appeal through Walt’s statement of “when those grandchildren come here, [the fallout shelter] would be a great place to put them” (Walt Builds). Through referencing grandchildren, the population at the greatest risk of experiencing the devastation of nuclear war, this statement reiterates the notion of civic duty in terms of protecting the nation’s posterity… {END OF PROGRESS}
Revised Speech Outline:
Slide One (“Duck and Cover” Advertisement):
Key Points:
- Elementary School Classroom Story, Turtle Position
- Duck and Cover Method = Bert the Turtle Campaign
Key Line:
“This “duck and cover” method, now used today for extreme weather in United States elementary schools, was the exact technique promoted to students via the Bert the Turtle campaign for sheltering against nuclear attacks in the early 1950’s.”
Slide Two (Children Under Desks Image):
Key Points:
Analyzing the Rhetorical Situation:
- Exigence: Preventing Widespread Panic (Questioning their Government’s Authority)- KAIROTIC MOMENT
- Constraint: Uninformed Americans
- Audience: Young Children (Rarely question new information)
Key Line:
“By instilling ideology related to nuclear safety on a young population, the FCDA purposefully ensured that those that grew up in the era of nuclear warfare were prepared to respond to an attack promptly and appropriately.”
Slide Three (Bert the Turtle Video Images):
Key Points:
- Establishing Trust: Pathos/Pathetic Appeals
- Utilization of music, graphics, friendly mascot
- References to fire safety drills/comparing fire drills to atomic bomb drills
- Child actors perform “duck and cover” drills with ease
- Evoking emotions of confidence and certainty
Key Line:
“Through the utilization of an overarching false claim that preparedness ensures one’s safety, the audience’s apprehension is replaced with a faux sense of security as they begin to believe the undeniable falsehood that they are capable of surviving nuclear war”
Slide Four (FCDA Headquarters, Bert the Turtle Sign and Uniforms):
Key Points:
- Discussing Bert the Turtle with Grandparents: Never questioned the legitimacy of their government or of the drill itself
- Bert the Turtle fueled Cold War paranoia/the red scare/anti-communist movements
- Mascot of an institutions’ influence over its people’s opinion
Key Line:
“With his miniature helmet, bow-tie, and cautious complexion, Bert marched America into a new age of warfare in a forever historic and compelling way. Thank you.”
