Research Paper on Evidence of the Use of the Tool of Hyperbole in the Great Dictator by Charlie Chaplin

Introduction

Charlie Chaplin, the director, and actor of the Great Dictator made a successful attempt at analyzing the leadership style that Adolf Hitler used during his reign. Chaplin's use of comedy and drama to bring to attention the issues facing the society was a success (Bolens 153). As opposed to the composer's previous works where he focuses on pure comedy, there were great expectations from the society on the quality of work he would provide when the drama would be complete. The satire adopted in the comedy reveals the condemnation that Chaplin had towards the style of leadership used by Hitler, as well as the dissatisfaction and suffering that people had as a result of the dictatorship of their leader. Chaplin's ability to play two roles, of a dictator and a Jewish professional barber who faces persecution is a success. Chaplin interchanges the two roles with ease since he has an understanding of the suffering that Hitler's subjects felt. The subjects had no power and despite where they went, the dictator extended his political influence so that he would get hold of individuals that provoked him (Chaplin67). The use of hyperbole throughout the drama, which is an exaggeration and use of excess acts to illustrate to the audience the character and behavior of Hitler. Hitler is the motivation behind the drama since his character and autocratic style of leadership had affected the lives of people. It was also during the World War that Hitler had power and authority to make decisions that affected people in his country and those living in surrounding regions (Henkemans 45). This paper will illustrate ways in which Charlie Chaplin has successfully used the tool of hyperbole in representing Hitler's character and the effectiveness of the approach. It will also describe the terrible things that Hitler did while in leadership. It will illustrate Hitler's leadership through Chaplin's character in the drama. The hyperbole tool of poetry has been successfully employed in the Great Dictator, by Charlie Chaplin in illustrating his leadership style of being a dictator.

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Background of the Film

The Great Dictator is a political comedy-drama released in 1940 by Carlie Chaplin. Being one of the successful persons in the film industry by engaging in silent films, Chaplin had high expectations that his work would receive a positive reception from the audience (Chaplin 56). The film was written, produced, directed, and starred by Charlie Chaplin, who took more than one role as he choreographed the content. It was released at a period when The United States had a temporal understanding with the Nazis in Germany. Hitler had a significant influence on the Germans as he had instilled fear in them. This meant that citizens would engage in different activities as long as the rule originated from Hitler. There was also the aspect of intimidation and torture that Hitler has in his subjects which prompted them to obey him without questioning his authority. The negative influence that Hitler had on the Germans worked in his favor as he made sure that he got away with bad leadership (Bolens 159). The dictator's character and personality rhymed with the political position he occupied in Germany. At the time that the film was being released to the market in 1940, the world was going through a global war. This led to a great instability in the world as both leaders and locals focused on ways they would remain safe during the turmoil. Any time a turmoil happens, the lives of people are disrupted and some of them end up migrating to other countries where they choose to live as refugees. This is caused and fueled by the hostility and political instability in the nation of origin. However, the most important thing that refugees and people that run away to safety in other countries is ensure that they get proper documentation in the host nation.

Hitler's perception towards leadership had affected a large number of people (Wilson 207). The effect was negative since most of them were suffering while others had already lost their lives. In addition, political satire was almost impossible during Hitler's tenure since leaders did not like it when the public acted out their character. Chaplin was brave enough to play Hitler's character despite the impending danger of facing persecution from the leader. Chaplin exaggerates Hitler's character in The Great Dictator, which helps send a message to the audience on what the leader did to subjects that supported him and those that did not (Bolens 156). In addition, it illustrates the fear and uncertainty that citizens had through the character of the barber, acted out by Chaplin when he ran away from the dictator leader, Hynkel. A large amount of finances that Hynkel was willing to invest in the militants is also an indication of the commitment that the dictator had towards ensuring that he maintained a large following. It also helped in fighting off both external and internal attacks. It was also possible to ensure that Hynkel would reach put to different people he wished even though some of them had been running away from him (Kona 88). Hynkel's leadership was important for his country since it ensured that its enemies kept off from him since they were aware of the harsh character of the leader. Hence, it was both a strength and weak point for the citizens. It enabled them to focus on engaging in activities that helped the country grow economically. However, the youths, comprising of both young men and women felt the blunt side of Hynkel's leadership as they were forced to join the military (Cardullo 181). Being in the military meant that the youths were under the leadership and direction of their commanders who often exposed them to harsh conditions during the training session. Most of them were exposed to new environments and most lost their lives during the training session.

