Haley Gudeman Mr. Holschuh AP Language and Composition 21 March 2023 Precipice of a New Century Elie Wiesel, Nobel Peace Prize winner and human rights activist gave his speech The Perils of Indifference to President Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, and members of Congress on April 12, 1999. The world is on the precipice of a new century, and Wiesel shares his thoughts on the future and the past. Elie Wiesel is not only an activist, but he is also an author and survivor of the Holocaust. He has personally experienced the effects of indifference and has seen how it affects the lives of millions of people. In his speech, he reflects on the horrors that have occurred this past century, pondered the prevalence of indifference, emphasizes the effect …show more content…
Using juxtaposition, Elie Wiesel reflects on the horrors that have occurred this past century and their effects on people. He tells a story about a young Jewish boy who was just freed from the Buchenwald concentration camp and was “finally free, but there was no joy in his heart.” This boy has just been released from imprisonment but has experienced such horrors that he is not able to enjoy his freedom. This shows the true effect of his imprisonment and torture, and how this experience will haunt him for the rest of his life. He may grow up, but this experience will never leave him. This shows the true effect of his imprisonment and how this experience will never leave him; he may grow up but he can never leave this experience behind. The young boy was not the only person who had these horrible experiences. Millions of other Jews experienced this pain, and many of them never got to experience freedom again. The boy, as well as many others have experienced such tragedies that they have lost hope for the future. The audience can feel the pain and hopelessness that this young boy felt after experiencing persecution and torture. …show more content…
He uses the idea that humans can be inhuman to emphasize the pain and suffering that people can inflict. He says “to be indifferent to that suffering is what makes the human being inhuman.” He highlights that humans can be extremely cruel to other humans solely through their indifference. When one ignores the suffering around them, they lose some of their humanity. Wiesel also presents this idea by saying “in denying their humanity, we betray our own.” He draws attention to the cruelties inflicted on other people when a person betrays their humanity. Standing by and watching people suffer is just as damaging as inflicting the suffering. The audience feels guilty for the times they may have been bystanders and became less than human. Wiesel emphasizes that other people are affected by indifference through his use of the phrase “Indifference, then, is not only a sin, it is a punishment.” This phrase switches the idea that indifference is something that hurts an individual to something that hurts numerous other people. Not only is the indifferent person sinning, but they are also punishing other people through their indifference. The audience starts to notice their guilt and sin and how they punished others for their