REHUGO Analysis - History

Rachel Suizo

Mr. Soeth

English 3 AP

February 3, 2011

REHUGO Analysis: History – Speech

A. Elie Wiesel addresses his speech, “The Perils of Indifference,” on April 12, 1999 in Washington, D.C.

B. Wiesel delivers his speech to President Clinton, Mrs. Clinton, the Congress, Ambassador Holbrooke, and other attendees of the commencement of World War II’s fifty-fourth anniversary. Elie Wiesel was a Holocaust survivor and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986. He witnessed the mistreatment and cruelty from the Nazis during the Holocaust.

C. In Wiesel’s speech, “The Perils of Indifference,” the tone is grateful. Wiesel states, “I am filled with a profound and abiding gratitude to the American people.” He is thankful for the gratifying actions Americans have taken therefore giving recognition to the Americans for providing help, not only to themselves, but also to others. However, the tone in the speech is direct. Wiesel states the failures of the world and the incapability to resolve the violence and indifference. The audience listening to Wiesel’s speech is effective by addressing it to people involved in politics. Through the acknowledgment of past events and the indifference in the world, the audience is on ways to help shape the future occurrences dealing with violence.

D. Rhetorical Strategies

a. Wiesel defines the word indifference as being “ ‘no different’, 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” giving a further understanding of the word. When delivering the speech, Wiesel uses the word indifference various times to describe the unjust affairs that have occurred. Stating the definition of the word indifference allows Wiesel to give the audience and understanding of how these events are indifferent.

b. Rhetorical questions are used through Wiesel’s speech allowing the audience to reevaluate and think about the choices Americans have made to help fight against violence. Wiesel asked questions such as, “What will the legacy of this vanishing century be?,” and “How will it be remembered in the new millennium?” The questions asked has the audience provoked thought about their country and if events will be solved in the future. Wiesel also asks, “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?” The question during the speech creates opinions about the choices Americans make.

E. MLA Citation:

Wiesel, Elie. “The Perils of Indifference.” Millennium Lecture Series. Washington D.C.

April 12, 1999

Lindsey Schrock REHUGO

Lindsey Schrock

Mr. Soeth

English 3 AP

February 2, 2011

REHUGO Analysis: Historical—Speech

A. Elie Wiesel gives his speech, “The Perils of Indifference,” on April 12, 1999 in Washington D.C.

B. This speech was given during a Millennium Lecture Series hosted by the Clinton family as a farewell to the 20^th century, as well as an introduction for the years to come. Wiesel, a former Holocaust victim, shares details of his experiences and struggles, while also illustrating the danger associated with indifference and negligence to acknowledge issues and events in society. This speech is incredibly effective due to Wiesel’s impeccable use of ethos; his personal experiences as a witness to the Holocaust make him a reputable source. The speech was directed towards the President, First Lady, members of Congress, Ambassador Holbrooke, and American citizens.

C. Indifference towards political, national, and worldwide events is a continuous issue, one that is constantly appearing in our society. As people face troubles, they tend to ignore their issues and focus their attention elsewhere. For example, America has shown very little involvement with the Darfur genocide. This situation is rather similar the one concerning the Holocaust described by Wiesel. His references to acts of indifference displayed by America in the past is incredibly effective due to the fact that while we reflect upon our actions during the Holocaust with a sense of disbelief, similar events are conspiring today. He then triggers a response  from the audience by questioning whether or not America has learned from the past. "Has the human being become less indifferent and more human? Have we really learned from our experiences?" (paragraph 21). The speech forces us to face examples of indifference displayed in this century, thus motivating us to take action.

D. Rhetorical Strategies:

            a. Definition: The word “indifference” serves as the foundation for Wiesel’s entire speech. In order for the audience to thoroughly understand the overall meaning of the speech, they must first understand what Wiesel means when he says “indifference.”  In paragraph five, he says, “What is indifference? Etymologically, the word means ‘no difference.’” By delineating the term, Wiesel ensures that his audience will fully understand and will be able to grasp the content of his speech. Such rhetorical strategies also make it easier for the audience to establish a connection between the vocabulary associated with the speech and the actual message of the work.

            b. Rhetorical Questions: An evident aspect of Wiesel’s speech is his repetitive use of rhetorical questions. Research has shown that being asked questions increases one’s level of attention and understanding towards the content of the work. Rhetorical questions emphasize whatever is being written or spoken, thus constantly grabbing the audience’s attention. Paragraph 21 is entirely made up of rhetorical questions, which persuades the audience to contemplate what he is saying. “Does it mean that we have learned from the past? Does it mean that society has changed? Has the human being become less indifferent and more human? Have we really learned from our experiences?” Frequently asked questions found within the speech such as these engage the readers and persuade and motivate them to think critically about the issue or topic being discussed. This device reflects upon Wiesel’s overall purpose, which is to get his audience thinking about ways America has displayed indifference in the past, whether or not America has learned from its experiences, and how we can prevent similar events from reappearing in the future.

