Throughout this class we have been researching Rhetoricians for the good of society. We have found new ways in which we can look at and interpret language, along with new ideas to think about them. These rhetoricians have the power to come up with theories and relay them to the rest of society. They have the power to make us think a certain way about language, and so far, this power has been used for good. When we look at Hitler, it's the opposite.
Hitler knew he had power over people and used it for his own benefit. By doing this, he was able to convince thousands of people that it was okay to kill masses of people for a certain reason. This, believe it or not, is an example of a good rhetorician. He was successful in his use of power in convincing people that his thoughts were the right thoughts. As much as we don't want to admit it, Hitler was a very smart man. His use of language was able to persuade people a certain way, and this can only happen if you know how to speak to people. He gave hundreds of speeches to the public but also talking to them outside of that. His way with language was able to change the population's minds. This spoke to the pathos of the Aryans, the people he was convincing, because they were able to want to actually listen. Hitler was smart in that he was able to understand that it's not always what you say, but how you say it. He does this by saying that Aryan's are constructive and the Jews are destructive, so that the Jews must be destructed in order for the Aryans to continue constructing (Burke 204). This is done by saying that the Aryans would be much better off without the Jews. It isn't a matter of forcing people to do what you want them to do, it is planting the idea is one's head and therefore the people begin to think a certain way. Once the idea is planted, the people being to speak to each other and they unify into a force without even being forced to do so. Bakhtin states that "to create a style is to create a language for oneself" (598). This further supports the idea that Hitler was able to create his own language just in the ways he said it.
Bakhtin shows us how stylistic views can be very effective when it comes to language, and Burke shows us how this is done through multiple examples. Although Hitler is not like the other Rhetoricians we have researched, he is successful in his ways of stylistic language. The reason Hitler was so successful was because of his use of power. We, any of us, have the power to change the way we think, but it only happens when you have the knowledge to understand language and how to persuade people without making them think you are trying to.
Hello! I found your notes on how Hitler demonified the Jewish people really fascinating. I think that the most important part of Hitler's rule was convincing people of the enemy. Part of the group mentality is convincing someone that there is something to fight against or work together for. Hitler's use of language tied in with the group mentality made something that postwar Germany, unfortunately, bought into.
ReplyDeleteHi there,
ReplyDeleteYou made a lot of interesting points that highlighted how Hitler used language to manipulate an entire country. Bringing Bakhtin's idea that "to create a style is to create a language for oneself" and relating it to Hitler's movement helped me realize just how revolutionary his rhetorical speeches were. Before I read this, I held the assumption that Hitler was simply a good orator and rhetor who provided the German people with what they wanted to hear. However, you have made it clear that perhaps he created his very own language in order to fit the circumstances of the situation. Overall good job!
-Clare Davis