Analyzing Rhetorical Methods in Gatrell’s “Villages of Discipline”

Analyzing Rhetorical Methods in Gatrell’s “Villages of Discipline”

            In any effective communication, audience consideration, ultimate author purpose and the application of applicable contexts combine to create meaning. In chapter seven of The Making of the Modern Refugee “Villages of Discipline”, historian Peter Gatrell explains the deficiency his communication will rectify, builds credibility and emotive  sympathetic connections between the audience and the affected through eyewitness accounts in order to inform his audience of the plight of South-East Asian refugees.

            Gatrell adheres to a foundational rhetorical tenant by introducing the main deficiency in the historical record that this chapter will address. He explains that although the regional conflict has “filled the pages of the global mass media” that the “experiences of the refugees…presently command[s] scant attention” (Gatrell, 203). By doing so, he establishes that his argument is necessary, relevant, and propels the reader to move forward.

            Gatrell understands that the rhetorical appeal of ethos (credibility) is fundamental to effective communication. Rather than inform by narrative alone he introduces the first-hand accounts by eye-witnesses. There is the Thai ex-army colonel who “painted a picture of degradation” in the Sikhiu camp (208). An 11-year-old refugee describes a camp as “hell” where poor housing, rats and thieves abound (210). An elderly woman relates how she moved thirty times before arriving at the “village of discipline” (212). The author purposefully blends these accounts with the historical narrative in order to build validity.

            A byproduct of this approach is the impartation of the emotional appeal (pathos) in order to highlight the human experiences relating to South-East Asian population displacement. The audience is motivated to construct an empathetic bond with the displaced beyond the mediated conflict reporting that historically has overlooked this important element.

            Gatrell masterfully employs the “rhetorical triangle” comprised of the writer, the context, and the audience in order to construct a meaningful addendum to the discussion of refugee within the historical record.

Works Cited

Gatrell, Peter. The Making of the Modern Refugee. Oxford, UK: OUP, 2013. Print.