Wiesel, Elie. "The Perils of Indifference." Millennium Lecture Series. White House, Washington, D.C. 12 Apr. 1999. Speech.

REHUGO 2

Destiny Ornelas

Mr. Soeth

English 3AP

Febuary 2, 2011

REHUGO Analysis: History – Speech

A.      Elie Wiesel delivers his speech, “The Perils of Indifference,” on April 12, 1999 in regards to the results of indifference in the past century.

B.      Being a victim of the Holocaust, Elie uses his own experiences to show the results of indifference. He points out how the world knew of the cruel doings of Hitler and his army yet still did nothing about it. He tells how you can’t be a bystander to hatred and cruelty and not take some responsibility for it. “Why did some of America's largest corporations continue to do business with Hitler's Germany until 1942? It has been suggested, and it was documented, that the Wehrmacht could not have conducted its invasion of France without oil obtained from American sources”. Elie Wiesel now wants the future generations to not be so indifferent in situations that are going on around the world.

C.       Elie Wiesel does an outstanding job at effectively showing how indifference should no longer go on around the world. He explains and gives examples from history to his audience about how indifference is a sin and a punishment. He tells how looking away and ignoring the victims’ cries for help is ultimately “inhuman and it only “benefits the aggressor” because it allows them to get away with their “crimes against humanity”. He tells how the onlookers are just as responsible because they allow the crimes to go on without thinking of the victims. He summarizes it with the question “Does it mean we have learned from the past?” to leave his audience thinking about if we are ready to change the way we are.

D.     Elie Wiesel alludes to the holocaust and the liberation of Jewish people all throughout the speech to develop his credibility. He also uses allusion by referring to numerous wars, genocides and assassinations such as World War one and World War two, past civil wars, the assassinations of Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr., and the Holocaust and Rwanda. He does this to exemplify indifference that has happened throughout the past centuries by telling how terrible things have happened in the world and everyone knew yet no one tried to stop it. After explaining to his audience how the world has been indifferent to each other he uses rhetorical strategy by asking numerous questions such as “Does it mean that we have learned from the past?” to engage his readers in thinking about if we truly have learned from our past mistakes in order to make the future a better one.

Wiesel, Elie. “The Perils of Indifference”. www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/ewieselperilsofindifference.com April 12, 1999

History REHUGO :]

Joey Bennett
Mr. Soeth
Period 2
February 2 2011

REHUGO Analysis: History – Speech

A. Elie Wiesel gave his speech "The Perils of Indifference" in Washington D.C. in 1999.

B. In the speech, Wiesel identifies certain people of interest then reveals the day of the speech was the fifty-fourth anniversary for the end of World War II. He structures the speech with the fact that he was a victim of the Holocaust, and that he, along with many other Jews, are grateful to their saviors.

C. Wiesel takes the most of his first half of the speech to have an in-depth representation of the word indifference. He explains how indifference is worse than anger, just by the mere fact that if a human cannot show sympathy for another human, then there is no hope for us. He uses indifference to show that us, as the human race, have progressed to abolish indifference from allowing things like the Holocaust to occur once more. His speech begins to support many comparable subjects today, such as the indifference towards homosexuals, teen suicide, and the simple situations we face everyday. He goes to the lengths of describing indifference as "not only a sin, it is a punishment." His strong feelings towards indifference become clear throughout the speech, he makes the audience sure to be aware of indifference and it's meaning, to keep it from happening again.


D.
a). Wiesel uses the rhetorical strategy of definition in paragraph five when he states, "What is indifference? Etymologically, the word means "no difference."" He puts the rhetorical question and definition in a position that will help maneuver his way through the speech and further clarify to the audience, what the word indifference means.
b). Wiesel also uses an allusion to help create himself as a reliable speaker, for example in paragraph four, "These failures have cast a dark shadow over humanity: two World Wars, countless civil wars, the senseless chain of assassinations (Gandhi, the Kennedys, Martin Luther King, Sadat, Rabin), bloodbaths in Cambodia and Algeria, India and Pakistan, Ireland and Rwanda, Eritrea and Ethiopia, Sarajevo and Kosovo; the inhumanity in the gulag and the tragedy of Hiroshima." He states these many 'failures' as to show that humans do make mistakes, and this further supports his future statements that imply we can change the future by not making the mistakes of the past.

