Kenneth Burke’s look into Adolf Hitler’s notorious war-plan, Mein Kampf, not only explains how such a sinister man could control masses of millions, but also provides a glimpse into human psychology. Burke’s purpose for this essay was to illuminate what strategies and thoughts Hitler utilized to unite so many people in such an evil cause. By illustrating his rise to power through his essay, Burke’s hope is that we will be able to recognize, and stop, such a coalition from forming again. To effectively achieve this purpose, the rhetor wrote his essay as an investigative piece that analyzed Hitler’s actions and then explained the impact they had on his “final solution.” Hitler responded to his exigence, the intermingling of the Jew with Aryans, by attempting to unite the masses in a war against the common enemy.
In his essay Burke also identifies a few of the rhetorical strategies Hitler applied that enabled him to rise to power. One rhetorical device that was utilized was the presence of repetition. Hitler drilled his theories into the vulnerable minds of Germans through constant repetition of the “destruction” of the Jew and the “construction” of the Aryan. Burke also emphasized that another one of Hitler’s rhetorical tricks was simply injecting his ideals into the structure of religious patterns of thought. Hitler realized how powerful religion was on a person’s mind, and used religious-based templates to present his twisted plans to the lost masses. Lastly, and arguably the most effective rhetorical strategy Hitler used was his tone. After World War one, Germany was in shambles and the people were a hopeless, depressed mass without any sense of direction. Hitler therefore utilized an enthusiastic and positive tone to give the people something to believe in and follow him.
Personally, one piece of rhetoric that I never agreed with, but drew a large mass of followers was President Obama’s “HOPE” poster throughout his campaign. After President Bush’s terms, the American people as a whole were unhappy and highly critical of the government. Tales of corruption, fraud, and conspiracy were spewing everywhere. The time was ripe for “change,” a new leader providing “hope.” My issue was, and still is, that people were hungry for any kind of change; not necessarily the right kind of change. Now, I am not comparing President Obama’s campaign to Hitler in any way shape or form, only simply stating something I didn’t agree with but was nonetheless popular.
In his essay Burke also identifies a few of the rhetorical strategies Hitler applied that enabled him to rise to power. One rhetorical device that was utilized was the presence of repetition. Hitler drilled his theories into the vulnerable minds of Germans through constant repetition of the “destruction” of the Jew and the “construction” of the Aryan. Burke also emphasized that another one of Hitler’s rhetorical tricks was simply injecting his ideals into the structure of religious patterns of thought. Hitler realized how powerful religion was on a person’s mind, and used religious-based templates to present his twisted plans to the lost masses. Lastly, and arguably the most effective rhetorical strategy Hitler used was his tone. After World War one, Germany was in shambles and the people were a hopeless, depressed mass without any sense of direction. Hitler therefore utilized an enthusiastic and positive tone to give the people something to believe in and follow him.
Personally, one piece of rhetoric that I never agreed with, but drew a large mass of followers was President Obama’s “HOPE” poster throughout his campaign. After President Bush’s terms, the American people as a whole were unhappy and highly critical of the government. Tales of corruption, fraud, and conspiracy were spewing everywhere. The time was ripe for “change,” a new leader providing “hope.” My issue was, and still is, that people were hungry for any kind of change; not necessarily the right kind of change. Now, I am not comparing President Obama’s campaign to Hitler in any way shape or form, only simply stating something I didn’t agree with but was nonetheless popular.
A. Well done. The Obama poster was definitely an effective piece of rhetoric though.
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