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Motifs
Definition of Pathos
Pathos, along with logos and ethos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective speaking or writing). Pathos is an argument that appeals to... read full definition
Pathos, along with logos and ethos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective speaking or writing). Pathos is... read full definition
Pathos, along with logos and ethos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective... read full definition
One (1934): Something Rising
Explanation and Analysis—Anti-Jewish Propoganda:
In Section One, Doerr writes about Werner and Jutta's experiences listening to the radio, many of which involve Nazi propaganda channels. Fascist states often maintain control over their citizens through censorship, limiting which information can be spread and by what means. This is intended to discourage independent thinking and manipulate the sentiments and empathies of the populace to align with those of the state. In the following excerpt, which serves as an example of pathos, a Nazi radio program uses fear to manipulate its German audience into hating Jewish people:
In the play, the invaders pose as hook-nosed department-store owners, crooked jewelers, dishonorable bankers; they sell glittering trash; they drive established village businessmen out of work. Soon they plot to murder German children in their beds. Eventually a vigilant and humble neighbor catches on. Police are called: big handsome-sounding policemen with splendid voices. They break down the doors. They drag the invaders away. A patriotic march plays. Everyone is happy again.
Werner, Jutta, and the other orphaned kids listen to a story told over the radio, meant to allegoricize Jewish-German relations. In this story, Jewish people are demonized through caricature, represented by "hook-nosed" businessmen out to steal German wealth and destroy German communities.
This antisemitic propaganda was common for 1930s-40s Germany. Nazi leaders would appeal to common fears held by the German populace—fears of crime, financial insecurity, exploitation, murder—and channel those fears into hatred for an ethnic "other," namely Jewish and Roma (nomadic) people.
Related Themes:
