Analysis Of Elie Wiesel's Speech

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In 1986, the Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Elie Wiesel for his book Night, a memoir of his experience during the Holocaust. His acceptance speech was intended to ensure that the events of the Holocaust were not echoed in the future; that no human being would be subjected to the same torment that he was. Malala Yousafzai was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 for her fight for the right to education of children and all young people. In her acceptance speech, Yousafzai shows great knowledge about the subject, and through touching stories and comments on her assassination attempt by the Taliban, she reaches out to people from all over the world. Through the use of rhetorical appeals and techniques, both authors manage to get their messages across.
Wiesel subtly influences his audience to feel the agony that he felt during the events of the Holocaust, and the pain that he still feels today over losing so many important people in his life. This is due to his use of pathos throughout the speech, and he addresses that, “No one may speak for the dead, no one may interpret their mutilated dreams and visions.” Wiesel understands that his speech can only honor the individuals who lost their lives in the torturous concentration camps, but he can’t speak on their behalf. He goes on to say that he still feels the presence of the people he lost, “The presence of my parents, that of my little sister. The presence of my teachers, my friends, my companions.” Wiesel wanted the