Rhetorical Analysis Of Roberto Benigni's Life Is Beautiful

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By 1945 over 6 million Jews were killed as a result of the genocide launched by Nazi Germany. The Holocaust has been documented and depicted by various visual images revealing the atrocities of this tragic period. The film posters of Roberto Benigni’s Life is Beautiful produced in 1997 and Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List produced in 1993 utilize various rhetorical appeals to present starkly different visual arguments about the Holocaust. For the purpose of this rhetorical analysis, viewing these images from the standpoint of a viewer who is exposed to these posters for the first time, with the acute knowledge that these posters are related to the holocaust is necessary. From this standpoint, it is clear to see how images that depict that …show more content…

The posters appeal to logos is deeply intertwined with an appeal to pathos due to the poignant nature of the subject matter. Spielberg’s decision to not use faces in the poster emphasizes the gravity of the Holocaust. This coupled with his use of color as well as his omission of color make a poignant statement: The black and white portions of the poster represent the masses of people who will remain unknown as they are merely a name on a list; whereas the red sleeve on the child is like a blatant mark signifying importance of one person who might have otherwise been lost in the sea of people. By marking and highlighting the value of one person, Spielberg comments on the immense bloodshed of the Holocaust as well as emphasizes the value of human life. The firm grip that the adult’s hand has on the child’s hand symbolizes hope despite the strife and carnage that the Holocaust produced. It represents the strong will that many Jewish people had who, even in the face of the crisis, still looked to the future with hope.

The poster for Schindler’s List illustrates the magnitude of the Holocaust through appeals to pathos, ethos, and logos by showing the significance of each human being, and commenting on a broken peoples hope for the future. The simplicity of the Spielberg’s poster amplifies the message being conveyed. Spielberg, through this poster, urges viewers …show more content…

Spielberg and Benigni exhibit the significance of perspective in visual rhetoric. By analyzing their two differing depictions of the same event it is clear to see their arguments based on their perspectives. Through a simple yet effective image, Spielberg accentuates the immense tragedy of the Holocaust and commenting on the importance of recognizing the suffering of individual human beings. Benigni uses a completely different image to show the importance of love and family, the one thing that can never be stripped away from a human being. Spielberg’s image mainly appeals to the viewer’s logic while Benigni’s poster appeals to emotion as the main rhetorical appeal. Each was effective in their own way, delivering differing arguments and representations of the

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