Phil Ochs
![Picture](/uploads/1/0/5/4/105418517/editor/draft-evasion.jpg?1493732643)
The Reality of an Anti-War, Anti-Communism draftee in “Draft Dodger Rag”
In 1965, singer-songwriter and harsh American military critic Phil Ochs recorded his popular anti-war song, “Draft Dodger Rag.” Part of his “I Ain’t Marching Anymore” album, Ochs’ protest song hit the air and quickly became a staple in the anti-Vietnam War movement of the 60’s. In the anthem Ochs talks about a young boy being drafted into the war. He explains how the “typical American” boy is all for the war but ironically when it comes time to serve he thinks of every excuse in the book to get out of the draft. Ochs’ reasoning as to why we shouldn’t take war lightly is exemplified through the pure fear of this American draft boy, dodging having to serve his time in Vietnam.
Analysis
From start to finish Ochs represents the reality of war through this teenager being drafted. In the beginning, the draftee shows signs of logos and how he symbolizes the “typical American boy from a / typical American town” by explaining that, just like everyone else, he “believe in God and Senator Dodd and a- / keepin’ old Castro down”. Orchs backs up the boys argument by naming Fidel Castro and how he wants to “keep him down” referring to a level of power overall suggesting how the boy thinks he is pro-war and how he proves that by believing what those around him keep saying. As the song goes on Ochs writes “And when it came my time to serve I knew / ‘better dead than red’” showing how the boy believes he would rather serve his time in the military than become “red”, a symbol for the Soviet Union and communism at the time. This diction that Ochs has created just with the color “red” gives the listener an idea that the boy wants to fight against this “red”. So, thus far in the song Ochs has made the boy out to be pro-war, pro-Vietnam and is ready to serve his country. However, as the song continues, in the last two lines of the first stanza it reads, “But when I got to my old draft board, / buddy, this is what I said:” leaving the listener with a slight thought of doubt in the young boys head. Ochs purpose of the first stanza of “Draft Dodger Rag” is to que the listeners in that this boy thinks he is pro-war and ready for the draft just like everyone else around him. Yet, knowing he’s hoping to “dodge” the draft, as given away by the title, we can only suspect what the rest of the song may be.
Saying he is pro-war and physically being pro-war in the war seem to become two completely different things for this young boy as the reality of the draft becomes more clear. Starting off the second stanza with “Sarge”, Ochs introduces a new character of the song and the listeners now picture the boy speaking to his Sergeant after being drafted. Ochs expresses a form of ethos with the lyrics, “I’m only eighteen, I got a ruptured / spleen / And I always carry a purse” now listeners begin to picture the boy facing the actuality of going to war for his country. When Ochs says “I always carry a purse” he is giving the impression that the boy is homosexual which was greatly discouraged back then especially within the military. By completely reversing the boys pro-war mentality before, Ochs continues to create excuses and back up his point as to why he cannot serve in Vietnam. He shifts his emotions from this tough, American boy who wants the glory of war into a sense of cowardly reiteration of excuses as soon as he is the one chosen to go overseas. Orchs uses irony by using this ideology of not knowing what U.S. citizens are truly fighting for until you physically get the chance to fight for it. He exemplifies this through the eyes of a teenage boy knowing nothing about the world around him. He almost personifies the boy as a bandwagon follower who takes on the typical teenage boy thoughts of always having to “win” everything and remember “better dead than red”. So, now with the fear of war entering the boy's mind he tries even more excuses by saying, “I got eyes like a bat, and my feet are flat, / and my asthma’s getting worse” explaining how he would be of no use in Vietnam. The way Ochs uses ethos is not by traditionally making a case for the boy as to why he is credible to be drafted but to make a case as to why he is not good enough to be drafted. Ochs transition from pro-war to second guessing his draft choice becomes clear in the shift of heart in the second stanza compared to the first.
After making his case as to why he would be of no use physically fighting overseas, Ochs goes on to express the fear that creeps into blameworthiness about his mental ability to serve and expresses extensive pathos. Ochs implies in his lyrics, “Yes, think of my career, my sweetheart / dear, and my poor old invalid aunt” that the boy now has to resort to a guilt trip to convince his Sergeant that he cannot serve. Suggesting that he has a “sweetheart” of some sort and cannot just leave her to go to Vietnam as well as a “invalid aunt” that he must stay home for. By using “sweetheart” and “invalid” as adjectives for his partner and aunt, Ochs switches the tone of the song to that of something more heartfelt. He does this to bring attention to the emotion of going to war and how it not only affects this young boy but his family as well. So with a sick aunt and a women to tend to, Ochs adds to his list of defenses. The pathetic appeals continue with the song singing, “Besides, I ain’t no fool, I’m a-goin’ to school / And I’m working in a DEE-fense plant” claiming that by going to war he will not be able to fulfill these plans he has for the future. He repeats this stanza, the chorus, two more times throughout the song and more than any other stanza. By using repetition on these 9 lines Ochs puts an emphasis on the importance of this paragraph. He makes the point of pathos more memorable by reiterating the fact that being sent to war is not just affecting the boy but the people he cares about as well. It is clear that the farther the song goes along, the more Ochs argues his anti-war views.
