Showcasing Trends Through Textual Analysis
Visually Identifiable Themes
- Nationalism
- Words that reference nation/state identity
- ex: “nation”, “state”, “germany”, “india”
- Words that reference nation/state identity
- Revolution
- Words that reference revolution
- ex: “revolution”, “free”, “swaraj”
- Words that reference revolution
- Common Identity
- Words that reference a sense of group identity with shared background/ values
- ex: “indians”, “germans”, community”, “friends”
- Words that reference a sense of group identity with shared background/ values
- Foreign Threat
- Words that reference the unification against a common external enemy
- ex: “jew”, “englishmen”, “marxist”
- Words that reference the unification against a common external enemy
- Cultural Past
- Words that reference a cultural/ historic past
- ex: “race”, “hind”, “war”, “aryan”, “mahomedans”
- Words that reference a cultural/ historic past
- Religon
- Words that reference religion/ spirit
- ex: “god”, “evil”, “spirit”
- Words that reference religion/ spirit
- Modernity
- Words that reference the contemporary changing world
- ex: “modern”, “awakening”, “new”
- Words that reference the contemporary changing world
- Certainty
- Words that reference confidence/ certainty of outcome
- ex: “certain”, “vow”, “surely”
- Words that reference confidence/ certainty of outcome
Positive and Negative Rhetorical Analysis
- Negative Words
- Stress human fears and contemporary horrors
- Showcase extreme dissatisfaction with present condition
- ex: “fear”, “struggle”, “violence”, “slavery“
- Positive Words
- Call for a brighter future of progress
- Certainty of Utopian outcomes
- ex: “great”, “peace”, “love”, “strength”
Comparing Identifiable Themes
Using the Digital Textual Analysis Tool Voyant, I compared each most common correlating word from each specific source to its representative theme to Identify commonalities between the texts
Mein Kampf (Hitler)
Word Linked to Theme
Nationalism = “nation”
Common Identity = “german”
Foreign Threat = “jew”
Cultural Past = “race”
Modernity = “modern”
Certainty = “certain”
Positive = “great”
Negative = “struggle”
Hind Swaraj or Indian Home Rule (Gandhi)
Word Linked to Theme
Nationalism = “nation”
Common Identity = “india”
Foreign Threat = “english”
Cultural Past = “hind”
Modernity = “modern”
Certainty = “certain”
Positive = “passive”
Negative = “fear”
An Autobiography or The Story of My Experiments with Truth (Gandhi)
Work Linked to Theme
Nationalism = “satyagraha”
Common Identity = “india”
Foreign Threat = “english”
Cultural Past = “god”
Certainty = “vow”
Positive = “great”
Negative = “fear”
Positive and Negative Rhetorical Analysis
These graphs highlight a colorations between Negative Words and Foreign Threats and Positive Words linked to Nationalism, Common Identity, and References to Cultural Past
- Negative Words
- Stress human fears and contemporary horrors
- Showcase extreme dissatisfaction with present condition
- ex: “fear”, “struggle”, “violence”, “slavery“
- Positive Words
- Call for a brighter future of progress
- Certainty of Utopian outcomes
- ex: “great”, “peace”, “love”, “strength”
Negative Word Usage
Positive Word Usage
Conclusive Findings
- Located Identifiable themes between documents
- Product of shared experiences and insights regarding the transforming world
- Emergence of Charismatic 20th Century Leadership
- Commonalities in Positive and Negative Usages
- Negative: Stress fears and horrors of the contemporary
- Correlation: Negative Words = Foreign Threat
- Positive: Present hope for a brighter future
- Correlation: Positive Words = Common Identify, Nationalism, Cultural Past
- Negative: Stress fears and horrors of the contemporary
Comparing the sources use of positive and negative words highlights that although they both use powerful negative words to emphasize their extreme dissatisfaction with their contemporary condition, they look to the future they hoped to change with optimism and positivity. Moreover, positive paradigm may be a contributing factor to the success of the men’s following.