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Perils Of Indifference Ethos Pathos Logos

1173 Words5 Pages

Samuel Boren
Block
English II Honors
21 April 2023
An Analysis of “The Perils of Indifference” History scholars often ask how a tragedy as egregious as the Holocaust could have possibly happened. Why didn’t anyone stand up for Jewish people? In his speech, Eliezer Wiesel, a survivor of the Holocaust, argues it was due to indifference. He aims to raise awareness by speaking out about this dangerous mentality. In order for any speech to accomplish this, it is important to use the principles of ethos, logos, and pathos. These types of rhetorical devices make an argument more appealing to an audience. Ethos to give the speaker credibility, logos to appeal to logic, and pathos to stir emotion. Without the proper use of these devices, an argument …show more content…

In the opening sentence of his speech, Wiesel demonstrates ethos when he addresses the audience. He says, “Mr. President, Mrs. Clinton, members of Congress, Ambassador Holbrooke, friends:”(Eidenmuller). In this opening, he is addressing his audience before he begins his speech. This is an example of ethos because he addresses the audience as his friends. In doing this, he is making the audience equal to himself. He is respecting the audience, and in turn, the audience respects him. This is more appealing to the audience because Wiesel is making himself relatable. Had he left out “friends”, then the audience would not be able to relate to Wiesel as much. He again establishes ethos in the following sentence. Wiesel introduces himself to the audience. He says, “Fifty-four years ago to the day, a young Jewish boy from a small town in the Carpathian mountains woke up….”(Eidenmuller). Here, Wiesel introduces his younger self as a Jewish boy. This is an example of ethos because he is discussing the topic of World War II in his speech. Being a young Jewish man in the Second World War gives him credibility. Not only were people like Wiesel victimized, but Wiesel himself was a victim of the war. This demonstrates ethos because he has first-hand knowledge of what the war was like. If Wiesel hadn’t been around when the war happened, or if he left that out of the speech, the audience would have less reason to trust what he says about the …show more content…

As a preface to the bulk of his speech, Wiesel uses logos when he defines the term “indifference”. He states, “Etymologically, the word means “no difference”. A strange and unnatural state in which the lines blur between light and darkness, dusk and dawn, crime and punishment, cruelty and compassion, good and evil”(Eidenmuller). The main topic of Wiesel’s speech is the indifference Jewish people faced during World War II. So, he first explains what indifference is. This is an example of logos because Wiesel is able to appeal to the logical side of his audience. Even though he is using terms that cater more to emotion, he is still able to explain what exactly the word means. When indifference is a core component of the entirety of Wiesel’s speech, starting with something logical will help it stick with the audience. Instead of second-guessing what indifference could mean, they’ll trust Wiesel’s definition of the word. If he chooses not to define it, the audience may be a bit more skeptical to trust what he has to say about indifference. Wiesel again uses logos when he acknowledges the refugees turned away by the United States. He says, “The depressing tale of the St. Louis is a case in point. Sixty years ago, its human cargo--nearly 1,000 Jews--was turned back to Nazi Germany”(Eidenmuller). Wiesel is describing a time when Jewish refugees had a chance to escape Nazi Germany. However, due to a lack of concern on the behalf of the

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Wiesel introduces his first claim by asking the audience about their perspective of the word Indifference and gives it definition and his own to then again question his audience about its effects. The reason for this structure was to get to audience to really think about what he is asking to provide their own perspective of Indifference and to see if their answer is like his own. He repeats the first letter of every word to emphasize the contrast between those who are indifferent and those who are not (which is his answer). He therefore backs up his answer by providing another one of his personal experience about what happened behind the gates of Auschwitz and the people. As he grows more towards the topic of indifference, he takes the time

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First, Wiesel uses ethos to keep his audience engaged and believing what he’s saying. For example, “Fifty-four years ago to the day, a young Jewish boy from a small town in the Carpathian Mountains woke up, not far from Goethe’s beloved Weimar, in a place of eternal infamy called Buchenwald” (Wiesel). Wiesel uses this because it gives him credibility. He is the young Jewish boy and he knows what he’s talking about. This is important for the audience to know so they believe what he’s saying.

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American Jewish writer, and political activist Elie Wiesel, in his sympathetic speech “The Perils of Indifference” to send a strong message to the audience. As a survivor of the Holocaust, he supports his claim through his speech explaining the dangers of indifference from first hand experience. Specifically in his speech he refers to himself, “A young Jewish boy [..] woke up in a place of eternal infamy called Buchenwald”(par 1).. In addition, Wiesel use of rhetorical questions is for the audience to question or to think about indifference. Wiesel’s purpose is to warn people about indifference in order to “save” our future.

