Mussolini Duce Rhetoric

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“Il Duce” (Greenspan par.1). This is what Benito Mussolini was known as during his 21 years in power. Rising from a modest background to a world class dictator is not easy. However, Mussolini’s assertive leadership and strong will power makes this ambition feasible. Where others fear to tread, Mussolini rushes in. From his menacing disposition to his charming cajolery, he effortlessly makes an impression upon millions. A spellbinding orator, Benito Mussolini hypnotizes the Italians with Fascism through his captivatingly threatening demeanor.

In order to remind people of Italy’s past battles, Mussolini begins his introduction by nonchalantly summarizing Italy’s struggles and triumphs. Casually picking their brains, he muses aloud, “Have …show more content…

1). This rhetorical question achieves the desired effect of subtlety by absentmindedly asking instead of directly making a statement. Connotatively, the phrase “in an hour of meditation” refers to spare time. These words fit Mussolini’s relaxed tone because it puts his audience at ease and creates a calm atmosphere. Most importantly though, the question’s purposeful answer provides a place for Mussolini to bring up the country’s history. Along these lines, he introduces a series of anecdotes recapping Italy’s victories and defeats (Biagio par. 2, 3). The anecdotes revive the audience’s memories by making them relive every single event through vivid detail. To structure the rundown of events, he uses smooth transitions like “On another occasion...” and “The events during these months…” to lead the audience through the maze of anecdotes (par. 3, 4). These fluid turning points effortlessly connect one anecdote to the next. As a result, they create a smooth, flowing synopsis that is simple enough for the audience to understand. Chronologically sequencing the events in his summary, he also uses transitions like “We have actually been at war since 1922…” and …show more content…

Attempting to inspire his listeners, he addresses them as “...this people of heroes, of poets and saints, of navigators, of colonizers…” to emphasize Italy’s various strengths (“Great” par. 9). This isocolon uses different words that are in the same structure to affirm Mussolini’s flattery. Via parallel structure, Mussolini creates a symmetrical pattern that engages the audience and makes them connect to his faith in Italy’s bright side. Activating their spirits, he guarantees them that their “...immense cry will cross the mountains and oceans like lightning...” (“Rome” par. 48). By comparing the people’s cry to the strength and speed of lightning, this simile drives the audience to believe in Italy’s power, as well as their own. Appealing to the audience’s sense of hearing, the “immense cry” triggers a life-like quality in Mussolini’s aspiration, making his aims seem more tangible to his listeners. Moreover, he uses parallelism: “To economic sanctions we shall answer with our discipline….To military sanctions, we shall answer with military measures...To acts of war, we shall answer with acts of war” to drill the concept of Italy’s strength in the audience’s head (“Great” par. 7). Adding force to Mussolini’s voice, the parallelism asserts his confidence in his ambitions. Furthermore, the anaphora

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