Elie Wiesel was a Romanian born, Jewish writer, and was a survivor of the holocaust (Berger). His mother and younger sister were murdered right upon their arrival to that “other planet”. Indifference definition, lack of interest or concern: We were shocked by their indifference toward poverty. Definition of indifference. You're right. You denounce it. And, therefore, indifference is always a friend to the enemy, for it benefits the aggressor – never his victim. In the speech, “Perils of Indifference,” Elie Wiesel, the author of Night, conveys his message that indifference entices inhumanity as a lack of acknowledgement to a person’s suffering is advantageous to an assailant and “elicits no response” (3). Perils of Indifference...Perils of Indifference Wiesel develops his assertion by providing references to events in which action, rather than indifference,that could have saved countless lives; for example, Wiesel mentions both world wars, the assassinations of the Kennedys and Dr. Martin Luther King jr., and also of the numerous civil wars. How The Dutch Genius Became a Jew of Honor, Tikun Olam: The Story of Rabbi Allan Levine, a Civil Rights Activist, Got Milk: How the Dairy Companies Took Over Shavuot. • Who is the intended audience of the speech? Eli Wiesel was born 89 years ago to an orthodox Jewish family. You fight it. You might know Elie Wiesel (September 30, 1928 – July 2, 2016) from his famous and harrowing autobiography, Night, that recounts his experiences as a prisoner in a concentration camp during World War II. Indifference is not a response. “The opposite of love is not hatred, it’s indifference… Even hatred at times may elicit a response. Deconstruction Continued Passages 3. 2 This use of parallelism emphasizes the idea that indifference is being purposefully ignorant by repeating sentence structure and words. What is the central concept of his speech? Completing the CAPTCHA proves you are a human and gives you temporary access to the web property. You fight it. However, it wasn’t a brutal wish to kill and murderers or to abuse the abusers. Image: Children of all ages inside a concentration camp in Auschwitz Purpose The purpose of Wiesel's speech is to persuade the audience not to be indifferent to victims of injustice and cruelty. Elie’s father died within a few days. In 1944 Elie Wiesel, along with his family, was taken to Auschwitz extermination camp. Sure, there were more charismatic orators such as Winston Churchill, Vladimir Lenin, Adolf Hitler or Charles de Gaulle, and more famous speeches than his, such as “I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King or the unforgettable last words by King Charles I before his execution. It is with great pain and reserved anger that he mentions the miserable American decision to deny the Saint Louis refugees ship, which brought a thousand Jewish refugees to the shores of America – and send them back to the burning shores of Europe, where most of them perished by the Nazis later on. And that happened after the Kristallnacht, after the first state sponsored pogrom, with hundreds answer choices. Indifference is not a response. Remaining indifferent is choosing to define the lives of victims as without meaning or value. Elie used ethos, pathos, logo and kairos. Indifference, after all, is more dangerous than anger and hatred. However, as the historian Simon Sabag Montefiore stated in his preface to the bestseller “Speeches that Changed the World”: “For me, the best speech is one that marks no great event but merely pinpoints with splendid language, moral rigor, and righteous fury, the essence of all decent civilization: Elie Wiesel’s millennium address on “the perils of indifference”. And, therefore, indifference is always the friend of the enemy, for it benefits the aggressor -- never its victim, whose pain is magnified when he or she feels forgotten. If you are on a personal connection, like at home, you can run an anti-virus scan on your device to make sure it is not infected with malware. “, The liberation of Buchenwald concentration camp – Elie Wiesel lies, second row from bottom, seventh from left, To read the full speech manuscript, click here, Translated from Hebrew by Danna Paz Prins. “The opposite of love is not hatred, it’s indifference… Even hatred at times may elicit a response. It entered the “20th century hundred most important speeches” list by the prestigious magazine American Rhetoric, considered to be the most quoted speech in media faculties in the universities of Texas and Wisconsin, and is used until today as an educational text in Holocaust teaching in the Unites States’ public schools. At the end, and the start of a new millennium, or world has witnessed both atrocities and amazing displays of human compassion. The speech Perils of Indifference is a speech given by the author to the president and more important authority figures. • When and where was this speech delivered? • It means considering others as less than human. You disarm it. He questions the morals of other’s. Cloudflare Ray ID: 6237d65efe502bca – Elie