Analyzing Linguistic Strategies in Hitler's 1939 Speech: Reinforcing Antisemitism in Rhetoric and Discourse
In Adolf Hitler's speech on January 30, 1939, various linguistic and discourse elements are used to express and reinforce antisemitic views, a practice known as "redemptive antisemitism."
Rhetorical Appeal:
Hitler uses ethos to position himself as a prophet whose prior prophecies have come true, increasing his credibility and authority in the eyes of his audience. This method aims to match the audience's beliefs and ideals to Hitler's worldview.
Loaded Language:
Throughout the speech, Hitler uses loaded language to elicit strong emotions and reinforce unfavorable stereotypes of Jews. The terms "parasite," "profiteer," and "annihilation" are used to dehumanize and condemn Jews, depicting them as a threat to society.
Appeal to Fear:
Hitler instills fear by threatening the extermination of the Jewish race in Europe if international Jewish financiers start another world war. This fear-mongering strategy tries to increase support for anti-Jewish policies and activities by portraying Jews as a deadly enemy.
Scapegoating:
Hitler engaged in scapegoating by blaming Jews for societal unrest, economic instability, and the possibility of war, diverting attention away from his regime's faults and toward a supposed foreign threat.
Appeal to Nationalism:
Hitler appeals to nationalism by portraying the Jewish issue as one of national existence and sovereignty. He emphasizes the importance of self-preservation and national defense against perceived foes, using nationalist impulses to obtain support for his anti-Jewish agenda.
Overall, Hitler's speech cleverly employs linguistic and discourse elements to spread antisemitic ideology, manipulate emotions, and rally support for his regime's policies of persecution and extermination of Jews.
While Hitler's speech cleverly utilizes linguistic tactics to spread antisemitic views, it is critical to realize the perilous use of language and discourse for malicious purposes. Hitler incited hatred and violence against an entire ethnic and religious community by instilling fear, scapegoating, and capitalizing on nationalist feelings. This speech serves as a sharp reminder of language's ability to affect beliefs and perceptions, emphasizing the significance of remaining vigilant against rhetoric that aims to divide and degrade. It also emphasizes the responsibility of both leaders and individuals to question and reject hate speech in all of its manifestations, so protecting against the catastrophic repercussions of prejudice and intolerance.
Data:
FROM THE SPEECH BY ADOLF HITLER, JANUARY 30, 1939
Read this extract from Hitler's speech and explain how antisemitism (sometimes described as "redemptive antisemitism") is expressed in it. What do you think was the influence of this speech upon Hitler's audience? "[...] The world has sufficient space for settlements, but we must once and for all get rid of the opinion that the Jewish race was only created by God for the purpose of being in a certain percentage a parasite living on the body and the productive work of other nations. The Jewish race will have to adapt itself to sound constructive activity as other nations do, or sooner or later it will succumb to a crisis of an inconceivable magnitude. One thing I should like to say on this day which may be memorable for others as well as for us Germans: In the course of my life I have very often been a prophet, and have usually been ridiculed for it. During the time of my struggle for power it was in the first instance the Jewish race which only received my prophecies with laughter when I said that I would one day take over the leadership of the State, and with it that of the whole nation, and that I would then among many other things settle the Jewish problem. Their laughter was uproarious, but I think that for some time now they have been laughing on the other side of their face. Today I will once more be a prophet: If the international Jewish financiers in and outside Europe should succeed in plunging the nations once more into a world war, then the result will not be the Bolshevization of the earth, and thus the victory of Jewry, but the annihilation of the Jewish race in Europe! ...The nations are no longer willing to die on the battlefield so that this unstable international race may profiteer from a war or satisfy its Old Testament vengeance. The Jewish watchword "Workers of the world unite" will be conquered by a higher realization, namely "Workers of all classes and of all nations, recognize your common enemy!"
N.H. Baynes, ed., The Speeches of Adolf Hitler, I, London, 1942, pp. 737-741.
