Analysis Of Elie Wiesels Speech - 1199 Words

1.If you were stripped of your freedom and individuality to be held in a camp waiting 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 outside from its original intended purpose, as being more different. Wiesel’s speech, persuasive in nature, was designed to educate his audience to the violence†¦show more content†¦Wiesel’s uses portions of his personal experiences to move his persuasive speech from a just one feeling. Wiesel is effective with his speech by connecting exaggeration within his revelation. He questions the guilt and responsibility for past massacres, pointing specifically at the Nazi’s while using historical facts, such as bloodbaths in Cambodia, Algeria, India, and Pakistan to include incidents on a larger level such as Auschwitz to provide people with a better idea (Engelhardt, 2002). He is effective in putting together the law and society’s need for future actions against indifference by stating, â€Å"In the place I come from, society was composed of three simple categories: the killer, the victims, and the bystanders† 7.(Wiesel 223). The large formal setting at the White House in the East Room was the stage for the speech. Mrs. Clinton opened to lecture series in grand fashion. The audience was comprised of members of Congress, ambassadors, religious leaders, historians, and human rights activist while being broadcasted to the world. In an epideictic fashion, Wiesel blames society for the mistakes across history while at the same time, sharing his own values in an attempt to unite people in the hopes that similar atrocities to humanity never occur again. Eric Bressman, author for the Morningside Review at the University of Columbia, mentions that Wiesel is effective in reaching his audience by blendingShow MoreRelatedThe Perils of Indifference Rhetorical Analysis731 Words   |  3 PagesPerils 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 communicates and relatesRead MoreElie Wiesels Perils of Indifference698 Words   |  3 PagesOn April 12th 1999, in Washington D.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 negatively affecting humanity and the