A study of literary devices and editorial writing

"The Angel of Death, they say"
by editorial writer Mark Genrich
published in The Phoenix Gazette

This editorial is rich with possibilities for discussion and understanding of the art of writing.

PRE-READING

Most students will not know Josef Mengele. The power of Mengele as symbol is to understand who he was in history. An excellent essay to read for background is "What Made This Man? Mengele" by psychologist Robert Jay Lifton. Check out this site for a short summary of Mengele’s life.

Have students read the background material for homework.

"The Angel of Death, they say" works very well as a block lesson. Give students the editorial to read at the beginning of class. After reading the entire editorial, explicate the seven-paragraph editorial paragraph by paragraph.

Some suggestions for discussion follow each paragraph.

PARAGRAPH 1

They say the most wanted man in the world, fugitive Nazi Josef Mengele, has been found. They say the man responsible for the murders of 400,000 people at the Auschwitz death camp in Poland, died in 1979. They say "The Angel of Death" who headed Auschwitz's medical department between May 1943 and January 1945, died in a swimming accident in Brazil and was buried at Embu.

1. Writers are advised not to use the indefinite pronoun to begin sentences. To whom does "they" refer?

2. Discuss the repetition. "They say" begins all three sentences. What effect is achieved by this repeating of the same subject and verb?

3. Discuss the parallel structure. It is a sophisticated unfolding of information.

4. What is the order or intensity of information given through parallel structure?

5. What is the effect on the reader of the most specific, factual information coming at the end of the sentences?

6. What is the news peg upon which this editorial is written?

PARAGRAPH 2

Positive identification, they say, will be difficult. The remains of matted hair and darkened bones are not well preserved and the dental records are inconclusive.

1. The repetition of the phrase "they say" continues. What do students note about the change in placement to within the sentence?

2. Who or what was the source of information given in the second sentence?

3. How does the second sentence play off of the first sentence?

PARAGRAPH 3

But this is the Angel of Death, they say. This is Josef Mengele.

1. Sentences should not begin with conjunctions ("and," "but," "or"). When guidelines are broken, professional writers usually have a reason. Why do you think the writer began his sentence with "but"?

2. What impact does the second sentence have?

3. Is it important that it is only four words? Why do writers use short sentences?

PARAGRAPH 4

They are wrong. The grave at Embu held teeth and bones. Josef Mengele walks elsewhere.

1. This paragraph like the first paragraph is composed of three sentences. How do they differ?

2. Again a short sentence (of three words) is present. Impact on reader? Persuasive technique?

3. What is its further impact following a four-word sentence and beginning a new paragraph?

4. What role does this paragraph play in relation to the whole editorial?

5. What is the significance of the verb "walks"? In the Elements of Style Strunk and White, encourage writers to use the active voice. They state, "… when a sentence is made stronger, it usually becomes shorter. Thus, brevity is a by-product of vigor." How is this concept exemplified in this paragraph?

PARAGRAPH 5

Mengele is in Afghanistan, his hand on the shoulder of a Soviet soldier executing villagers, women and children. Mengele is playing cards in a watch tower with an East German border guard, waiting to kill a family escaping to the West. Mengele is laughing with Soviet surrogates in Ethiopia as he watches thousands die of starvation. Mengele is the co-pilot of Soviet jets shooting down unarmed civilian airlines.

1. In this paragraph, Mark Genrich uses allusion. This illustrates both the power of allusion and its drawback. Editorials are meant to be read in the present, therefore, readers were familiar with the references to Afghanistan, East Germany and Ethiopia. Do students know about these events?

2. How does context help to convey idea?

3. What concept is Genrich communicating in this paragraph?

4. What countries would students use to replace these?

5. If they can name many replacements, is Genrich's message reinforced?

PARAGRAPH 6

Mengele whispers in the ear of Lee Harvey Oswald, Sirhan Sirhan, James Earl Ray and Ali Agca. He is adviser to the PLO and counselor for the IRA. He is in Lebanon and Vietnam, Cuba and Chile, South Africa and Cambodia. He is wherever the horror of man's darkest and deepest nightmares come true.

1. Who are the individuals to whom editorial writer Genrich alludes?

2. Why are the first three definitely known by students today?

3. If you tell students that the first three successfully assassinated their targets, the fourth was not successful, can they guess who Ali Agca is? Add that his victim forgave him.

4. Not all will agree that the PLO, the IRA and Lebanon are appropriate metaphors for evil. How does one's own philosophy, ethnic background and political beliefs influence reaction to editorials?

5. With what groups would they replace PLO and IRA?

6. What countries would they use today?

PARAGRAPH 7

No, that is not Josef Mengele buried in a grave at Embu. Josef Mengele is somewhere else.

1. What is the effect of "No,"? Is the slight pause required after no effective?

2. The first sentence ties back to the first paragraph. Is this unity needed after paragraphs 5 and 6?

3. What is the effect on the reader of the last sentence being five words?

4. How does knowing what Josef Mengele did during W.W.II help in understanding the editorial?

5. Is the title ironic when one considers Mengele's profession was that of a physician, a healer?