Indifference is a lack of interest, concern, or sympathy; to be indifferent is to not care about the struggles of anyone but yourself. Most times, indifference is portrayed as a bad thing that does nothing good to anyone. In the CommonLit article “Elie Wiesel’s ‘The Perils of Indifference’ speech” Elie Wiesel, describes some thoughts that he has on indifference and its effect on history. Elie Wiesel agrees that indifference is a bad thing that should be addressed because it always benefits the aggressor and never the victim, it reduces others to an abstraction, and it’s what makes humans inhuman. First and foremost, the aggressor is like a school bully. Nobody likes him, but nobody is willing to stand up to him or help the victims. By ignoring the situation, the bully has no reason to stop bullying. It is the same concept just on a much grander scale. Elie Wiesel says, “...indifference is always the friend of the enemy, for it benefits the aggressor - never his victim, whose pain is magnified when he or she feels forgotten”(Weisel, 10). Indifference should be addressed so those who are in need won't feel alone and forgotten. Wiesel’s goal is to get more people to stand up to the “bully” and address the problem. Once people rally together and acknowledge the victims, the aggressor can no longer feel superior to the poor group of people. …show more content…
Nobody likes to be left out or ignored, but that is how people in need feel when there is no help coming. The speech reads, “Indifference reduces the other to an abstraction”(Wiesel, 6). The definition of indifference is a lack of interest, concern, or sympathy. A lack of sympathy toward those in need is just putting yourself above them. People by human nature love talking about themselves. If we had the choice we wouldn’t give a second thought about anyone but ourselves; until we are the ones being persecuted and are looking out for
Wiesel pinpoints the indifference of humans as the real enemy, causing further suffering and lost to those already in peril. Wiesel commenced the speech with an interesting attention getter: a story about a young Jewish from a small town that was at the end of war liberated from Nazi rule by American soldiers. This young boy was in fact himself. The first-hand experience of cruelty gave him credibility in discussing the dangers of indifference; he was a victim himself.
In Weiesel's own life, he faced indifference head-on when he was in the Nazi concentration camp. For example, when Wiesel was in the camp he felt “abandoned by humanity” Wiesel (8) because everyone turned the other cheek and left the Jews out to dry. With no help until the American troops got to them. Another example that Wiesel noted in his speech is that indifference is “always the friend of the enemy”. This means that the perpetrator always wins in the world of indifference because the person or people that are being put down and mistreated don't have the strength and power to help themselves get help or be free.
In the middle of Wiesel's plea to the government Logos began to appear in his words and effectively strengthened his tone and the assertiveness in his voice. “Indifference elicits no response. Indifference is not a response. Indifference is not a beginning; it is an end. And, therefore, indifference is always the friend of the enemy, for it benefits the aggressor -- never his victim, whose pain is magnified when he or she feels forgotten.
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.” (Wiesel pg.2) This is a creative technique to use so that the audience understands how indifference is not only another word for disinterest, but also an attitude that pins someone between good and bad. Wiesel does not want the audience to ever view indifference as a positive approach when dealing with the world’s suffering. He does not directly define it as negative, but instead asks rhetorical questions to describe the adverse word.
Lack of concern, lack of interest, lack of sympathy. These are all ways to describe indifference and none of them are good. Elie Wiesel made sure America knew that this is how they acted when the Jews were in desperate need of help. In the speech The Perils of Indifference Elie Wiesel uses hypophora, juxtaposition, and paradox to effectively elicit the guilt that should come from being indifferent. With hypophora, Elie is able to highlight the wrong doings that could have been avoided.
Holocaust survivor and author of the novel, Night, Elie Wiesel in his speech, “The Perils of Indifference,” claims that indifference is not only a sin, but is an act of dehumanization. He begins to develop his claim by defining the word “indifference”, then enlightens the audience about his personal experiences living through the war. Finally he asks the audience how they will change as they enter a new millennium. Wiesel’s purpose throughout his speech is to convince his audience not to be indifferent to those who were, and are, being treated cruelly and unjust. He creates tones of tranquility, disappointment, abandonment, and happiness in order for his audience to see his perspective during the horrific times of the Holocaust.