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Wiesel uses ethos throughout the majority of the speech as he recalls and states the horrors inflicted upon him and his fellow Jews. This ethos is valid because the audience knows he has first hand experience, as a Jew, with the holocaust. Wiesel

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Wiesel wanted to make us feel sad and trust him by using pathos in the speech. At the beginning of the speech, he states, “Do I have the right to accept this great honor on their behalf? I do not. No one may speak for the dead, no one may interpret their mutilated dreams and visions.” In this part of his talk, he tells the people that no one can ever make up for the loss of so many people in the concentration camps.

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The speaker uses his experiences in the concentration camp and the location of his speech to increase his credibility. He speaks directly to the president, “I stand before you, Mr. President” (310) to ensure the audience of the importance of the topic at hand. The president and White House are associated with importance; if the president is involved it must be important. Since Elie Wiesel is speaking in front of the president at the White House, the speaker and his subject must be important. Wiesel separates his younger self from his current self to deflect sympathy from the audience.

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He appeals to his audience by using pathos present in his repetition of “indifference.” he explains that the neutrality of indifference “is always the friend of the enemy, for it benefits the aggressor” (cite) he works to convince the audience to end their indifference because it does more harm than good. By not actively working to help the oppressed those who are indifferent avail the aggressor. Throughout his entire speech, Elie Wiesel effectively argues the

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Holocaust Survivor Elie Wiesel delivered a powerful speech titled “The Perils of Indifference” in which he expressed his disapproval of those who chose to ignore the suffering of others. he uses personal stories, historical truth, and a call to action, as well as ethos, logos, pathos, and repetition. Elie highlighted the fact that indifference can be more harmful than any other emotion or feeling of humans. his speech was a strong reminder of the consequences of our indifference and a call to action to make a difference in the world. Eli uses ethos in his speech when he constantly says “us” and “we” because it originated from his personal experience and others' experiences.

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Wiesel first presents his definition by iterating a loose description of the word but then he follows this description by asking a series of rhetorical questions each giving more for the audience to think about and potentially causing inner turmoil. Wiesel then details, “...indifference can be tempting -- more than that, seductive. It is so much easier to look away from victims. It is so much easier to avoid such rude interruptions to our work, our dreams, our hopes. It is, after all, awkward, troublesome, to be involved in another person's pain and despair” (2).

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He understood those who needed help. Why didn't he allow these refugees to disembark?” With this background information Wiesel is confused on what Roosevelt was thinking when he sent the ship back. His purpose of this was to show his audience the indifference in Roosevelt he sent that ship back to the Nazis to the same people who had beaten those refugees. Turned the ship around for no known reason.

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When Wiesel makes it clear that he has suffered personal loss, he is evoking an emotional response from his audience. By stating that he senses their presence “The presence of my parents, that of my little sister.” the audience empathizes with him and the horror of the Holocaust is made more clear for them. They cannot only understand his feelings; they can connect to them which strengthens their understanding of the need to act whenever they witness inhumanity.

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Wiesel pinpoints the indifference of humans as the real enemy, causing further suffering and lost to those already in peril. Wiesel commenced the speech with an interesting attention getter: a story about a young Jewish from a small town that was at the end of war liberated from Nazi rule by American soldiers. This young boy was in fact himself. The first-hand experience of cruelty gave him credibility in discussing the dangers of indifference; he was a victim himself.

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In the speech, titled “The Perils of Indifference,” Elie Wiesel showed gratitude to the American people, President Clinton, and Mrs. Hillary Clinton for the help they brought and apprised the audience about the violent consequences and human suffering due to indifference against humanity (Wiesel). This speech was persuasive. It was also effective because it conveyed to the audience the understanding of

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Wiesel’s use of ethos, pathos, logos, diction, and allusion certainly gives the audience information and emotions he was hoping

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Elie Wiesel voiced his emotions and thoughts of the horrors done to Jewish people during World War II whilst developing his claim. Wiesel “remember[s] his bewilderment,” “his astonishment,” and “his anguish” when he saw they were dropped into the ghetto to become slaves and to be slaughtered. He repeats the words “I remember” because he and the world, especially those who suffered in the ghettos and camps, would never be able to forget how innocent suffered. Consequently, he emphasized that “no one” has the right to advocate for the dead. Like many other people in the world, he lost his family during the war.

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