The use of hyperbole in The Great Dictator is evident when Hynkel uses force to get rid of the Jews after one banker who is from the Jewish community fails to finance his militant projects. As a leader, Hynkel feels and thinks he has the power to command people to fulfill his wishes, without considering that businesspersons have to consider other factors since they are operating organizations (Bolens 148). Hynkel had the ability to influence things in his favor but was not obligated to force people to do what he wanted. The inhuman act of purging Jews was morally and politically wrong since it denied the Jews a chance to enjoy their human rights like they should have done. During Hitler's leadership, he did have a reliable source of income that helped support his militant dreams which made sure that he did not take resources from his countrymen by force. For instance, in his conquests, he ensured that he gathered enough resources from his enemies that provided an extra source of income for him. In addition, his alliance with neighboring countries ensured that he got the financial support as and when he needed it to ensure that he fulfilled his dreams (Kona 67). Hitler did not also like Jews and ensured that they suffered during his tenure ship. The hatred stemmed from his inability to successfully kick out his artist career. In addition, when Germany was defeated in the First World War, it led to Hitler to believe that the country had been betrayed by the Jews. This made Hitler create an environment that led to Jews feeling the negative impact. Even though Hitler was not extreme in his hatred towards the Jews, Hynkel in The Great Dictator exaggerated the negative perception he had towards the Jews by instructing a purge against them. This made it hard for the Jews to live in peace in the environment (Wilson 206). A contrast between the trigger for the hatred between the two leaders for the Jews is that Hitler felt the betrayal after the defeat in war while Hynkel felt the same pain after failing to get funding from a Jewish banker.

Chaplin uses the tool of hyperbole in The Great Dictator when he makes a call for people to live in harmony with each other despite the suffering he had exposed his followers to in the past. Hynkel had invaded Osterlich, one of the countries that had remained independent for a long time. the invasion had disrupted the lives of individuals with the children and women feeling the negative effect more than any other person. The lives of the persons had become unbearable since they were not allowed to come out of their homes. Families were also trapped since they were unable to move from one place to another due to the heavy presence of the military officers. For instance, Hannah, the barber's girlfriend's family feels the negative effect of the immediate invasion by being trapped. Hynkel had previously signed a treaty between him and Napaloni (Potter 79). This scene by Chaplin was an illustration of how Hitler can invaded Europe and taken over the countries. this was against the wishes of the European-based countries since the heavy military forces from Germany made it impossible for them to lead their lives normally. Hitler also forced some of the countries in the European Union to surrender despite the occurrence of war. Invasion of an enemy camp and administration meant that Hitler could take over the operations of the country. the invading force in Ostrelich made the citizens suffer as they tortured the locals. Women lived in fear and isolation since they feared being sexually harassed by the officers. Most men lost their lives if they tried to show any form of resistance. In addition, forceful recruitment to the military made men lose their families as they were expected to leave their wives and children behind. Anxiety from separation made most men disregard and disrespect Hynkel (Kona 78). Even though this was an exaggeration from Chaplin on the character of Hitler to force men to join the military forces, he persuaded most youths to join the army so that they could help protect the welfare of their country.

Another illustration of hyperbole in The Great Dictator is evident in how Chaplin makes fun of the banners possessed by the Nazis from Germany (Tolson 166). As with the norm of each group that sets itself apart from the crowds and make a unique flag, the Nazi had come up with a creative way of representing their identity through formulation of a banner and a set of uniform. This meant that every member of the Nazi group had to adorn a uniform. This meant that they would be easily identifiable when in a crowd. In The Great Dictator, Chaplin uses the symbol of a cross to represent the banner by the Nazi. The cross symbol was used in most items in the film as an exaggeration of the representation of Hynkel's militants (King 211). In the play, buckets and other items have the cross symbol. This is a satirical representation of the swastika symbol that was respected and adored by the Nazi army in their banners and uniforms. Hitler's authority had instructed the militants to paste the swastika symbol in all uniforms. The Nazi had a large following which seemed like a cult due to the attraction it had towards the citizens as well as the rules that governed the group (Potter 88). The attachment Hynkel had towards the cross symbol is an indication of the strong feelings that Hitler had with the swastika symbol. Hitler greatly influenced the decisions made in Germany by advocating for different rituals that justified the assumption of the Nazi Groups being a cult. Chapin almost made it mandatory for every citizen to ensure that they possessed branded items representing the political affiliation. This meant that persons who wore the branded items had to display the logo in public which would act as a way of marketing and attracting more interested parties. However, the most important virtue that Chaplin needed was commitment.

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