Elie Wiesel maintains a strong desire to spread awareness and create a small pool of guilt for the bystanders. Although the majority of bystanders didn’t wish pain upon the Jews, they chose to do nothing, standing on the sidelines while innocent people died. Elie emphasizes his opinion by repeating a word that has a great impact. “Indifference” is a strong word that expresses a heavy connotation. The word itself means no difference but is used negatively, ironically creating a bigger difference between people.
Elie Wiesel was born in 1928 in the town of Sighet. During World War II, he and his family were taken to the German concentration camps. During his time in the concentration camps, his parents and little sister died. But Elie Wiesel and his older sisters survived, and in 1945, he was taken to Paris where he studied at the Sorbonne and became a journalist. His first book, La Nuit, was a memoir of his time in the concentration camps.
He draws attention to the cruelties inflicted on other people when a person betrays their humanity. Standing by and watching people suffer is just as damaging as inflicting the suffering. The audience feels guilty for the times they may have been bystanders and became less than human. Wiesel emphasizes that other people are affected by indifference through his use of the phrase “Indifference, then, is not only a sin, it is a punishment.” This phrase switches the idea that indifference is something that hurts an individual to something that hurts numerous other people.
However, disregarding the predicament in Syria is only prolonging the poor education and without any action against those participating in violence, they are only going to do worse until they are stopped. In addition, indifference is conveyed in the speech “The Perils of Indifference” by Elie Wiesel. Elie Wiesel is a Holocaust survivor who was taken to a Nazi concentration camp at a young age for extraneous manual labor without proper nutrition. He took what he learned from his experiences and the outside knowledge he has on the subject now to speak on the Holocaust as a whole. In this speech, he states, “Indifference is not a beginning; it is an end.
Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, has devoted his life to informing others about the violence that is inflicted and then transforms into indifference. In his millennium talk on "The Perils of Indifference" on April 2, 1999, Elie Wiesel outlines the injustices that people experience and implores the audience to become activists and never to turn a blind eye to the suffering of others. Such a strong message, a cry for humanity. He correctly recognized this as an idea worthy of this particular stage on this particular day—a call for people to recognize the allure of indifference and rage against apathy.
Indifference need to be gain awareness and be stopped. He develops his claim by narrating the dangers of indifference, and how it affected his life then, describes how wrongful it is to be treated in such a way. Finally Wiesel illustrates examples of how indifference affected the world. Wiesel’s purpose is to inform us about the dangers of indifference in order to bring change about it. He establishes a straightforward tone for the president, ambassadors, politicians, and congressmen.
The Perils of Indifference Critical Evaluation Essay In the past, indifference has led to the murder of millions of people. Indifference is when we, the humans race, do not care about those who suffer from the injustice, violence, or oppression on behalf of others (Clare). On 12 April 1992, Elie Wiesel, a holocaust survivor gave a speech regarding human indifference in front of President William J. Clinton and the first lady, Hillary Rodham Clinton, at the White House. What was he trying to accomplish during his speech?
Throughout his literary works including his memoir Night and speeches "The Perils of Indifference" and "Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech," Elie Wiesel emphasizes his purpose of informing and persuading people to take action against atrocities. Wiesel passionately advocates for awareness and prevention of such events in the future. As a Holocaust survivor, Wiesel's personal experiences provided a deep understanding of the harsh realities of genocide. In his speech "The Perils of Indifference," Wiesel explains, "Indifference is always the friend of the enemy, for it benefits the aggressor--never its victim."
Indifference between people played a big part in our world. It caused wars and deaths. For example, during the Holocaust people ended up losing their families and some of them even watched them burn right in front of their eyes. The collaborators are the most responsible for the Holocaust and these type of acts. Just like Night and The Perils of Indifference by Elie Wiesel, there were many instances of indifference.