Allen 1

Gabrielle Allen

Prof. Morean

ENG 1201

3 October 2021

Analyzing Visual Texts Essay

Songs such as, We Are The World and We Are The World 25 For Haiti, use pathos and

a little bit of logos to touch people around the world. These songs tell us that we need to come

together, help each other, and spread love because we are what makes up the world; however,

We Are The World 25 For Haiti is directed more towards Haiti and We Are The World is more

for Africa. The song, originally recorded in 1985 and written and produced by Michael Jackson,

Quincy Jones, and Lionel Richie is sung by legends in the singing industry. Legends such as

Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Cyndi Lauper, and of course Michael Jackson. The newer version

of the song includes singers of this generation; such as Justin Bieber, Jamie Foxx, Fergie, and

Little Wayne.

Forty Five celebrities joined together to create the original version using their celebrity to

say that we are one andwe make up the world. This song was made to raise money for famine

relief in Africa; it raised millions of dollars in donations and won a grammy for song of the year.

The song’s chorus is “We are the world, we are the children, we are the ones that make a

brighter day, so let’s start giving, there’s a choice we’re making, we’re saving our own lives, it’s

true we’ll make a better day for you and me.” Lionel Richie says “God, there’s that kid over

there, and there’s that other kid over there.’ Everyone was kind of freaked out standing next to

each other for a brief moment, and then all of a sudden we realized: It’s not about us! We’re

actually using our voice and our celebrity to save some people, and it’s about us giving

everything we have to save their lives.” This alone lets us (the people of the world) know that we

need to come together, help, and give love because we are what makes up the world.
 Allen 4

We Are The World 25 for Haiti, made in 2010, was a 25 year tribute to the original.

Although, this version contributed more towards Haiti, just how the original was for Africa. At the

time, Haiti had just gone through a devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake. There was no

change in any lyrics, but of course, the artists who sang changed. This version has a more pop

style to it because the artists that sing it have more of a new generational tone. This video gears

us to come together and give the help and love Haiti needs.

Between the two videos, they have the same audience, which is everyone in the world.

There isn’t a specific group of people to consider as the audience. Age, gender, socioeconomic,

education, race, or religion aren’t any factors that contribute to the audience. Although, both are

directed in the geographical location area, because they contribute to Africa and Haiti. People

who have been through natural disasters can also be considered part of the audience. This is

because both songs are for natural disasters happening in Africa and Haiti.

Watching the two versions of the video, you’ll see the rhetorical appeals of pathos and

logos as well for the second version. The lyrics themselves touch the audience’s emotions, but

so do the visuals in the second version. In the song you hear “There comes a time, when we

heed a certain call, when the world must come together as one. There are people dying, Oh, and

it's time to lend a hand to life, the greatest gift of all.” These specific lyrics pertain to the

message of the video, but they also make you feel as if you should help out in the midst of a

hard time. With pathos, they were able to raise millions of dollars in donations for Africa and

Haiti.

The second rhetorical appeal is only in the second video, which is logos. The second

video uses images of the condition that Haiti was in and also children around the environment.

You can see children in the middle of destroyed houses that were affected by the earthquake.
Throughout the video, there are also small clips of how people are still trying to make their way

out of their circumstances, for example; everyone is still playing and smiling, they’re dancing

and singing together, and still living day by day. These clips serve as evidence of the drastic

results the earthquake gave to Haiti, which also correlates back to pathos because they make

viewers feel.

Briefly, many can agree that the videos for We Are The World and We Are The World 25

For Haiti, were to bring people together as a whole and spread love. The original version of We

Are The World was for Africa, and We Are The World 25 For Haiti is for Haiti. Besides the

differences in countries, each video had the same audience. Both versions use the rhetorical

appeal of pathos with the lyrics and the second version uses both pathos and logos with images

and clips for viewers to see what is happening in Haiti.

Works Cited
 Allen 4

“We Are the World 25 for Haiti - Official Video.” Youtube, 12 Feb. 2010,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Glny4jSciVI.

Accessed Sep 24, 2021

“U.S.A. for Africa - We Are the World (Official Video)” Youtube, 12 Apr. 2010,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AjkUyX0rVw

Accessed Sep 24, 2021

Ryan D'Agostino is Editorial Director. “'We Are the World': Inside Pop Music's Most

Famous All-Nighter.” Esquire, 20 Aug. 2020,

www.esquire.com/entertainment/music/a32868751/we-are-the-world-history-interview/.

Accessed Sep 24, 2021

Project, Borgen. “Michael Jackson: We Are the World 25 for Haiti.” The Borgen Project,

Borgen Project Https://Borgenproject.org/Wp-

Content/Uploads/The_Borgen_Project_Logo_small.Jpg , 17 June 2019,

borgenproject.org/michael-jackson-world-25-haiti/.

Accessed Sep 24, 2021