Wiesel, The Perils of Indifference Was Rembrandt "One of ours"? Elie Weisel, “The Perils of Indifference”. The injustices, pain and suffering of our people cannot be taken for granted and therefore we should all join hands to show our compassion for those who were victimized by perils of indifference. Indifference is not a response.Indifference is not a beginning; it is an end." Throughout "The Perils of Indifference," Elie Wiesel talks about how choosing to be indifferent to the suffering of others only leads to more suffering, more discrimination, and more grief—and it also threatens the very humanity of the people that are so busy being indifferent. Though he was just a boy at that time, the experience set Wiesel on a lifelong journey to fight genocide and stand up for human rights. Wiesel is not afraid to harshly criticize the Unites States, even when speaking as the White House’s guest of honor. It’s power lies in the combination of  phenomenal rhetoric, shocking historical truths, a call for political and social action, and of course, the unique stirring personal story of the speaker. That indifference is worse than hate. You disarm it. The depressing tale of the St. Louis is a case in point. In April 1944, all of them were sent to the accursed death camp of Auschwitz. This is a sentiment that Elie Wiesel pushes throughout his speech, The Perils of Indifference. The repetition of "indifference is not" embodies the idea that indifference is doing nothing. See more. Repetition Throughout the speech, Elie repeats specific words such as gratitude, humanity, indifference, and God. The famous speech given by Elie Wiesel called “The Perils of Indifferences” was one of the best speeches given. Indifference elicits no response. Indifference is not a beginning; it is an end.” (American Rhetoric). Closely examine the memoir and your annotations to find examples of these features of language. Little did they know that Elie Wiesel’s speech was to become one of the world’s most famous speeches. Throughout his speech Wiesel repeats the word indifference quite often. Indifference elicits no response. Charged Language “Indifference is not a beginning; it is an end.”. What are its courses and inescapable consequences? Please check at least one newsletter name, Registration has been failed, please try again later, These are the Names of the Children of Israel in Egypt, The Jews of Afghanistan: Family Names and Origins, Additional Databases by the Museum of the Jewish People, Live! In the right margin, students are asked to work with vocabulary and rhetorical analy I recently listened to Wiesel's speech “The Perils of Indifference.” delivered on April 12, 1999, in the White House. These were the opening words of “The Perils of Indifference” by Elie Wiesel – a holocaust survivor, author, philosopher and intellectual. Wiesel’s speech, one of the greatest speeches of all times is a harsh indictment against the worst of human traits: indifference. Prayers could be heard from over 30 synagogues throughout the town. Indeed the speech deserves the praises. Challenge your struggling readers and English Language Learners to successfully tackle difficult text! In his speech, The Perils of Indifference, he discusses how indifference has hurt him, and everyone throughout the world. Sixty years ago, its human cargo -- nearly 1,000 Jews -- was turned away to Nazi Germany. Send a Shana Tova Card to Your Loved Ones! When the war was over, Elie Wiesel sought for revenge. The tone for the Wiesel speech can be understood since the overall main subject is to console and show compassion for all those victims of indifference. Your IP: 37.187.50.78 While in captivity he, and those he was with, felt abandoned and forgotten. He delivered this speech, “The Perils of Indifference,” at the White House in 1999 as part of a speaking series to mark the end of the 20th Century. He then had a full, fascinating life and career until his death in July 2016, at the age of 87. elie wiesel’s “the perils of indifference” speech Mr. President, Mrs. Clinton, members of Congress, Ambassador Holbrooke, Excellencies, friends: Fifty-four years ago to the day, a young Jewish boy from a small town in the Carpathian Mountains woke up, not far from Goethe's beloved Weimar, in a place of eternal infamy called Buchenwald. His accusation towards the nations who kept silent or “neutral” he expressed in over 40 books. 