The song continues to represent signs of logos through its lyrics backing up the overarching idea of this draft boy reconsidering his chance at fighting overseas. Starting the second to last stanza Ochs writes, “Ooh, I hate Chou En Lai, and I hope he / dies,” who at the time was a key part in the communist party. By referencing the negative communist ties once more, referring back to “better dead than red” sang in the first stanza, Ochs gives his fans the credibility and reassurance they need to show that the draftee can be very against communism as well as the war. The paragraph ends with “And if you ever get a war without blood / and gore / I’ll be the first to go,” emphasizing on the point that our country does not need to turn to violence for answers. Ochs makes his point evident throughout the second to last stanza by tying together all the draftees thoughts throughout the 2 minute song. He expresses how the boy is anti-communism but also anti-war which was considered controversial during this time. By providing a solid case as to why the boy cannot physically fight he also explains why the boy does not want to mentally go into battle either therefore leaving the reader with an inspiring message to pro-war citizens during this time.
Overview
Ochs’ reasoning as to why we shouldn’t take war lightly is exemplified through the pure fear of this American draft boy, dodging having to serve his time in Vietnam. Ochs uses ethos, pathos as well as logos in his stanzas to create a sense of emotion with his listeners. The reiteration of important points that prove this draftee is anti-communism but also anti-war is made clear with the references to communist leaders but also the thought of a non-violent war scene. Ochs gives reasoning as to why this boy cannot be drafted to Vietnam physically, mentally as well as emotionally throughout the song. With mention of the boys significant other as well as family he must stay home and tend to he creates a larger circle of people who are affected by the draft, not just the boy himself. This song was a staple in the 60s anti-war era and for obvious reasons. By hitting all emotions and senses in “Draft Dodger Rag”, Ochs argues that going to war in Vietnam is not a task the United States has to handle with violence nor that can take away their children, sons, fathers, nephews and more for the sake of fighting.
In 1965, singer-songwriter and harsh American military critic Phil Ochs recorded his popular anti-war song, “Draft Dodger Rag.” Part of his “I Ain’t Marching Anymore” album, Ochs’ protest song hit the air and quickly became a staple in the anti-Vietnam War movement of the 60’s. In the anthem Ochs talks about a young boy being drafted into the war. He explains how the “typical American” boy is all for the war but ironically when it comes time to serve he thinks of every excuse in the book to get out of the draft. Ochs’ reasoning as to why we shouldn’t take war lightly is exemplified through the pure fear of this American draft boy, dodging having to serve his time in Vietnam.
Analysis
From start to finish Ochs represents the reality of war through this teenager being drafted. In the beginning, the draftee shows signs of logos and how he symbolizes the “typical American boy from a / typical American town” by explaining that, just like everyone else, he “believe in God and Senator Dodd and a- / keepin’ old Castro down”. Orchs backs up the boys argument by naming Fidel Castro and how he wants to “keep him down” referring to a level of power overall suggesting how the boy thinks he is pro-war and how he proves that by believing what those around him keep saying. As the song goes on Ochs writes “And when it came my time to serve I knew / ‘better dead than red’” showing how the boy believes he would rather serve his time in the military than become “red”, a symbol for the Soviet Union and communism at the time. This diction that Ochs has created just with the color “red” gives the listener an idea that the boy wants to fight against this “red”. So, thus far in the song Ochs has made the boy out to be pro-war, pro-Vietnam and is ready to serve his country. However, as the song continues, in the last two lines of the first stanza it reads, “But when I got to my old draft board, / buddy, this is what I said:” leaving the listener with a slight thought of doubt in the young boys head. Ochs purpose of the first stanza of “Draft Dodger Rag” is to que the listeners in that this boy thinks he is pro-war and ready for the draft just like everyone else around him. Yet, knowing he’s hoping to “dodge” the draft, as given away by the title, we can only suspect what the rest of the song may be.
Saying he is pro-war and physically being pro-war in the war seem to become two completely different things for this young boy as the reality of the draft becomes more clear. Starting off the second stanza with “Sarge”, Ochs introduces a new character of the song and the listeners now picture the boy speaking to his Sergeant after being drafted. Ochs expresses a form of ethos with the lyrics, “I’m only eighteen, I got a ruptured / spleen / And I always carry a purse” now listeners begin to picture the boy facing the actuality of going to war for his country. When Ochs says “I always carry a purse” he is giving the impression that the boy is homosexual which was greatly discouraged back then especially within the military. By completely reversing the boys pro-war mentality before, Ochs continues to create excuses and back up his point as to why he cannot serve in Vietnam. He shifts his emotions from this tough, American boy who wants the glory of war into a sense of cowardly reiteration of excuses as soon as he is the one chosen to go overseas. Orchs uses irony by using this ideology of not knowing what U.S. citizens are truly fighting for until you physically get the chance to fight for it. He exemplifies this through the eyes of a teenage boy knowing nothing about the world around him. He almost personifies the boy as a bandwagon follower who takes on the typical teenage boy thoughts of always having to “win” everything and remember “better dead than red”. So, now with the fear of war entering the boy's mind he tries even more excuses by saying, “I got eyes like a bat, and my feet are flat, / and my asthma’s getting worse” explaining how he would be of no use in Vietnam. The way Ochs uses ethos is not by traditionally making a case for the boy as to why he is credible to be drafted but to make a case as to why he is not good enough to be drafted. Ochs transition from pro-war to second guessing his draft choice becomes clear in the shift of heart in the second stanza compared to the first.
After making his case as to why he would be of no use physically fighting overseas, Ochs goes on to express the fear that creeps into blameworthiness about his mental ability to serve and expresses extensive pathos. Ochs implies in his lyrics, “Yes, think of my career, my sweetheart / dear, and my poor old invalid aunt” that the boy now has to resort to a guilt trip to convince his Sergeant that he cannot serve. Suggesting that he has a “sweetheart” of some sort and cannot just leave her to go to Vietnam as well as a “invalid aunt” that he must stay home for. By using “sweetheart” and “invalid” as adjectives for his partner and aunt, Ochs switches the tone of the song to that of something more heartfelt. He does this to bring attention to the emotion of going to war and how it not only affects this young boy but his family as well. So with a sick aunt and a women to tend to, Ochs adds to his list of defenses. The pathetic appeals continue with the song singing, “Besides, I ain’t no fool, I’m a-goin’ to school / And I’m working in a DEE-fense plant” claiming that by going to war he will not be able to fulfill these plans he has for the future. He repeats this stanza, the chorus, two more times throughout the song and more than any other stanza. By using repetition on these 9 lines Ochs puts an emphasis on the importance of this paragraph. He makes the point of pathos more memorable by reiterating the fact that being sent to war is not just affecting the boy but the people he cares about as well. It is clear that the farther the song goes along, the more Ochs argues his anti-war views.
The song continues to represent signs of logos through its lyrics backing up the overarching idea of this draft boy reconsidering his chance at fighting overseas. Starting the second to last stanza Ochs writes, “Ooh, I hate Chou En Lai, and I hope he / dies,” who at the time was a key part in the communist party. By referencing the negative communist ties once more, referring back to “better dead than red” sang in the first stanza, Ochs gives his fans the credibility and reassurance they need to show that the draftee can be very against communism as well as the war. The paragraph ends with “And if you ever get a war without blood / and gore / I’ll be the first to go,” emphasizing on the point that our country does not need to turn to violence for answers. Ochs makes his point evident throughout the second to last stanza by tying together all the draftees thoughts throughout the 2 minute song. He expresses how the boy is anti-communism but also anti-war which was considered controversial during this time. By providing a solid case as to why the boy cannot physically fight he also explains why the boy does not want to mentally go into battle either therefore leaving the reader with an inspiring message to pro-war citizens during this time.
Overview
Ochs’ reasoning as to why we shouldn’t take war lightly is exemplified through the pure fear of this American draft boy, dodging having to serve his time in Vietnam. Ochs uses ethos, pathos as well as logos in his stanzas to create a sense of emotion with his listeners. The reiteration of important points that prove this draftee is anti-communism but also anti-war is made clear with the references to communist leaders but also the thought of a non-violent war scene. Ochs gives reasoning as to why this boy cannot be drafted to Vietnam physically, mentally as well as emotionally throughout the song. With mention of the boys significant other as well as family he must stay home and tend to he creates a larger circle of people who are affected by the draft, not just the boy himself. This song was a staple in the 60s anti-war era and for obvious reasons. By hitting all emotions and senses in “Draft Dodger Rag”, Ochs argues that going to war in Vietnam is not a task the United States has to handle with violence nor that can take away their children, sons, fathers, nephews and more for the sake of fighting.