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Elie Wiesel “The Perils of Indifference” Speech
Essay on the perils of indifference
Uses of effective communication
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Elie Wiesel stipulated a certain, demanding tone in his speech given on the topic of indifference. The use of rhetoric language he uses is compelling to his audience, it draws them into his claim of indifference as he demands for a change. “What will the legacy of this vanishing century be? How will it be remembered in the new millennium?” Elie exclaimed to the President.
His first two paragraphs talk in detail about when he was liberated and how even though he could not understand the language of the American soldiers, he knew from their eyes the rage they felt when they saw the living conditions and even if they wanted to they could not forget or ignore what the soldiers saw in the concentration camp. By making the Nazi’s and indifferent countries look like the bad guy , it makes him look like the good guy and people should have sympathy for him. Elie Wiesel purpose for speaking to the audience of bystanders was to show just how tragic the Holocaust was and how those who ignored it were just as guilty as the offenders. By emotionally recalling the gruesome events that Wiesel and millions of other people had to endure, people show sympathy and feel a sense of
“I didn't know that this was the moment in time and place where I was leaving my mother and Tzipora forever. ”Wiesel said in the book Night pg.29. How he shows his efforts of becoming a great humanitarian is that after the war he wrote about the time he had spent there and did
I believe that Mr. Wiesel was trying to put forth the ideas that if you don’t try to make a difference, the world will never change for the better. We should all do our upmost to make our world a better, and more improved place for our youth to
Cydnee Lopez Ms.Trelease English 1010 23 October 2015 Rhetorical Analysis-Perils of Indifference Well known writer, world activist, and Holocaust survivor, Elie Wiesel, in his speech, Perils of Indifference, elaborates on on the topic of indifference, within our country/society and consequences and achievements because of it. The speech was delivered on the 12th of April 1999, in Washington, D.C., as part of the Millennium Lecture Series hosted by the White House. Directed towards the audience of the White House, Government officials, and Americans. Wiesel's purpose is to show reference to how indifference has allowed many good and and bad things to happen throughout america's history.
Firstly, in “The Perils of Indifference”, Elie Wiesel uses rhetorical questions to get us thinking on the thought of what life would be like for people after the Holocaust. “Does it mean that we have learned from the past?” “Has the human being become less indifferent and more human?” “Have we really learned from our experiences?”
America could have also stopped doing business with Germany, so they wouldn’t have made things worse. Since no one was stopping Germany, Hitler thought this was a way to move forward with his plans. Mr. Wiesel reflects his experiences in this speech. By reflecting his experience we can understand that he wants a change. He tells us that some people saw what happened to them and didn’t do
In seeing human beings as less than human beings, individuals were able to treat one another with a lack of dignity and voice. Wiesel 's work reminds us that anytime voice is silenced, dehumanization is the result. This becomes its own end that must be stopped at all
The entire world was so ignorant to such a massacre of horrific events that were right under their noses, so Elie Wiesel persuades and expresses his viewpoint of neutrality to an audience. Wiesel uses the ignorance of the countries during World War II to express the effects of their involvement on the civilians, “And then I explain to him how naive we were, that the world did know and remained silent. And that is why I swore never to be silent when and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation” (Weisel). To persuade the audience, Elie uses facts to make the people become sentimental toward the victims of the Holocaust. Also, when Weisel shares his opinion with the audience, he gains people onto his side because of his authority and good reputation.
In conclusion, Elie Wiesel is a Holocaust survivor that delivers his effective speech on effects of indifference and makes sure the audience is aware coming into this new century. He uses facts from his history multiple time to back up his purpose. Furthermore, he leaves the audience with sympathy due to his history, but his ambition was to act as an admonition towards all the American people; that we should not only focus on what’s affecting our nation but to look over those who are on the verge of suffering. Not to mention that Wiesel’s message can be reflected as a reminder for today’s generation to prevent history from repeating.
Indifference need to be gain awareness and be stopped. He develops his claim by narrating the dangers of indifference, and how it affected his life then, describes how wrongful it is to be treated in such a way. Finally Wiesel illustrates examples of how indifference affected the world. Wiesel’s purpose is to inform us about the dangers of indifference in order to bring change about it. He establishes a straightforward tone for the president, ambassadors, politicians, and congressmen.
Henry Hultberg Mr. Bolton CIHS Public Speaking 7 March, 2023 Great Speech Analysis: The Perils of Indifference Elie Wiesel, in his persuasive speech, “The Perils of Indifference”(1999) emphasizes the dangers of apathy and indifference and that people should not look away from the pain and suffering that people go through. Wiesel develops and supports his thesis with his use of imagery, repetition, and rhetorical questions(vocabulary. com). Wiesel’s purpose is to persuade the audience that people should not turn away from human suffering and ignore it. Wiesel is addressing the White House, as he emphasizes in a formal tone that being indifferent to other people's suffering only increases the suffering that people face.
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.
Wiesel informed people of what happened in the holocaust, yet his true purpose was to persuade and inspire change in the mindsets of powerful people. The speech was given in front of the president, his staff, and members of Congress. His purpose was to stop indifference when it comes to injustice, whether or not it is in America. “Indifference elicits no response. Indifference is not a response.
Elie Wiesel Rhetorical Speech Analysis Elie Wiesel, a holocaust survivor and winner of a Nobel peace prize, stood up on April 12, 1999 at the White House to give his speech, “The Perils of Indifference”. In Wiesel’s speech he was addressing to the nation, the audience only consisted of President Clinton, Mrs. Clinton, congress, and other officials. The speech he gave was an eye-opener to the world in his perspective. Wiesel uses a variety of rhetorical strategies and devices to bring lots of emotion and to educate the indifference people have towards the holocaust. “You fight it.