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Elie and his father, a simple man who taught his son the love of mankind and the devotion to his fellow Jews, were taken to the forced labor camp at Auschwitz III, where they exhausted themselves day after day, side by side, under the whimsical watching eyes of the most diabolic evil ever demonstrated by mankind. PERSUASIVE ANALYSIS: (24 Marks) • What is the tone of this speech? Hire a subject expert to help you with Perils of Indifference or Is Ignorance Bliss. Indifference is not a response. A central message that Elie Wiesel wants to convey in his speech "The Perils of Indifference" is that indifference to the suffering of others is dangerous and evil. Nearly all of his family was killed while held and brutalized by Nazis. The perils of indifference Indifference is not a beginning, it is an end. The repetition of these words stresses the significance of these topics in relation to his opinion on the issue and assists in relaying his story. In The Perils of Indifference Elie Wiesel successfully portrays his thoughts by applying anaphora’s, and the distribution of both ethos and pathos. His was a different kind of revenge – the battle against indifference. Wiesel discusses the immorality of indifference. One writes a great poem, a great song. … 2 a : absence of compulsion to or toward one thing or another. 1 : the quality, state, or fact of being indifferent. Indifference is not a beginning, it is an end. Elie survived the march and three more months in Buchenwald, until the camp was liberated by the allies on April 11, 1945. Rhetorical Strategies in The Perils of Indifference When Wiesel was a young boy growing up in Hungary, him and his family were deported to a concentration camp in Poland called Auschwitz. I read it in one sitting, captivated by the pain and suffering held in those pages. “the friend of the enemy, for it benefits the aggressor”. https://www.thoughtco.com/perils-of-indifference-for-holocaust-units-3984022 Please enable Cookies and reload the page. Indifference is destructive and inhumane Indifference is defined by Elie Wiesel as lacking empathy or keeping silent while there is discrimination (Anthony, n.d.). If you are at an office or shared network, you can ask the network administrator to run a scan across the network looking for misconfigured or infected devices. • His parents had a small grocery store in the city of Sighet in north Romania, at the bottom of the Carpathian Mountains, not far from “Goethe’s beloved Weimar”. I feel that the book, Night, better conveyed Elie Wiesel 's message because the book played a huge emotional part for people all around the world. If you think this sounds painfully obvious, well, good. ... Elie Wiesel’s use of language and structure emphasizes the meaning and tone of the selection. 6. As the Red Army was approaching Auschwitz, Elie and his father were walked the Death March, evacuating the camps westwards, to Buchenwald, Germany. You denounce it. We have to choose not to be indifferent, not just because it'll save the people suffering around the world but because, according to Wiesel, choosing indifference means we end up eroding our own humanity. What is indifference? Click to … One does something special for the sake of humanity because one is angry at the injustice that one witnesses. During the prosperous year of the community, the Jews left their mark on every aspect of the town’s life: shops, markets, and fairs were all shut down on Shabbat. b archaic : lack of difference or distinction between two or more things. So there you have it: "The Perils of Indifference" is all about why we should care. 14,000 prayers filled the synagogues, including men, women and children. Analyzing a Speech English 30-2 “ The Perils of Indifference ” by Elie Wiesel 39 Marks BACKGROUND INFORMATION: (5 Marks) • Who is the speaker? In April 1999, The President of the United States Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary invited distinguished intellectuals to speak in a series of speeches held in the White House on the occasion of the turn of the millennium. “by offering them a … Wiesel used rhetorical strategies to prove his message. Elie Wiesel at the age of 15, months before the deportation to Auschwitz. Etymologically, the word means “no difference.” A strange and unnatural state in which the lines blur between light and darkness, dusk and dawn, crime and punishment, cruelty and compassion, good and evil. I remember the day I read Elie Wiesel's Night like it was yesterday. Performance & security by Cloudflare, Please complete the security check to access. – Elie Wiesel, The Perils of Indifference Rate it: And, therefore, indifference is always the friend of the enemy, for it benefits the aggressor -- never its victim, whose pain is … The Perils of Indifference: Consideration Questions Who is Wiesel’s audience and why is he giving this speech? In 1986 he was awarded the peace Nobel Prize. Wiesel’s speech, one of the greatest speeches of all times is a harsh indictment against the worst of human traits: indifference. The speaker hopes to accomplish compassion in the twenty-first century for those This 13-page document includes Constructing Meaning-style text of Elie Wiesel's "Perils of Indifference" speech. Wiesel gave a speech at the White House in 1999 titled The Perils of Indifference in which he emphasized the danger of apathy. Elie Wiesel's speech "The Perils of Indifference" condenses the essence of its message into the title, though it is a more general condemnation of indifference than the word "perils… He continues to say that indifference is a friend of the enemy because it benefits the aggressor and then disfavors the victims as …