Rhetorical Analysis of Four Modes:

Book: Night by Elie Wiesel

When Elie Wiesel gave a Western Heritage Lecture a few months ago it was impossible not to see the pain in his eyes. The pain that I saw in Elie’s eyes was extremely similar to the pain that John Prendergast spoke about at a CPS event about Darfur. It was because of this that I decided to use Night as my textual support for project three. The book also has many themes and issues that are similar to or the same as those found in Darfur. Night is the firsthand account of Elie’s battle to survive the Holocaust in Germany. The Jewish were herded into concentration camps in which they lived with little supplies and under terrible conditions. People in Darfur are faced with the same issues of starvation and disease as well as daily violence that is captured in Night. Both the genocide in Darfur and the Jewish holocaust through the eyes of Elie Wiesel show the deterioration of humanity and assumption that all people are initially good.
After the Jewish Holocaust people began to see question how it was that it went on for so long without anything being done. You could now ask the same question about the current genocide taking place in Darfur. Will America look back on this act of genocide and wonder why it was not stopped sooner? This textual source relies mainly on the rhetorical appeal of Pathos and the strong emotional feelings it provokes There is also a hint of Ethos in Night because of the closeness the reader feels to Elie Wiesel and the sadness when he personally deteriorates throughout the book.. The appeal of Logos is also evident in Night because it is a witness’s recollection of events that as far as we know are factual. Using Night will be a great way to teach an audience about the genocide in Darfur because of the similarities between the two and the intense emotional value behind both.


Film: The Last King of Scotland

I chose the film The Last King of Scotland because of its relevant place geographically as well as the extreme misuse of power and violence in the movie. The government in both Darfur and The Last King of Scotland misuse their place of high status and power to inflict pain and violence upon the civilians. This source again focuses mostly on the use of Pathos in its ability to invoke strong emotions of sadness, anger, remorse, etc… The film compliments the book nicely because for someone who is visually inclined or doesn’t prefer to read the film touches on many of the same themes. Anyone who is compassionate will feel for the characters in this movie and should therefore feel for the victims of genocide in Darfur. If an audience can generate emotions for actors than they will surely feel for people actually living a nightmare similar to The Last King of Scotland. In choosing this movie I was thinking about something that would compliment Night, have similarities to Darfur, and generate real emotions.


Song: “Orange Sky” by Alexi Murdoch

When John Prendergast spoke at the CPS event he told a story about a woman and her young children who were captured by the devil on horseback. She watched two of her children be killed in front of her as she tried helplessly to protect them. It was with this story in mind that I chose the song “Orange Sky” by Alexi Murdoch as one of my sources. The song talks about the incredible relationship between brothers and sisters and the happiness they bring to each other. The lyrics and title of the song also talk about the “Orange Sky” that brings and image of the sun setting in an African village to my mind. In times under the harshest circumstances the people you turn to are your friends and family. After all is said and done your family will be there for you and provide you with the love and support you need to survive. The song taps into the appeal of Pathos once again and the emotional value of family. Not only is this song quite pleasing to listen to but it provides another dimension to the genocide in Darfur; this being the power of family in a time of ultimate need.


Art: Photographs by Michael Specht

The artwork that I chose by local Saint Petersburg artist, Michael Specht, was incredibly powerful. I came upon one of his photographs in the art show at Eckerd a few weeks ago and right away I was captured by its aesthetic strength. This particular photo portrayed the back of a black man who had his arms stretched above his head. His position made the muscles in his back pronounced and defined and brought thoughts of Black Power to my mind. When I went to Michael Specht’s website I found more photographs similar to this one that all pictured this powerful black man. Thinking about these photographs after having seen them I couldn’t help but to connect them with the idea that the genocide in Darfur is an Africa-Only problem. Although many people in the U.S. think this is the case these photographs had a certain amount of sadness that might help to show people the absurdity in this idea. The black man featured in the photos is strong, resilient, proud, but there can also be found tension and sadness in his figure. These art pieces once again generate appeal of Pathos and have power in the emotions they provoke. For an audience who had not been emotionally moved by any of the other sources these photographs will surely do the job.