Samira Haikal
Mr. Soeth
AP English Lang/Comp
03 February 2011
B. Background Information - The occasion for this speech was that Mrs. Hilary Clinton, the First Lady at the time asked Wiesel if he could give a speech as part of the Millennium Lecture Series. The series’ purpose was to offer outstanding individuals an opportunity to speak in front of the world. Because the United States of America was considered a world superpower at the time, President Clinton was considered the most powerful man in the world. Wiesel chose to speak about this topic because he knew his audience and what their potential was. He wanted Clinton to avoid the “perils of indifference” and to take action against the current atrocities around the world to avoid the affliction that was felt by Holocaust victims. This specific date, April 12, was chosen because it was exactly 54 years after President Franklin Roosevelt’s death. This is significant because Roosevelt was the president at the time of the Holocaust who, according to Wiesel, held a dangerous indifference to the horrors under Nazi rule in Central and Eastern Europe during World War II.
C. Relevance - It is appropriate to say that Wiesel’s speech effected America’s policies and outlook on foreign intervention. Before, America lent a helpful hand to other countries such as enforcing the Truman Doctrine to fight communism in other countries. One motive for this was to prevent the Soviet Union from becoming more powerful. However, after 1999, the year the speech was delivered, the U.S. involved itself in Afghanistan to support freedom from Al-Qaeda rule and helped a countless number of countries like Haiti, Pakistan, and Liberia to keep peace. It is evident that after the speech, the United States felt it was their duty to not become a victim of indifference and to help victims around the world. The reason for this is because of the effectiveness of Wiesel’s speech and his use of thought-provoking use of rhetorical questions, his use of personal experience, and brilliant use of claim of policy, to name a few.
D. Rhetorical Strategies
1. Diction - Wiesel uses diction that portrays a certain mood and tone, such as “...indifference can be tempting -- more than that, seductive” (paragraph 7). By choosing the word seductive, Wiesel demonstrates his views on indifference by relying on the audience’s ability to make the connection between seductive and it’s negative connotations. When thinking about the word seductive, we envision a temptress, a snake, or an evil person who fools others. Wiesel purposefully personified “indifference” to convey a mood of sin and danger, which enhances his point about indifference being dangerous.
2. Emotional Appeal - Pathos is utilized by Wiesel to create a sensation in the listeners to want to take action. One of the strongest uses of pathos is “They no longer felt pain, hunger, thirst. They feared nothing. They felt nothing. They were dead and did not know it” (paragraph 7). The audience could only imagine how the adults and children at Auschwitz felt. These shorter sentences provide a variety in syntax, but also create a more emotional atmosphere and allow the audience to think deeply about the subject at hand. Pathos is the strongest persuasion Wiesel uses because he knew it was the most appropriate when speaking about what underwent in the Nazi concentration camps.
MLA Citation:
Wiesel, Elie. "The Perils of Indifference." Millennium Lecture Series. White House, Washington, D.C. 12 Apr. 1999. Speech.
Mr. Soeth
AP English Lang/Comp
03 February 2011
REHUGO Analysis - Speech: Community
A. Elie Wiesel, an inspirational Holocaust Survivor and famous author, delivered “The Perils of Indifference” on April 12, 1999 in Washington D.C. as a part of the Millennium Lecture Series.B. Background Information - The occasion for this speech was that Mrs. Hilary Clinton, the First Lady at the time asked Wiesel if he could give a speech as part of the Millennium Lecture Series. The series’ purpose was to offer outstanding individuals an opportunity to speak in front of the world. Because the United States of America was considered a world superpower at the time, President Clinton was considered the most powerful man in the world. Wiesel chose to speak about this topic because he knew his audience and what their potential was. He wanted Clinton to avoid the “perils of indifference” and to take action against the current atrocities around the world to avoid the affliction that was felt by Holocaust victims. This specific date, April 12, was chosen because it was exactly 54 years after President Franklin Roosevelt’s death. This is significant because Roosevelt was the president at the time of the Holocaust who, according to Wiesel, held a dangerous indifference to the horrors under Nazi rule in Central and Eastern Europe during World War II.
C. Relevance - It is appropriate to say that Wiesel’s speech effected America’s policies and outlook on foreign intervention. Before, America lent a helpful hand to other countries such as enforcing the Truman Doctrine to fight communism in other countries. One motive for this was to prevent the Soviet Union from becoming more powerful. However, after 1999, the year the speech was delivered, the U.S. involved itself in Afghanistan to support freedom from Al-Qaeda rule and helped a countless number of countries like Haiti, Pakistan, and Liberia to keep peace. It is evident that after the speech, the United States felt it was their duty to not become a victim of indifference and to help victims around the world. The reason for this is because of the effectiveness of Wiesel’s speech and his use of thought-provoking use of rhetorical questions, his use of personal experience, and brilliant use of claim of policy, to name a few.
D. Rhetorical Strategies
1. Diction - Wiesel uses diction that portrays a certain mood and tone, such as “...indifference can be tempting -- more than that, seductive” (paragraph 7). By choosing the word seductive, Wiesel demonstrates his views on indifference by relying on the audience’s ability to make the connection between seductive and it’s negative connotations. When thinking about the word seductive, we envision a temptress, a snake, or an evil person who fools others. Wiesel purposefully personified “indifference” to convey a mood of sin and danger, which enhances his point about indifference being dangerous.
2. Emotional Appeal - Pathos is utilized by Wiesel to create a sensation in the listeners to want to take action. One of the strongest uses of pathos is “They no longer felt pain, hunger, thirst. They feared nothing. They felt nothing. They were dead and did not know it” (paragraph 7). The audience could only imagine how the adults and children at Auschwitz felt. These shorter sentences provide a variety in syntax, but also create a more emotional atmosphere and allow the audience to think deeply about the subject at hand. Pathos is the strongest persuasion Wiesel uses because he knew it was the most appropriate when speaking about what underwent in the Nazi concentration camps.
MLA Citation:
Wiesel, Elie. "The Perils of Indifference." Millennium Lecture Series. White House, Washington, D.C. 12 Apr. 1999. Speech.
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