Points of View

"A Problem from Hell:' American and the Age of Genocide is written in a third person narration. The narrator relates the events within the United States and in other countries, offering interpretation for the reader the importance and meaning of these events.

The book focuses on situations of genocide during the twentieth century and relies on narrative to take the reader into the countries where genocide occurred. This technique allows the reader to simultaneously see the events and see what is going on in the United States during that particular time. The reader is able to see what the U.S. policymakers knew about genocidal situations as they developed and how they reacted to these situations.

The narrator also helps the reader interpret the events and situations. In doing so, the narration comes from the perspective that the United States did not do enough to...