Rhetorical Devices In One Of Us

One of Us is a documentary directed and produced by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady. This documentary focuses on the lives of three Hasidic Jews, Etty, Luzer, and Ari, who chose to break away and leave their community. This documentary reaches out to a moderately young generation of educated Americans. The filmmakers of One of Us effectively aimed to instill the audience with sympathy and compassion for those struggling with the traumatic experiences and limited freedom that come along with the life of a Hasidic Jew through the use of rhetorical devices.
The tone throughout One of Us contributes vastly to the effectiveness of achieving the purpose of the piece. There are gloomy, abject, and mortifying qualities present throughout the documentary. Initially, Ari refused to open up and share this traumatic story, but when he finally mustered up the courage to do so, his mannerisms and attitude spoke louder than his words. He specifically shows his feelings of shame and misery when speaking on the topics of sexual assault and rape, which he personally experienced at a summer camp as a child and still struggles coping with to this day. This account of Ari’s life creates an attitude of shame and despair through his demeanor, words, and emotions while addressing the issue. Etty’s presence also contributes to the tone of the …show more content…
The application of tone, comparison and contrast, and pathos allow the documentary and its content to reach out and touch the hearts of the audience. These techniques used throughout the documentary leave the audience with a realization that they should be thankful for all the opportunities, freedom, and joy they have the ability to experience in a life away from the Hasidic Jewish