Euphemisms
What are Euphemisms?
It is a technique to pacify the audience by making a harsh reality seem better.
Euphemisms were used especially during wartime to portray war as a benefit to the nation and to assure the citizens that war was bringing good. In the 1940’s America went through a series to changes in order to re-establish names. For example, they changed the War Department to the Department of Defense and renamed the MX-Missile as the Peacekeeper. As seen, Euphemisms allow for the audience to feel safe about the reality that can be quite horrible.
Euphemisms were used especially during wartime to portray war as a benefit to the nation and to assure the citizens that war was bringing good. In the 1940’s America went through a series to changes in order to re-establish names. For example, they changed the War Department to the Department of Defense and renamed the MX-Missile as the Peacekeeper. As seen, Euphemisms allow for the audience to feel safe about the reality that can be quite horrible.
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Analysis:
The Department of Defense (DoD) itself is a representation of how the United States government uses Euphemism to cover a harsh reality. Named originally in 1789 as the Department of War, the government renamed the department in 1949 to make it seem more palatable. In charge of the US Army and dealing with wars, the government tried to portray war more positively as a method of protecting the citizens. In order to show this, they changed the name and created a seal. The eagle, commonly used to represent the US, symbolizes strength, while the Shield of Thirteen Pieces is defending this eagle. The laurel stands for the honor of combat during war trying to defend the nation. Thus, by showing this as the seal of the department, it conceals the horrors of war and tells the people of the nation that they are safe, as well as how going to war may be a way to protect them. However, the reality seems to be quite the opposite, as wars cause collateral damage and harm in terms of economics and safety.
The Department of Defense (DoD) itself is a representation of how the United States government uses Euphemism to cover a harsh reality. Named originally in 1789 as the Department of War, the government renamed the department in 1949 to make it seem more palatable. In charge of the US Army and dealing with wars, the government tried to portray war more positively as a method of protecting the citizens. In order to show this, they changed the name and created a seal. The eagle, commonly used to represent the US, symbolizes strength, while the Shield of Thirteen Pieces is defending this eagle. The laurel stands for the honor of combat during war trying to defend the nation. Thus, by showing this as the seal of the department, it conceals the horrors of war and tells the people of the nation that they are safe, as well as how going to war may be a way to protect them. However, the reality seems to be quite the opposite, as wars cause collateral damage and harm in terms of economics and safety.