The Perils of Indifference Analysis Elie Wiesel, in his remembrance speech, “The Perils of Indifference” (1999) illustrates the dangers of the indifference that admitted the horrors of the Holocaust. Wiesel tells his illustration with an emotional tone and supports his thesis by drawing on memories of his own Holocaust experience. Wiesel’s purpose is to bring attention to the people that were treated with indifference in the 20th century, in order to advise the US and people everywhere to do better in the new century. Wiesel is specifically addressing the White House at the Seventh Millennium Evening lecture, but his emotional message is intended for all people, as he tells the consequences of apathy toward others. Eliezer Wiesel was born in Sighet, Romania on September 30th, 1928. Wiesel's parents were Shlomo and Sarah Wiesel, and he grew up with two older sisters, Beatrice and Hilda, and one younger, Tzipora. Growing up in a Jewish home, Wiesel was influenced by his religious roots and pursued religious studies at a nearby yeshiva. However, this stopped in 1940 when Hungary annexed Sighet and the Wiesels became one of the thousands of …show more content…
It was given to recognize the events of the 20th century as the world moved into the 21st century. Wiesel looked back on how people were treated with indifference and asked that the US government and people do better in the new millennium. This was a great speech because of the timing and message. The 20th century was full of wars, poverty, and hatred among peoples. Not only did these terrible things happen, but the victims of them were, in general, treated with indifference by governments and society. Wiesel reviewed the events of the 20th century and used an emotional tone to encourage a kinder society going into the next century. Along with real-life examples, Wiesel also uses many rhetorical devices to argue his