Kim II-Sung and Kim Jong-Il: “Great Leaders” of Rhetoric What is a rhetorical argument, and is it necessary? Can rhetoric be used only to argue? Is it just a devious tactic for controlling the audience, or can it be utilized for positive agendas as well? Some students would define rhetorical arguments as persuasive approaches utilizing any type of media to con, manipulate, or deceive a given group or individual. This definition seems somewhat negative thus far. Looking further, rhetoric can also be broken into three catagories: ethos, pathos, and logos. All three divisions appeal the given target audience. Ethos, pathos, and logos, appeal to character, emotion, and reason respectively. A rhetorical argument may make use of one, or a combination of, any of the appeals. It seems that rhetoric does not necessarily have to be categorized as positive or negative. Instead, its effects should be its measure. Given this definition of rhetoric, the National Geographic film about North Korea presents some interesting and noteworthy insights. The previously outlined definition of rhetoric is appropriate and can be applied to the content of Inside North Korea. The film contains the real story of life inside N. Korea. It uncovers many truths about the lifestyle and treatment of the citizens of N. Korea. Interestingly enough, the two former leaders identified in the film, Kim II-Sung and Kim Jong-Il, are tyrannical dictators who engage strong use of rhetoric in order to keep their people loyal. Since the filming of Inside North Korea, Kim Jong-Un has taken over control of North Korea. His predecessors left him in a very powerful position because of the indoctrination and absolute rule they brought about with the power of rhetoric. The opening premise of the film is about Dr. Ruit; he is a surgeon dedicated to humanitarian acts. He performs over a thousand cataract surgeries on the citizens during the filming of Inside North Korea. The surgeries were to alleviate blindness brought about by malnourishment. Additionally, Dr. Ruit’s efforts were foundational in allowing the journalist and camera crews to gain entry into North Korea. Kim Jong-Il would never have allowed the filming of the documentary to take place if he had been made aware of it. Given that, Dr. Ruit is a humanitarian in more ways than one. He performed the said surgeries free of charge, and he also played a major role in the education of humanity. Without Ruit risking his life in assisting the filmmaker’s clandestine operation, North Korea’s story would still be a black hole in the eyes of the world. Under examination the story that came out of all that risk has many examples alluding to the power of rhetoric. The illustrations are many, almost too many to list. First of all, there are Propaganda Broadcast Stations for the indoctrination of utmost loyalty to “The Great Dictator.” The people are trained from birth to love their “Great Leader.” In the film, factory workers are shown singing praise of their leader. Furthermore, no media or outside news is allowed into the country. The journalist from Inside North Korea, Lisa Ling, states, “The only books inside their hotel were by Kim Jong-Il.” She also later noted that the only pictures in the homes are of Kim II-Sung and Kim Jong-Il. Ling also shares her thoughts about questioning the actions of Kim II-Sung and Kim Jong-Il. She feels that the people do not or will not engage her in asking why; rather, they seem to be brainwashed into the idea that “The Great Leader” or “Dear Leader” can do no wrong. Early childhood training, broadcasting propaganda, and preventing outside news that might educate the citizens of a better way of life are all examples portraying how rhetoric can be operational in brainwashing an entire country. For instance, the citizens in the film address photographs of Kim II-Sung and Kim Jong-Il as if they were deities. They bow repeatedly, cry, wave their hands, blow kisses, and even sing. It is remarkable that a few decades of oppression can create such intense allegiance in upwards of 23 million people. This adulation of their leader is tragic when it is discovered that 40% of children are malnourished. There are starvation, unsanitary conditions, blindness, and famine. The undernourished children are known as the “stunted generation.” Their adulation is not understandable; the dictatorship of Kim II-Sung and Kim Jong-Il led to these inhumane conditions, yet the citizens still see their leader as infallible. Years of indoctrination caused the blind people in the film to thank “The Great General” for renewing their sight. Again, the power of rhetoric as propaganda and education is astounding. The deceptions that were spoon-fed to the people regarding America are part of the reason they do not blame their leader. They have been fooled into thinking all of their troubles began with the foreign devils and the Korean War. The Korean War occurred over sixty years ago, yet there is still ill blood in North Korea. The people have been told that the United States is to blame for the border between North and South Korea. In the film, antagonism was said to be prevalent. One of the filming crew’s photographers was threatened with extradition for lying down in front of a statue of the “Great Leader” to take a picture. Indeed he was warned several times to not take partial photographs of the “Great Leader’s” picture. It is stunning to learn that one could be extradited just for lying down. It is also remarkable to remember that cataracts and antagonism are only small part of the humanitarian nightmare in North Korea. The most notable injustice is false imprisonment. North Korea has many re-education and political work camps. These camps not only contain alleged criminals, but also the alleged criminals’ extended families. People go into these work camps, but they do not come out. It was stated in the film that North Korea cannot exist without these prison camps. Anyone that goes against the dictatorship or attempts