Essay about Elie Wiesel’s “The Perils of Indifference” Speech

Elie Wiesel’s â€Å"The Perils of Indifference† Speech Elie Wiesel, a Noble Peace Prize winner and Boston University Professor, presented a speech as part of the Millennium Lecture Series at the White House on April 12, 1999. President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary Clinton hosted the formal lecture series. Numerous dignitaries from a wide array of public, private and foreign office attended the event. Although Elie Wiesel designed his speech to persuade, it actually fell somewhat outside the deliberative genre category, as being more non-typical within this genre category. The speech is unique in a way that cascades it into a genre classification considered as a hybrid deliberative genre. Wiesel produces this hybrid genre by bending or†¦show more content†¦He did this with the main point of his speech centering on how dangerous indifference can be to humankind. Elie Wiesel’s speech falls into the deliberative genre category, and was designed to influence his listeners into action by warning them about the dangers indifference can have on society as it pertains to human atrocities and suffering. The speech helped the audience understand the need for every individual to exercise their moral conscience in the face of injustice. Wiesel attempts to convince his audience to support his views by using his childhood experience and relating them to the harsh realities while living in Nazi Death Camps as a boy during the Holocaust. He warns, â€Å"To be indifferent to suffering is to lose one’s humanity† (Wiesel, 1999). Wiesel persuades the audience to embrace a higher level of level moral awareness against indifference by stating, â€Å"the hungry children, the homeless refugees-not to respond to their plight, not to relieve their solitude by offering them a spark of hope, is to exile them from human memory†. Wieselà ¢â‚¬â„¢s uses historical narrative, woven with portions of an autobiography to move his persuasive speech from a strictly deliberative genre to a hybrid deliberative genre. Wiesel is effective with his speech by blending forensic rhetoric within his discourse. He questions the guilt and responsibility for past massacres, pointing specifically at the Nazi’s while using historical facts, such as bloodbaths in Cambodian andShow MoreRelatedElie Wiesels Speech : The Perils Of Indifference1340 Words   |  6 PagesA wise, Ethiopian Ruler by the name of Haile Selassie once said that â€Å"throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph† Throughout millennia, despite many differences in language, cultural, and social structures, humans all developed the same characteristics like, for one; their approach in tragedies happening aroundRead MoreRhetoric And The Perils Of Indifference By Elie Wiesel1069 Words   |  5 PagesObserved in The Perils of Indifference Elie Wiesel, distinguished author and Holocaust survivor, spoke of his experience at the Millennium event in 1999. This event was hosted by President Clinton where Wiesel spoke about his experience in the Holocaust to commemorate the closing Millennium. Aside from this great honor, Elie Wiesel worked at Boston University for some time and acquired many medals of recognition such as The United States Congressional Medal as well as starting The Elie Wiesel FoundationRead MoreWiesel s Experience Of Injustice During The Holocaust984 Words   |  4 PagesAmong the few hundred survivors was Elie Wiesel. Wiesel was only fifteen years old when him and his family were deported to a concentration camp. His mother, father and younger sister were all killed within the camp, but Wiesel and his two older sisters were able to survive. After his traumatizing experience, Wiesel stood up for others who were being oppressed. Elie Wiesel fought injustices world-wide through his actions and inspiring m essages. Soon after Elie Wiesel was awarded the Nobel Peace PrizeRead MoreThe Perils Of Indifference By Elie Wiesel963 Words   |  4 Pagesthe White House and the 54th year after Franklin Roosevelt’s death. Years after personally experiencing the horrors of the Holocaust and World War II, Elie Wiesel shared his story with America among the President and First-lady, Hillary Clinton, to inspire the world to act upon social and political injustices. In his speech â€Å"The Perils of Indifference†, Wiesel opened up about his past and how it made him realize how important it is to stand up against crimes against humanity. He also discussed theRead MoreElie Wiesel: A Holocaust Survivor723 Words   |  3 Pagesbelieves he has a moral obligation to try to prevent the enemy from enjoying one last victory by allowing his crimes to be erased from human memory† (Wiesel, Night viii). As a result of the horrors that Elie Wiesel experienced during the Holocaust, he devoted his life t o become meaningful. Wiesel’s decent disposition changes through atrociously inhumane conduct toward Jews during the Holocaust as he becomes a brute to solidify identity, levy fears, and boost morale. Before his arrival in AuschwitzRead MoreThe Perils of Indifference Rhetorical Analysis731 Words   |  3 PagesSeptember 30, 2011 Perils of Indifference Rhetorical Analysis The Perils of Indifference speech by Elie Wiesel is one that is well crafted and that sends a strong message to the audience. Wiesel, a survivor of the Holocaust, addresses the issues of the 20th century in his speech while at the same time explaining the dangers of indifference. Wiesel’s appeals to his audience, as well as his strong message and arguments are what make this speech so effective. In any powerful speech, the speaker communicatesRead MoreThe Perils Of Indifference By Elie Wiesel939 Words   |  4 PagesThe Perils of Indifference What is it that separates us from animals? Is it our intelligence? Our anatomy? Or is there something more, deep inside each of us that distinguishes humanity from brute nature? To speaker Elie Wiesel, caring for others is what makes humans exhibit humanity. On April 12, 1999, Elie Wiesel delivered his speech called â€Å"The Perils of Indifference† before President Clinton and the entirety of Congress. Wiesel’s speech focuses on the atrocities that had occurred in the pastRead MoreElie Wiesels Perils of Indifference698 Words   |  3 PagesD.C., Elie Wiesel gave a speech during the Millennium Lecture Series that took place in the East Room of the White House. The speech was given in front of Mr. Bill and Mrs. Hillary Clinton, Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, and other officials. Elie Wiesel is an author most noted for his novel Night, a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, and political activist. In the speech he spoke on his view of indifference and explained how it was negati vely affecting humanity and the nation as a whole. The Perils of IndifferenceRead MoreGeorge Orwell s The Perils Of Indifference : Lessons Learned From A Violent Century954 Words   |  4 Pages407) and Elie Wiesel’s â€Å"The Perils of Indifference: Lessons Learned from a Violent Century† (Wiesel 289) both examine the effect of human actions. Wiesel’s speech is the more persuasive due to the emotional element as well his plainly stated view upon indifference, whereas Orwell’s narrative leaves the reader questioning his action. Elie Wiesel born in 1928 is a Jewish holocaust survivor, who later in life won the noble peace prize and published over 40 different books. The speech The Perils of Indifference:Read MoreAnalysis Of Elie Wiesels Speech1199 Words   |  5 Pageswaiting to die would you feel indifferent. Elie Wiesel, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and Boston University Professor, presented a speech as part of the Millennium Lecture Series at the White House on April 12, 1999 2.(Wiesel 221). President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary Clinton hosted the formal event. Numerous government officials from a wide order of public, private and foreign office attended the event 2.(Wiesel 221). Although Elie Wiesel designed his speech to persuade, it actually felt somewhat