An Ordinary Man Rusesabagina Analysis

In An Ordinary Man, Rusesabagina describes his first-hand account of the mass murdering of the Tutsis. He talks about his experience and what he did to keep over a thousand people safe. First off, his thesis and purpose will be clarified through examining different quotes and passages. Next, his strategies for getting across his points will be scrutinized. Rusesabagina uses many different points to get his purpose across to the readers. He uses not only his personal experiences but recalls history and how it played a part in the matter. Finally, I will give my thoughts on the memoir and how different themes and ideas were explored. Rusesabagina essentially describes the powerful impact of words and how they can be used to not only save lives

Throughout the story, Rusesabagina talks about the words he used and how they were no different than the ones he used managing his hotel. “They were no different than the words I would have used in saner times to order a shipment of pillow cases” (Rusesabagina pg#). In this case, he uses words to calmly talk to the people he is protecting, and in doing so, helps them keep their lives. In other times, specifically when the murders were going on throughout the town, words were used to get the Hutus to slaughter the Tutsis. “The words put out by radio station announcers were a major cause of the violence” (pg#). Rusesabagina states that when there was a specific target that “had to be killed” all their name, personal information, and travel plans were put out on the radio for everyone to here. In times like this, words were used for humans to do unjustifiable things. The use of words can cause huge outbreak if not used appropriately. As Rusesabagina states in the later part of the story, “Words are the most effective weapons of death in a man’s arsenal. But they can also be powerful tools of life” (pg#). This leads into the strategies that Rusesabagina uses to enforce his thesis to the