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

REHUGO-History

Andrew Haugland
Period 2
AP English 3


A. Elie Wiesel: a holocaust survivor, and writer.
B. Wiesel delivers a speech concerning the past millennium in the white house to lecture listeners on how to make a better millennium by shunning indifference.
C. Wiesel’s insight to the events concerning WWII and the holocaust depict the “perils of indifference” and give us a picture of what NOT to do. Indifference applies to everything in this world involving an aggressor, a victim, and anyone simply ignoring what goes on. Wiesel said “It is so much easier to look away from victims” about the seduction of indifference. But indifference can apply to anything, such as a student witnessing an act of bullying, or a neighbor hearing the screams of domestic abuse.
D. Repetition and Rhetorical questions come from an entire paragraph of nothing but questions meant to provoke thought. “Has the human race become less indifferent and more human? Have we really learned from our experiences?” He also alludes to historical moments other than the holocaust, such as the assassinations of Ghandi, the Kennedys and other events that were a failure to humanity.


Wiesel, Elie. “The Perils of Indifference”. [Online] Available http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/ewieselperilsofindifference.html
April 12, 1999

Rehugo 2

Rosano Cruz
Mr. Soeth
English 3 AP
February 2 2011
Rehugo Analysis – Speech

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

B.Elie Wiesel gives this speech for an example of indifference and a guide for taking action in our life's. He was one of the people whose speech was a remembrance of the fifty fourth anniversary of the end of World War II.

C. Ethos - Elie Wiesel’s had more than enough ethos in his speech. Wiesel easily establishes credibility due to the fact that he has experienced such an injustice in his lifetime that most of people will never be able to achieve. He delivers the speech clearly and in a effectively way that there is no doubt that the words he speaks must be truth.
Pathos - He uses specific examples of indifferences” and connects with the audience on an emotional basis. These feelings however are not just fluffy momentary feelings. After hearing this speech the idea of indifference and its effect on the world is embedded in the listeners mind or furthermore towards their heart.

D. Rhetorical Devices - He uses indifferences a lot in his speech that helps him backup on his statements and giving examples of what indifferences is. He uses indifference to his speech because he is trying to get the audiences attention toward his claim.
Allusion - The author refers to so many things in his speech. He relates to the Holocaust, World War 2 and he back himself up by referring to his own experiences. He uses quotes and questions in his speech to make the audience think about what is going to happen next.

Rayna Chew

Mr. Soeth

English 3 AP

February 2, 2011

REHUGO Analysis: History - Speech

A. Speech by Ellie Wiesel on April 12, 1999: “The Perils of Indifference”

B. In his speech, Ellie Wiesel addresses the president Bill Clinton and the first lady Hilary Clinton on the fifty fourth anniversary of the end of World War II. Wiesel begins his speech, “The Perils of Indifference” by alluding to the Holocaust when he and his family were finally freed from the concentration camp Buchenwald.

C. Wiesel creates an effective argument that being indifferent is like being “inhuman” because he provides his audience the definition and examples of the word indifference. He described the feeling of indifference as “a strange and unnatural state” where “lines blur between light and darkness, dusk and dawn, crime and punishment, cruelty and compassion, good and evil.” He also states that it is “more dangerous than anger and hatred” because the witnesses that do nothing are betraying their own and denying their humanity.

D. Rhetorical Strategies:

a. Rhetorical Question: Towards the middle of his speech, Wiesel begins uses numerous rhetorical questions such as “has the human being become less indifferent and more human?” and “have we really learned from our experiences?” The use of those questions evoke emotion in his readers due to his subject being indifference and the fact that so many lives were lost because of it. Another effect of this rhetorical strategy is a stronger argument.

b. Allusion: Wiesel refers to many events in history such as the two World Wars, many civil wars, the Holocaust, the assassination of John and Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King. By alluding to these events and his own experience in Buchenwald gives more credibility to his argument.

MLA Citation:

Wiesel, Elie. "American Rhetoric: Elie Wiesel - The Perils of Indifference." American Rhetoric: The Power of Oratory in the United States. 12 Apr. 1999. Web. 02 Feb. 2011. .