Rehugo- Speech

Bryan Mai

Mr. Soeth

English 3 AP

February 3, 2011

REHUGO Analysis: History– Speech

A. Speech: “The Perils of Indifference” – By. Elie Wiesel

B. As a survivor of the holocaust, Eli Wiesel uses his own experiences of racial tensions. He knew that at the time, many people hated Jewish people and tried to demolish them. He experienced being beaten and watching others being killed in the camps with his own eyes. Wiesel’s speech was delivered to President Clinton, Mrs. Clinton, and others that were attending the World War II’s fifty-fourth anniversary and was rewarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

C. In Wiesel’s speech, “The Perils of Indifference “he addresses the audience with the repetition of the word “indifference “to acknowledge the meaning of not being a human but a monster. He continues his speech by listing about what he is saying, such as good and evil. Wiesel manages to make readers understand that there was no reason to have a racial ending just because one person hated them. While they cried in pain, people walked away ignoring them which showed injustice. Elie brings his argument into today’s present life where racial tensions still occurs and allows readers to think upon the question, “Have we really learned from our past experiences?”

D. Rhetorical Strategies

Definition: Elie Wiesel, throughout his speech states the definition of “indifference”. By stating the definition, readers can understand what his speech is talking about and how he wants the “indifference” to disappear already. Giving multiple of past experiences, Wiesel got the readers to visualize indifference from his own perspective when he was a prisoner in the internment camps.

Rhetorical Question: Wiesel’s rhetorical questions throughout his speech are used to express how he feels about the world and the humans running the world. He uses rhetorical questions such as, “ How we learned from out past experiences”, and “What are its courses and inescapable consequences?” to show what we are doing that is easily comparable to the troubles that were caused fifty four years ago. He answers his questions to keep readers noticeable to their own actions and hoping that they would think before they do something in the future.

MLA citation:
Wiesel, Elie. "The Perils of Indifference." Millenium Lectures. East Room of the White House, Washington D.C. 22 Apr. 1999. Speech.