Rhetorical Analysis Of The Lion King

Mufasa: The Lion Who is Never Scared… Most of the Time

Wouldn’t you want to be a lion? Ruler of the savannah and a mighty beast in which has little worries. It’s no surprise that in many cases lions are used to depict god-like personas and figures in popular folk tales. Now who is tasked with taking such folk-tales and turning them into desirable, extravagant movies fit for people of all ages? Disney is. In fact Disney was able to create one of the most “richest” movies ever. This movie, “The Lion King”, starts out with a young lion cub named Simba. This little lion cub is the heir the throne of his father, Mufasa. All is going well for the lion cub until we meet his jealous uncle Scar, who is obsessed with the idea that he should be the

next heir to the throne. So in hopes of killing Simba, Scar suggests that Simba and his friend Nala (a young lioness), visit the Elephant Graveyard which is a restricted part of the kingdom to the young lion cubs. Simba has much doubt at first but later goes through with uncle Scar’s plan because Simba naturally seeks thrill and adventure (by that I mean he wants to impress Nala). While visiting the Elephant Graveyard however, they are met by three hungry hyena who have a burning hate for Mufasa and all who are associated with him. After a series of chases and near misses, Simba and Nala are ultimately saved by Mufasa who leaps between the hyena and the cornered lion cubs and expels the hyena with a mighty roar. As they are walking home, Nala is escorted back to her home while Simba must stay behind for his punishment. This is where my speech comes into play.
Mufasa faces a difficult task called “punishment” here. He must choose to either sternly discipline Simba or to lecture and make the little lion cub understand his wrongdoings. Mufasa luckily takes the lecture route, however, as boring as this path may seem, Mufasa utterly rocks Simba’s world. Mufasa’s speech peaks Simba’s attention and Simba’s understanding of the universe is greatly refined. Mufasa first explains Simba’s wrongdoings and how he must not disobey his father. Disobeying his father is potentially life threatening, as seen in the Elephant Graveyard scene. Mufasa then goes on to explain to his son that he will not always be there to protect the young cub. Simba is extremely discouraged and it seems that he is uncertain about his future because he is scared of losing his father. Mufasa then gives him a reassuring piece of advice,
Mufasa: "Simba... Let me tell you something that my father told me... Look at the stars. The great kings of the past look down on us from those stars."

Simba: "Really?"

Mufasa: "Yes...

So whenever you feel alone, just remember that those kings will always be there to guide you ... And so will I."

Mufasa’s style of speech is heavily rooted in the concepts of ethos, pathos, and logos and is highly effective when trying to convey his important message.

Mufasa’s speech to Simba is a puzzling yet breathtaking one. Mufasa is able to convey an important message to a member of a much younger age while still maintaing the maturity of his own. His ability to simplify his concepts and deliver them smoothly is an art rarely seen by many speakers today. This appeals to the ethos of this speech. Mufasa gains an extensive amount of credibility by having intelligent qualities. He has lived much longer than Simba and has experienced much more than the average lion. With these experiences come trials and tribulations which give the lion more “rings around the tree”. Another aspect of Mufasa’s character that gives him a great deal of credibility is his position in the grasslands. He is seen as the king of the grasslands and many fear his mighty power. Although he does possess an immense amount of power, he does not abuse such power. He understands that all members of the Pride Lands must live in harmony in order to function properly. One of the last features of Mufasa’s character is his physical stature. Something about his posture and the way that he carries himself gives the audience a feeling of nobility. Mufasa could be most accurately

depicted as a well respected king of the middle ages with everyone in adornment of him.
Another aspect of ethos in this piece is the physical aspects of Mufasa and Simba. In the animal kingdom, being bigger typically gives an animal more power. The biggest lion rules the pride lands, the biggest hippo rules the river, the biggest feathers on a peacock get the girl, etc. In this case Mufasa is much larger than Simba which would give the natural appearance of a dominant figure. In the beginning of the speech, Simba shamefully approaches Mufasa to receive his lecture. While doing so, he steps in an impression in the mud made by his father’s paw and notices that it is much larger than his. In this moment, an expression of realization comes across Simba’s face as it hit him that his father is much more powerful and intelligent than him.
Mufasa is also able to display his immense amount of power through this speech. To begin the speech, Mufasa shouts with all his might “SIMBA!” Simba is momentarily stunned by this and turns around as if he knows there is a ghost behind him. He then proceeds, as explained before, through the mud and steps in the paw print his father had made. Mufasa continues to hold a high tempered tone throughout most of his speech. The purpose of this was to directly aim his aggression towards Simba. He did not want to allow Simba to think that it was acceptable for him to act in such a way that he did.
This speech is packed with heart felt scenes where pathos is present all around.

The first instant where pathos is present is in Mufasa’s opening words. Mufasa explains how he is “disappointed” in Simba and how he has “deliberately disobeyed” his rules. As Mufasa is explaining this to Simba, a look of grief and sorrow comes across Simba. His facial expression and body language are key indicators that a pure feeling of sadness has fell upon Simba. The feeling can be described as heartbreaking or despairing. But in these moments of sadness and misery, there is a light. Mufasa then takes a light hearted angle and explains how he was tremendously scared for the safety of Simba. Simba recognizes this expression and is greatly appreciative, yet puzzled by it. He began to question Mufasa’s bravery and trust in Simba. Mufasa was only scared because he did not want to lose the only son he had which is quite a legitimate

reason.
Logos is apparent mainly in the begging half of Mufasa’s speech. This may be the most important aspect of Mufasa’s speech in that it impacts Simba the hardest. Mufasa begins to criticize Simba’s actions while trying to reason with him. One line that Mufasa uses and that hits Simba the hardest is “…you deliberately disobeyed me… and whats worse! You put Nala in danger!” Simba has an expression of realization of how dangerous his actions were. He sees that it was not responsible of him to put Nala in the situation that could’ve potentially ended not only his life but the life of his best friend.
We also see an example of Simba trying to reason with Mufasa by proclaiming “I was just trying to be brave like you.” Mufasa, being the wise and intelligent being, responds with “I am only brave when I have to be.” In this moment, Simba discerns that he was doing wrong. He also realizes that his actions could’ve had some serious negative repercussions. Simba is at an age where he is beginning to understand the responsibilities he is going to have to face as the king of the pride lands and what duties he must fulfill in order to do so.

Mufasa is a powerful speaker who not only uses the basic rhetorical techniques in his speech, but uses other aspects to impact the audience. He is not only able to influence the listeners with his words but many other factors play a role like tone, facial expressions, and even bodily stature. While these are very useful in his speaking techniques, his basic use of ethos, pathos, and logos is outstanding. These three techniques are impacting in such ways that grip the attention and interest of audiences of all aspects. Mufasa is considered one of the most powerful characters in the Disney world and only empowers himself with speeches like these.