WORDS ON THE LINE by Philip Vassallo: Splendid Sentences, Part 23: Robert Hughes on the Politics of Division

Friday, July 12, 2019

Robert Hughes's 1993 political commentary, Culture of Complaint: The Fraying of America, includes this sentence:

To divide a polity you must have scapegoats and hate objects—human caricatures that dramatize the difference between Them and Us.

This 21-word sentence presents six noteworthy rhetorical devices:

The choice of polity – Why not government, society, culture, civilization, or civilized people? Perhaps because he wants to send some readers to the dictionary, but the main reason is polity evokes all those alternative words.
The dropping of a comma after polity – Using the introductory comma would slavishly submit to grammatical standards, and Hughes does not want his readers even to slightly pause at that point.
The choice of you – Hughes could have selected the more grammatically appropriate people or we, or the more politically hyperbolic despots or plutocrats. But he is going for plain speak, not melodrama, drawing attention to an idea, not his use of language.
The use of a dash – A comma after objects would work well here, but as Russell Baker once said, we use dashes to shout. And Hughes shouts at just the right words—human caricatures.
The choice of dramatize – A simpler show, a more academic distinguish, a brighter highlight, or a more dramatic convulse could work here. But dramatize complements caricatures because of the similar images both words conjure.
The capitalization of Them and Us – People have used these contrasting words for generations. They are embedded in American culture, observant for the Australian-born Hughes, who arrived in New York at age 32.

Read previous installments of "Splendid Sentences" in WORDS ON THE LINE:

WORDS ON THE LINE by Philip Vassallo