Ruediger T. answered 08/28/21
Language expert - German, English, French - 30 years experience
Hello Kacim
Looking at Merriam-Webster's dictionary (it is free online !), I found this:
Definition of anger: a strong feeling of displeasure (and usually antagonism)
Definiton of rage: violent and uncontrolled anger
Based on just those two definitions, which would you say is stronger - a strong feeling of displeasure or a strong feeling of displeasure that is also violent and uncontrolled ? The answer should be easy, and that is part one of your task. You can safely say that rage is the more intense reaction.
Now to the second part: would the liberated man be content with mere anger as a reaction to his plight? He said he would "always be grateful" for the soldiers' reaction. Given that the concentration camp he was liberated from stands for unimaginable horrors - it seems impossible to think of anything worse - is it even conceivable that he would be content with a mere feeling of displeasure however strong?
The task you were given in class is about the meaning of words in context. Words often have many meanings and nuances. They can be appropriate in one context and less so in another. No dictionary can account for the infinite possibilities of context, and no definition fully captures a word. A fancy linguistic term for this is "semantic range". No two words ever are 100% synonyms. But in your example (man liberated from greatest possible horrors) it is not mere nuance we are looking for. Clearly only the strongest word is appropriate.
So please, never underestimate the usefulness of a good dictionary. Never underestimate how far you can go on your own before turning to help. You can do it!