The Price Of A Mile Essay

Sabaton is power metal band that has done many songs depicting war in a wide variety of perspectives. Their song’s themes range from glorifying war heroes to borderline anti-war tracks. However, in “The Price of a Mile” the core message postulated by Sabaton is a somber and chilling perspective on the 2nd Battle of Ypres during WWI. Instead of their typical inspiring tone heard throughout most of their music, Sabaton intentionally construes a slow beat that adds to atmosphere of the song. In fact, “The Price of a Mile” seeks to convey the hopelessness and despair surrounding the soldier’s minds as they fought for a mere 6 miles of ground. One could also say that the song’s lyrics tell a first person perspective of soldier that questions the validity or purpose he serves as a mere cog within the gigantic army. Hence, the sense of aimlessness and sorrowful pain resulting from the realization of the fact that one’s life isn’t important in the grand scheme

Moreover, Sabaton expertly constructs a strong pathos argument as to the price of a mile. As Purdue OWL states, “For example, telling the story of a single child who has been abused may make for a more persuasive argument than simply the number of children abused each year because it would give a human face to the numbers.” (Purdue OWL) where an example of this rhetorical method is demonstrated by humanizing the experiences soldiers went through in the trenches of Passchendaele with vivid descriptions of the dreary environment. Which also attempts to appeal to the emotions of the listeners, thereby further pushing Sabaton’s argument forward. Therefore, the general public might react to the song with the intended emotions of incredulity and sadness invoked by “The Price of a Mile”s’ powerful