Date of Award

2017-01-01

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

English Rhetoric and Composition

Advisor(s)

Maggy Smith

Abstract

This study focuses on the White Rose Movement's six anti-war/anti-Nazi leaflets the Movement produced and distributed between June 1942 and February 22, 1943 in Munich, Germany. The persuasiveness of the non-violent resistance Movement was analyzed and discussed using a Bitzerean and Booth rhetorical analysis. Though numerous active and passive social protests, such as marches, music, and rallies, have been examined rhetorically in the past, the research surrounding the written form of protest is minor. In direct regards to the White Rose Movement, specifically, the Movement has yet to be examined through a rhetorical lens until now. The Movement and its leaflets are unique in that the Movement had to act in deep secrecy to avoid detection as it composed and disseminated the leaflets in Nazi Germany. This study examined the persuasive quality of the leaflets through the use of the exigence, rhetors, audience, constraints, and rhetorical stances. This study concludes that the leaflets were not immediately as effective as the White Rose Movement hoped the leaflets would be.

Language

en

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Size

107 pages

File Format

application/pdf

Rights Holder

Veronica Ruth Cruz

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