Summary Of The Perils Of Indifference

Jewish writer, professor, political activist, Nobel Laureate, and Holocaust survivor, Elie Wiesel in his heartfelt speech, The perils of indifference, claims that the world needs to learn from their mistakes and that the problems of the past should not be repeat. He supports his claim by highlighting the mistakes of the past like the Pentagon knowing but not doing anything about the holocaust; “And now we knew, we learned, we discovered that the Pentagon knew, the State Department knew.” (Wiesel Paragraph 17). Wiesel’s purpose is to inform us about the tragedies of the past in order to warn us about genocides repeating. He establishes a serious tone for the reader by using stylistic devices such as imagery, similes, and metaphors, in order in order to achieve his purpose that the world should not repeat the past's mistakes. Wiesel’s message about the inhumanity of indifference and the importance of resistance is still relevant today.

During the span of 4 years the Khmer Rouge killed an estimated 1.7 and 2 million Cambodians. With little to no outcry from the international community. “The Khmer Rouge took control of the Cambodian government in 1975, with the goal of turning the country into a communist agrarian utopia. In reality, they emptied the cities and evacuated millions of people to labor camps where they were starved and abused” (The Cambodian Genocide). Doctors, teachers and other educated people, as well as monks, the rich, and anyone who did not accept there ways were killed. Wiesel's warning, if ignored can result in serious problems for the future. For this reason, the world must work together to make sure another tragedy like this will not