Wendy Jackson
Mr. Soeth
English 3AP
February, 2, 2010



REHUGO Analysis – Speech


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


B. Elie Wiesel asserts that though indifference can be seductive it ‘is not only a sin, it is a punishment’ because indifference only helps the aggressor’s needs and it punishes the victims of the aggressor.


C. Evidence:

a. Wiesel attempts to define indifference; he says that, “Etymologically, the word means "no difference." Clearly, to Wiesel, indifference is far more than the word in the dictionary in between indecisive and indignant. He also wants to be very incisive about the subject at hand.

b. “Over there, behind the black gates of Auschwitz, the most tragic of all prisoners were the "Muselmanner,"… they would sit or lie on the ground, staring vacantly into space, unaware of who or where they were -- strangers to their surroundings. They no longer felt pain, hunger, thirst. They feared nothing. They felt nothing. They were dead and did not know it.” Wiesel refers to Auschwitz with all its terrible connotations and though he does not implicitly state it, he implies that indifferent people are Muselmanner- they who are dead and do not know it. Indifference means death, or loss of a person’s humanity, which to Wiesel is the same thing.


D. Rhetorical Strategies:

a. Rhetorical questions (Pathos): Wiesel asks of his audience, “What are its courses and inescapable consequences? Is it a philosophy? Is there a philosophy of indifference conceivable? Can one possibly view indifference as a virtue? Is it necessary at times to practice it simply to keep one's sanity, live normally, enjoy a fine meal and a glass of wine, as the world around us experiences harrowing upheavals?” Wiesel wants everyone listening to consider their personal definition of indifference. He wants them to take a good look at themselves and wonder if their version of indifference is truly acceptable. As a former prisoner of Auchwitz, Wiesel is one of the (comparatively) few who are really in a position to know of the true Perils of Indifference. Wiesel is an expert here.

b. (Logos): Wiesel acknowledges the likely counterargument to his when he says, “Of course, indifference can be tempting -- more than that, seductive. It is so much easier to look away from victims. It is so much easier to avoid such rude interruptions to our work, our dreams, our hopes. It is, after all, awkward, troublesome, to be involved in another person's pain and despair.” He agrees, maybe even that accepts that a person has a right to hold this view, thus validating it, but a moment later he refutes this when he continues, “Yet, for the person who is indifferent, his or her neighbor are of no consequence. And, therefore, their lives are meaningless. Their hidden or even visible anguish is of no interest. Indifference reduces the Other to an abstraction.” You have the right to have this point of view, he implies; but it is still immoral to do so,.


MLA Citation for Speech:

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