Burke Assignment: The Rhetoric of Hitler's Battle

Burke approaches Mein Kampf by looking at Hitler's ideas is such a way he explains said ideas. He does not necessarily show a bias for or against ideas, but rather presents them so that the reader can take them as they may. Burke's essay was written for the purpose of communicating Hitler's thoughts in Mein Kampf. When Hitler came to power, Germany as a whole was torn apart psychologically. The morale of the German people was at an all-time low after World War I. This exigence called for a leader of Hitler’s status to lift Germany out of such a desperate time. Hitler’s methods of doing this were to find a scapegoat for all the problems surrounding the German economy and convincing the German people to do the same. One appeal the Burke refers to is the concept of inborn dignity. He convinced the people that the Aryan race was “superior by birth” and other races, such as the Jewish race and the black race, were inferior. This would appeal to an audience of Germans who were of the “superior race” and naturally willing to believe that they were the better race. Another appeal is the idea that the Aryan is “constructive” while the Jew is “destructive.” This ties in with Hitler’s theory that in order to fix the economy, they must get to the true cause of the problems: race. This would appeal to an even larger audience. All of the German people naturally wanted the economy to be fixed, and would take whatever solution was offered during such a troubling state.

A piece of propaganda that I do not agree with is the Confederate flag. It supports an idea that no longer exists and a blemish in the United States’ history. This piece still has supporters because it was a representation of pride for those who originally flew the flag. This feeling is still alive in some southern areas. The Confederate flag was created to represent the southern states that broke away from the rest of the United States. It was a way to start a strong mind set of the people in this south and convince them that the South was not going to be “pushed around.” This flag would appeal to anyone who continues to feel the sense of “pride in the South” and especially descendants of people who were part of the original Confederate states.