Weekly Blog Post 5

In the production of a music video depicting a song involving spousal abuse, or domestic violence, one must realize that it is impossible to do so without evoking some type of feeling or emotion. Throughout the entire music video, the producers incorporate strategies to try to present to the viewers the negative consequences of, and in this case the victim’s partial triumph over, domestic violence.

In the very beginning of the music video, the character of the cheating and abusive husband is seen in a motel room with what the viewers would conclude to be his mistress based on their conversation and physical interaction. The situation in general immediately presents to the audience some level of an ethos of the husband. He comes across as apathetic and inconsiderate when bluntly disregarding even his mistress after she communicates the feelings she has for him. This first impression of the husband is carried on with the viewers throughout the remainder of the song and music video, influencing their reactions to the actions of each character involved. For example, the man’s wife throws all of the family pictures off of a nearby desk and retrieves a gun after hearing of the affair. Because of the actions of the husband, the audience feels a stronger sense of sympathy and empathy for the betrayed woman. His ethos is carried on and contributes to the pathos of the situation as a whole. That is to say, the negative qualities he possesses produces feelings of anger and resentment within the audience.

Furthermore, on the topic of pathos used in the music video, certain physical aspects of the production contribute to the evocation of negative emotions toward the husband – such as anger and resentment – in the viewers. Namely, the black eye his wife is seen donning while in her home expresses to the viewers the type of man her husband is as well as it produces some level of sympathy felt toward the woman. Another physical example is the gloomy, dark, and rainy setting of the music video. This setting automatically brings out from within us sadness and feelings of ominous doom.

Overall, the creators of this video utilize successfully the different strategies – ethos and pathos – to produce within the viewers different emotions that lead to their acceptance of their argument against domestic violence through Garth Brooks’ “The Thunder Rolls.”