Date of Award
9-3-2017
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Philosophy and Liberal Studies
First Advisor
Heidi Harris
Abstract
For this thesis, a rhetorical analysis of Theresienstadt, the Jewish hybrid camp and ghetto, was completed by using Kenneth Burke’s pentad. Terministic screens were identified and Burke’s definition of man was examined in relation to the inmates and others involved in key events of Theresienstadt. This analysis was done to determine if Theresienstadt was a tool of propaganda the Nazis used to convince the world mass exterminations of Jews were not being done. An interdisciplinary approach was taken, by using the works of Kenneth Burke to complete a rhetorical analysis combined with the use of historical primary and secondary sources. The Nazis were successful in some aspects of their propaganda, but unsuccessful in others. This is significant as we see many of these same horrors play out in current events. The pentad can be used in a variety of situations to determine motivations and neutralize many situations.
Recommended Citation
Homsley, Suzanne Homsley, "Theresienstadt - The "Show Camp," a Burkean Analysis" (2017). Theses and Dissertations. 776.
https://research.ualr.edu/etd/776
