PEACE CORPS IN THE 21 ST CENTURY: A RHETORICAL ANALYSIS

46the major emphases in recruitment material for people of color. They are recruited basedon the idea that they will be role models. The advertisement continues, “What if youwere the teacher in that schoolhouse? Would you travel that far to teach someone? Tolearn something yourself?” The PSA asks the reader how far he or she will go to be thatrole model or teacher. And as always, it reminds potential volunteers that they will learnmore than they could ever teach.The over-arching themes in these advertisements are the gratifying nature ofPeace Corps service, the adventure associated with service, and the universality ofparticipation, regardless of age or race. Reinforced continually in these PSAs is theexperience of not only helping someone else, but also learning something in return. Selfserviceand gratification through service are major recruitment devices; the personalbenefits of service are ever-present in Peace Corps rhetoric. The beautiful images andtalk of far away lands signals exotic adventure for the potential volunteer. And, themajor impact of these ads is their emphasis on diversity, targeting three different groups.RadioThe radio advertisements focus less upon race or age and appeal to a more generalaudience. The visual imagery is stripped away on the radio. However, the voices aredistinctly Caucasian, African American, and Hispanic. These radio spots rely on thereputation of famous actors to work as a recruitment tool. The association of famousactors with the Peace Corps might also encourage people to investigate the organizationfurther. This is especially true for people who see these actors as role models. Matthew