Joan of Arc: Deconstruction Essay
In George Bernard Shaw’s play, Saint Joan, the Inquisitor explicitly propels a powerful speech, revealing only one side of the story, and aspires to persuade the church court to condemn Joan of Arc for heresy. The Inquisitor makes his point using rhetorical appeals such as paradox and persuasion, while appealing to his audience through anaphora, polysyndeton, climax, and antithesis.
In a rather solemn tone, the Inquisitor begins his speech with ethos. In line two, “If you had seen what I have seen of heresy…” creates the impression that he has previously dealt with heresy, therefore gaining his credibility before the audience. The Inquisitor goes on to clarify his reliability by declaring, “I have seen this again and again,” proving himself a notable and convincing source. The Inquisitor clearly uses polysyndeton to support his ideas about heresy. “A gentle and pious… and the life of austerity…and rule of... humility…and charity…” describes how heresy can begin at even the …show more content…
In lines 37-42, the Inquisitor develops a didactic tone, instructing the jury to handle the case with gravity and not a stroke of sympathy for the young girl (Alliteration). Establishing a sense of trust and inspiration, the Inquisitor alerts his audience of any potential mistakes they could make, and repeats the word “diabolical” (Polysyndeton); this word reverberates throughout the whole speech, causing readers to assume the Inquisitor’s rising hatred towards Joan of Arc. Another example of this scheme is implemented into the last sentence of the speech. The repetition of “But if you hate cruelty…,” an appeal to the emotions of the audience, suggests that it is a crueler deed to tolerate heresy (Assonance); therefore, he leaves the audience with mixed emotions, leaving them to decide the fate of the pious, chaste, Joan of
In George Bernard Shaw’s play, Saint Joan, the Inquisitor explicitly propels a powerful speech, revealing only one side of the story, and aspires to persuade the church court to condemn Joan of Arc for heresy. The Inquisitor makes his point using rhetorical appeals such as paradox and persuasion, while appealing to his audience through anaphora, polysyndeton, climax, and antithesis.
In a rather solemn tone, the Inquisitor begins his speech with ethos. In line two, “If you had seen what I have seen of heresy…” creates the impression that he has previously dealt with heresy, therefore gaining his credibility before the audience. The Inquisitor goes on to clarify his reliability by declaring, “I have seen this again and again,” proving himself a notable and convincing source. The Inquisitor clearly uses polysyndeton to support his ideas about heresy. “A gentle and pious… and the life of austerity…and rule of... humility…and charity…” describes how heresy can begin at even the …show more content…
In lines 37-42, the Inquisitor develops a didactic tone, instructing the jury to handle the case with gravity and not a stroke of sympathy for the young girl (Alliteration). Establishing a sense of trust and inspiration, the Inquisitor alerts his audience of any potential mistakes they could make, and repeats the word “diabolical” (Polysyndeton); this word reverberates throughout the whole speech, causing readers to assume the Inquisitor’s rising hatred towards Joan of Arc. Another example of this scheme is implemented into the last sentence of the speech. The repetition of “But if you hate cruelty…,” an appeal to the emotions of the audience, suggests that it is a crueler deed to tolerate heresy (Assonance); therefore, he leaves the audience with mixed emotions, leaving them to decide the fate of the pious, chaste, Joan of