The Primitive Life of a Prisoner

         

"The angels are lost in perpetual contemplation of an infinite glory." 

    Viktor Frankl often uses rhetoric in his writing to relate the daily struggles of a concentration camp prisoner back to something the reader can identify with. Frankl uses an analogy in the following passage to achieve this goal: 

"He thought of himself then as only a part of an enormous mass of people; his existence descended to the level of animal life. The men were herded-sometimes to one place then to another; sometimes driven together then apart-like a flock of sheep without a thought or a will of their own. A small but dangerous pack watched them from all sides, well versed in methods of torture and sadism. They drove the herd incessantly, backwards and forwards, with shouts, kicks and blows. And we, the sheep, thought of two things only-how to evade the bad dogs and how to get a little food" 

    In this passage, Frankl very effectively uses an analogy to compare the supervised walk to work, to the herding of sheep. The purpose of this analogy is to clarify the daily life of a prisoner for the reader, a common theme throughout the book. Frankl also uses of imagery to make it easy to picture the group of prisoners on the walk to work. This vivid imagery is important for the reader, because it helps them further understand and relate to the subject. Frankl also uses pathos to play to the readers emotions. His description of the "bad dogs" and their torture makes the reader feel sympathetic.
    Frankl's use of rhetoric all supports his argument; that life was primitive, and even animal-like in the concentration camp.  Frankl addresses this argument often in his book, and claims that the terrible conditions of the concentration camp stripped the prisoners of any non-primitive thoughts or actions. However, he also argues that there is a way to find a will to live, despite their terrible conditions. This is the very basis of Man's Search for Meaning.