to defect from the country is placed into these camps. The camps are strategic in keeping the Korean people loyal. One man in the documentary can be quoted as saying, “the N. Korean core value that is missing is freedom.” To strike fear in the people with the intent of keeping them loyal is very inhumane. It is immensely troubling to imagine going through life living inside the borders of N. Korea underneath such harsh dictators as Kim II-Sung and Kim Jong-Il. On the other hand, the age old adage, “what you do not know cannot hurt you,” is relevant here. North Koreans were portrayed using rhetoric by the makers of Inside North Korea. The producers do live in a different society than the subjects in their documentary. These producers are accustomed to a better way of life. Are they trying to impose their lifestyle on the North Koreans because they cannot believe happiness is possible with the way things are? Is it possible that the Koreans did not engage Ling in questioning their leader because they do not know any other way? Perhaps they are not living in fear. Isn’t it human nature to adapt to one’s surroundings and in time to feel happiness during the most wrought of conditions? There seems to be discrepancy in the previous statements. No matter how good intentions might be, who has the right to impose his or her way of life on anyone? Granted, life is portrayed to be awfully caustic in North Korea, but does it only appear that way from an outside perspective? Perhaps, more information should be gleaned. In the first two chapters of Nothing to Envy Barbara Demick portrays an intimate picture of love. The love story begins to develop inside of North Korea. Regarding the picture of life in North Korea depicted thus far: how is it that a love story is unfolding in Demick’s book? Perhaps things are not as bad as they have been portrayed by Ling and her team. In addition, maybe even in adversity, the happiest human emotions still exist and flourish. Certainly Demick agrees: “They don’t stop to think that in the middle of this black hole, in this bleak, dark country where millions have died of starvation, there is also love.”(6-7) Demick details a love story between two North Koreans: Mi-Ran, a defector now living in South Korea, and Jun-Sang, a North Korean Kita Chosen, or Japanese Korean. Demick describes life for these two growing up under Kim II-Sung and Kim Jong-Il. Life certainly was not easy. After the Korean war Mi-Ran and Jun-Sang’s parents were subjected to Kim II-Sung and his social engineering. In the book, “This process was akin to an updating of the feudal system that had stifled Koreans in prior centuries.”(26) Under the new system the hostile class was created. The class included, “People from families of wealthy farmers, merchants, industrialists, landowners, or those whose private assets have been completely confiscated; pro-Japan and pro-U.S. people; reactionary bureaucrats; defectors from the south…Buddhists, Catholics, expelled public officials, those who helped South Korea during the Korean War.”(27) Jun-Sang is from a class just above Mi-Ran’s hostile class. They are restricted from seeing each other, yet even under these constraints the two of them still find love, albeit temporarily. The possibility of love’s existence under such adverse conditions is inspirational. The trickery of Kim II-Sung placed so many people into a terrible regime. He coaxed people into his system utilizing powerful propaganda then proceeded to place a yoke of tyranny upon their necks. In the book Demick mentions, “North Korean propaganda conjured up images of rosy-cheeked children playing in the fields and brand-new farm equipment hauling in abundant harvests in the miraculous new country that flourished under the wise leadership of Kim II-Sung.”(33) Who would argue with the excellent rhetoric outlining that idealized reality? Time has shown that those families who elected to accept these lies laid waste to their future generations. The book mentions that early on there are boxing, singing, volleyball, basketball, painting, and even movies. Unfortunately, as Mi-Ran and Jun-Sang grew up, these luxuries diminished, and life in North Korea developed into a reality more in line with Lisa Ling’s description outlined during Inside North Korea. It is now possible to see that the given definition of rhetoric outlined earlier has portrayed Kim II-Sung and Kim Jong-Il as great leaders of rhetoric. Initially, powerful propaganda was used to trick the populace, and then the tables were turned, creating a solid, loyal faction willing to die for their “Great Leader.” Rhetoric has been used to maintain the faction generation after generation, thus leaving Kim Jong-Un in control of a powder keg of potential warriors. Lisa Ling and Barbara Demick outlined different views, yet the similarities of their positions point to an obvious portrayal of what rhetoric can do when twisted to meet an immoral agenda. Ling’s and Demick’s works do well in educating humanity. Societies outside of North Korea can now understand the atrocious nature of North Korean dictatorship. Kim II-Sung and Kim Jong-Il could be placed into a category of leaders including Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini. The only way to stop this brutality is to educate, but the education needs to come from within North Korea. As far as it stands today Kim Jong-Un has over twenty-three million subjects ready to fight and die for his system of belief. According to Demick, “In the futuristic dystopia imagined in 1984, George Orwell wrote of a world where the only color to be found was in the propaganda posters. Such is the case in North Korea.”(11) Truly, these are scary sentiments of potential that will hopefully one day be resolved peacefully. Work Cited Demick, Barbara. Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea. New York: Spiegel and Grau, 2010. Print.
Posted on: Mon, 07 Apr 2014 01:46:36 +0000
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