REHUGO 2

Waleed Ahmed

Mr. Soeth

English 3 AP

February 2, 2011

REHUGO – Historical Speech

A. “The Perils of Indifference” was delivered by Elie Wiesel on April 12, 1999

B. Delivered during the Millennium Lecture series near the close of the 20^th century, Elie Wiesel stated how as society holds on to indifference, mankind is more likely to care less and less for its neighbors, and the disinterest of indifference enables malpractices to go on throughout the world. Being a survivor of the atrocities going on in Auschwitz during the WWII era, composing numerous novels, and receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986, Elie Wiesel’s credibility to deliver a message on the good and evil interactions between human beings is clearly established. Wiesel uses the speech to convince his audience that the apathy of the closing century is possible to counteract in the new millennia.

C. Arrangement and organization of Wiesel’s speech brings about its effectiveness. For example, Wiesel started off with a personal anecdote describing how indifference had affected his life in concentration camps, he was then able to introduce other examples of indifference shaping society in the 1900’s in the next paragraph. Placement of the two examples directly next to each other convey to the audience how significant events can be ignored since they bring unneeded anguish to an observer’s mind but personally effect so many people. Furthermore, indifference still plays a large role in today’s society. “It is so much easier to avoid such rude interruptions to our work, our dreams, our hopes.” In particular, gay marriage is a familiar example of the workings of indifference where there is a split between those who approve and disapprove of it. However, a large portion of the population does not lean either way since it does not affect them personally. They remain indifferent. Thus, the rights that homosexuals fight so ardently for are being ignored by a large portion of the public.

D. Using compare and contrast, Elie Wiesel explains the consequences of indifference and anger. Anger, having the connotation of being a strong and destructive emotion, would seem less productive then being indifferent to the audience, but Wiesel states how the effects of anger can produce proactive responses as compared to the neglect of indifference. Comparing the two actions enlightens the audience that feeling hate is more useful to those suffering than just abandoning them. Rhetorical questions are prevalent throughout Wiesel’s speech. Specifically, Paragraph 20 happens to be the most effective set of questions asked, since they relate back to the purpose of his writing. “Does it mean that we have learned from the past?” The audience of the 1999 lectures would hold on to these questions, since the answers depend on the actions of society in the coming years.

Wiesel, Elie. "American Rhetoric: Elie Wiesel - The Perils of Indifference." American Rhetoric: The Power of Oratory in the United States. Web. 02 Feb. 2011.