Rehugo #2

Stacey Smyth
Mr. Soeth
English 3 AP
February 2, 2011

REHUGO Analysis : History- Speech

A. Elie Wiesel delivered his speech, "The Perils of Indifference," on April 12, 1999.

B. Wiesel presents his speech to President Clinton, the First Lady Hilary Clinton, the members of Congress, Ambassador Holbrooke and the others attending the commemoration of the fifty-fourth anniversary of World War II. He participated in the Millennium Lecture Series being held at the White House on April 12, 1999. Wiesel is a Holocaust survivor, an author and a Noble Peace Prize recipient.

C. Wiesel began his speech by describing his experience as being a "young Jewish boy" at Buchenwald camp during its liberation. He then goes in depth into his perception of the word indifference and how he believes it is "not only a sin," but a "punishment" as well. He tells how turning a blind eye and ignoring the victims’ cries for help only “benefits the aggressor” and allows them to get away with their “crimes against humanity”. He is attempting to show how outsiders can possibly make a difference and prevent the conditions of a situation, similar to the Holocaust, to rising to the point of a World War. He mentioned the intervention of the United States and NATO and how they saved countless victims and refugees. Wiesel stated, "...This time, the world was not silent. This time, we do respond. This time, we intervene." By this, he shows that early intervention can prevent the situation from getting out of hand. If you are not indifferent to the situation, you can make a difference. Wiesel close his speech by referring back to the "young Jewish boy" and how he has become the "old man" he is today from all the struggles he faced as a child.

D. Wiesel alludes to events such as World War II, the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, John and Robert Kennedy, and the Rwandan genocide. He connects these events to those that occurred during his stay at Buchenwald. He alludes to the Holocaust and camp's liberation which establishes his credibility. Wiesel uses rhetorical questions to bring forth an emotional response in his audience. Rhetorical questions such as, "Why the indifference, on the highest level, to the suffering of the victims?" and, "Do we hear their peas? Do we feel their pain, their agony?" evoke emotional response and strengthen Wiesel's speech.

MLA Citation:

Wiesel, Elie. “The Perils of Indifference.” Millennium Lecture Series. Washington D.C. April 12, 1999