Summary Of Elie Wiesel's Perils Of Indifference

Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor, Nobel Laureate and the author of Night, gave the speech “Perils of Indifference” on April 12, 1999 during the Millennium Lecture series which was hosted by President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton. According to Bill Clinton

“The White House millennium program will guide and direct America's celebration of the millennium by showcasing the achievements that define us as a nation -- our culture, our scholarship, our scientific exploration," going into the new twenty-first century. Wiesel was invited to Lecture to speak about the horrific Holocaust which happened during the years 1933-1945 and to try help move on from the past it as the world goes into a new millennium. In the summer of 1944, Wiesel

As the Russian army moved closer in towards Auschwitz,Wiesel and his father were transported to Buchenwald in Germany. In April of 1945, Buchenwald was liberated by the American troops. Wiesel used his “Perils of Indifference” speech to speak to the bystanders

His first two paragraphs talk in detail about when he was liberated and how even though he could not understand the language of the American soldiers, he knew from their eyes the rage they felt when they saw the living conditions and even if they wanted to they could not forget or ignore what the soldiers saw in the concentration camp. By making the Nazi’s and indifferent countries look like the bad guy , it makes him look like the good guy and people should have sympathy for him. Elie Wiesel purpose for speaking to the audience of bystanders was to show just how tragic the Holocaust was and how those who ignored it were just as guilty as the offenders. By emotionally recalling the gruesome events that Wiesel and millions of other people had to endure, people show sympathy and feel a sense of