Rwanda Genocide Research Paper

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Reaction to the Rwandan Genocide During the year of 1994, the tiny country of Rwanda saw the slaughtering of of nearly one million people in a period of one-hundred days. It was a genocide, the mass murder of African Tutsis that resided in Rwanda. The aftermath of the event left the international community feeling ashamed in their inability to intervene in the catastrophe. Even after the Genocide’s 20th anniversary people were still concerned for who was to blame.. In particular, Bernard Lévy, a french writer blamed France for the Rwandan Genocide because they were present in Rwanda when the killings began. In his article, Yes, France Is to Blame for Rwanda, Lévy stresses the failure of France to successfully intervene and points out that…show more content…
He vividly describes how the African Hutus were murdering their victims: “Hutu Militiamen...killing the way one clears brush, drunk with blood, grenades in hand, while French soldiers, stunned and sickened, were ordered to stand by and watch as...the skulls of Tutsi children were split open with machetes”(Lévy). It is interesting to note that he doesn’t mention adults rather children because it feels more gruesome. By explicitly mentioning that their skulls were “split open” he creates a mental picture in the audience’s mind that leaves them feeling disgusted with the actions the Hutu militiamen took. He uses children because he views them as a symbol of innocence, and assumes the audience feels the same way. He wants the audience to question why a child could have been killed and if there was any remorse. Also, by mentioning children he unknowingly makes his readers feel saddened and guilty at the same time for allowing a child to die. However, Levy is trying to emphasize that only his invoked audience, the French politicians should be ashamed. This can be seen when he says that the French soldiers were instructed to “stand by and watch”, by stating that they were instructed he specifically wants the audience to know that French politicians are the ones responsible for the death of the children. This is a strong accusation towards the French, and he makes sure the readers are aware of

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