Holocaust Memorial Rhetorical Devices

On March 23, 2000, Pope John Paul II delivered the speech “At Israel Holocaust Memorial” at Yad Vashem’s Holocaust Memorial. This breathtaking speech pays homage to those that lost their lives during the events of the Holocaust. What makes this speech unique is that the Pope was alive when these events transpired, and although it has been half a century later, he still mourns the loss of his Jewish friends. Pope John Paul II condemned the murder of the millions of victims and took time from his day to meet with Polish Jewish survivors. The Pope recognizes that evil had prevailed and how the world must remember to make sure that complete domination never occurs again. The Pope made the mistake of not talking about the calamity when it first

occurred, which caused a bridge between Christians and Jews. He hopes that the tragedy that was suffered will give rise to a new connection between these two groups, which leads into the theme of the speech being about finding hope while forming a new relation with a similar religion that adores the Creator and the common father, Abraham. The Pope, often idolized, aimed to educate others on the Holocaust and make people understand that this tragedy will not be in vain.
Many people worship the Pope, and therefore his speeches need to be as effective as his appearance.

The Pope achieves this by using rhetorical devices throughout the speech to make it as impactful as possible. Ethos, also known as convincing someone because you are an idolized figure, is the main technique that Pope John Paul II uses. For people of the Catholic religion, the Pope is like God’s right-hand man; the Pope makes all the decisions, and the dioceses must adhere. The Pope is clearly seen using his jurisdiction when he says, “As bishop of Rome and successor of the Apostle Peter, I assure the Jewish people that the Catholic Church, motivated by the Gospel law of truth and love, and by no political considerations, is deeply saddened by the hatred, acts of persecution and displays of anti-Semitism directed against the Jews by Christians at any time and in any place” (Paul II 8). In this sentence, the Pope is using his authority to assure the people that Catholics are motivated by truth and love, and that Catholics are devastated about the losses that the Judaism religion has endured. The Pope has religious and moral credibility and uses his command over the common people to ascertain that his speech will be

successful.
Along with ethos, pathos is also evident, which is an appeal to the listener or reader’s emotions. As a result of the Holocaust, families have been torn apart, and because of this, it is an emotional topic. This is apparent when the Pope says, “I have come to Yad Vashem to pay homage to the millions of Jewish people [....] Men, women and children, cry out to us from the depths of the horror that they knew. How can we fail to heed their cry? No one can forget or ignore what happened. No one can diminish its scale” (Paul II 1). I can not even imagine the horrific memories that people had while listening to this speech. Their own family members have died; they have died because of an unruly dictator. The Pope makes the speech powerful by appealing to their emotions, and then suggesting a way to fix what they have lost; Catholics and Jews must come together.
To effectively appeal to the audience’s emotions and command authority over the audience, repetition is strategically utilized throughout the speech. The Pope persistently repeats “I assure,” these words make the people feel secure and let them know that they are in good company. The Pope also repeats, “My God,” which stems from the fact that this was a religious gathering and shows that God is present and watching over everyone through the remembrance of this event. By referencing God throughout his speech, such as when the Pope says, “How could man have such utter contempt for man? Because he had reached the point of contempt for God,” (Paul II 4), the Pope is able to convey that God is within all and there was a point that not even God could stop Hitler. The Pope also reitterates the word “cry” multiple times throughout his speech. From a reader’s point of view, this was done to show that this event did not go in vain, and people are still mourning to this day. It is important to show the people that their relatives and friends will not be forgotten; they will be remembered by every religion, not just the Jewish faith. For most, it is difficult for the strongest believer to think that God would allow a horrific event to take place, but Pope John Paul makes it clear that God is present when he says, “Out of the depths of pain and sorrow, the believer's heart cries out: ‘I trust in you, O Lord: I say, you are my God’" (Paul II 6). Pope John Paul II is able to use the idea that most of his audience is religious and uses words that directly and indirectly relate to the Bible, such as “God,” “cries,” and “assure,” to convince the audience that while this gathering was about the Holocaust, it was also about the future.
Allusions can also be recognized at many points during the speech and portray the events of a famous era, the Holocaust.

The Pope quotes the Bible numerous times, which is extremely effective as most of the audience is religious. As the Pope talks about people heroically giving their lives to help their fellow neighbors, the Jews, he says, “That is why the Psalms and the entire Bible, though well aware of the human capacity for evil, also proclaims that evil will not have the last word,” conveying the message that there is still human kindness in the world (Paul II 5).. God is seen as a strength for people when there is nothing else to hold onto, which the Pope recognizes when he suggests, “‘I trust in you, O Lord: 'I say, you are my God’”(Paul II 6). Pope John Paul II is seen bringing people of two different religions together and even says, “Jews and Christians share an immense spiritual patrimony, flowing from God's self-revelation,” and that while we can pray, we must “commit ourselves to their cause” (Paul II 7-8). Yes, this event was terrible, but by acknowledging that it happened, more people can be educated and can see that this is an important era to

remember.
Pope John Paul II’s speech inspired fervor in the gathered audience. As reiterated multiple times throughout this analysis, the Pope wants to ensure that this speech does not go in vain and that the world must “heed the warning that comes to us from the victims of the Holocaust, and from the testimony of the survivors. Here at Yad Vashem the memory lives on, and burns itself onto our souls” (Paul II 11). The Pope is able to construct a new relationship between two faiths. The final rhetorical device, peroration, concludes his effective speech and ends with a high note when he says,“Only a world at peace, with justice for all, can avoid repeating the mistakes and terrible crimes of the past” (Paul II 7). Regardless of religion, you still cry to your God and have faith in him knowing he will do what is righteous.
As a result of the Holocaust, families were torn apart and left questioning what they did to deserve this fate. Even though decades have passed since this event, it is still memorialized for the effects of a dictatorship. Through this speech, the Pope has gathered Christians and Jews alike to remember the awful events that occurred. The Pope used rhetorical devices to his advantage, and without these devices, this speech could not have been possible or, as effective.