In the novel Night and the speeches, “The Perils of Indifference” and “Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech” Elie Wiesel has a purpose for writing each one taken from the experiences that he had at Auschwitz, whether that be to inform the reader about the tragedy of the Holocaust or persuading the reader to stand up against persecution which is what happened to him. Weisel doesn’t want what happened to him during the Holocaust to happen to anyone else, and that is his main reason for writing these stories, and speeches. First, in the novel Night Wiesel’s main reason for writing it was to inform the reader of the terrible things that were occurring at these Nazi concentration camps. Wiesel is telling everything that happens on his first night at the camp, and all the traumatic events that he had to endure as just a fifteen year old boy. Wiesel writes, “This is what the antechamber of hell must look like. So many crazed men, so much shouting, so much brutality.” This quote shows just how bad the camps were because the only thing that Wiesel can compare it to is Hell, and wants the reader to feel sorry for …show more content…
Wiesel writes, “We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim.” Wiesel is saying in this quote that not taking a side in a cruelty will not help the victim because it won’t stop the oppressor from doing what they are doing to the victim. Wiesel also writes, “Do I have the right to represent the multitudes who have perished? Do I have the right to accept this great honor on their behalf? I do not.” This quote is Wiesel telling the audience that he doesn’t feel like he should be able to speak for all of the people that died in the tragedy of the Holocaust, but he does feel the presence of all the
He also says “ Human suffering anywhere concerns men and women everywhere. ”(Wiesel 119). In this quote, Wiesel also reminds us that even if it isn't us being oppressed or oppressing others if we don't use a voice for good, we are just as bad as those persecuting them. If we stay silent we are helping them get away with the terrible
Wiesel disagrees with the idea of not making a difference. In order to act on the situations, society needs to show concern and not be aloof. According to the article, high authorities such as the Pentagon and the State Department knew about the Holocaust. Yet, they chose to be indifferent and continued to let it happen. Wiesel asserts such actions are inhumane and the mass execution could have been prevented if it were not
Elie Weisel created this speech in order to inform others about the dangers of indifference, and how it can begin to affect almost every single community. In this speech, Wiesel explains to his audience that the main reason the holocaust occurred was because of indifference, and explains to his audience that it’s “...so much easier to look away from victims. It is so much easier to avoid such rude interruptions to our work, our dreams, our hopes. It is, after all, awkward, troublesome, to be involved in another person's pain and despair” (Wiesel) This creates the challenge of acts of anger, discrimination and hatred onto the Jewish community, and how it impacted the holocaust’s experience for the Jewish prisoners, and how indifference is still happening today to many minorities.
Wiesel said that the Holocaust exposes the selfishness, evil, and cruelty of which everybody not only the Nazis, but also his fellow prisoners, his fellow Jews, even himself is capable. The cruel treatment of the Nazis caused the prisoners in the camp
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.
In “Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech” Elie Wiesel is persuading readers to understand the struggle with human rights. Wiesel says that he does not have the right to accept this honor, as he says “No one may speak for the dead, no one may interpret their mutilated dreams and visions.” Which is stating that he doesn’t have the right to speak for the dead, living, victims, and the survivors. Throughout his speech, he said that this honor belonged to all the survivors and their children, and to the Jewish people. Wiesel is trying to defend human rights, and to have peace all around the world, and that it doesn't matter the race, religion, and gender of who you are.
To begin his gradual persuasion of the audience, Wiesel makes the audience sympathetic to the oppressed. When he states that he “[Belongs] to a traumatized generation,” Wiesel gains compassion by showing that he experienced extreme cruelty first-hand. When the audience hears that he experienced these things instead of just knowing of them, they are much more sympathetic to his cause. Also, he names other famous people and places around the world that are currently being oppressed. This depicts to the audience that although they may think oppression is absent in the world, it is not, and it is
Wiesel utters these words with a mocking tone intended to mimic the people who come up with these excuses just so they don't have to step out of their comfort zone. Wiesel also highlights the seductiveness of indifference, its innocent, carefree nature that lures soo many to be blind to the problems around them. Wiesel uses the “‘Muselmanner”’ as an example of both the victims and the abusers of indifference. They are isolated, lifeless, and decrepit; some of them choose to be like this, however the majority is left in this state because others fall into the trap of indifference. In Wiesel's words, “And in denying their humanity, we betray our own.
Voices of the Lost In the memoir Night, Elie Wiesel reflects on the detrimental effects the Holocaust had on society as well as expresses the power of speaking out. In his Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech, he states, “Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented” (Wiesel). Wiesel stresses the idea that the weight of our voices speaks volumes. Many others, too, share this philosophy and emphasize the significance of honoring victims of the Holocaust and never letting them go forgotten.
Nor did he consider his fellow victims humans, recalling, “beneath our feet there lay men, crushed, trampled underfoot, dying. Nobody paid attention to them” (89). Wiesel juxtaposes the grim imagery of crushed and trampled men with the blunt and abrupt admission that the others did not care. Empathy is an essential quality of humanity. Whereas upon arriving in Auschwitz, many of the victims tried to help each other, upon leaving they had been robbed of that empathy.
In Elie Wiesel’s speech, “The Perils of Indifference,” Wiesel uses a variety of devices to convey the powerful feeling of how immoral the circumstances of the Holocaust were. He expresses how ignoring the suffering of others only leads to worse outcomes, the dangers of acting with “no difference.” It is worse than to act with hatred. His argument leads with sharing his experience with being at a concentration camp himself as a young boy (1). The horrors that no one could possibly imagine.
Night, “The Perils of Indifference” and “Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech”, written by Elie Wiesel, are made to persuade and inform people of the horrible things that are happening. Not just what is happening but how it is being overlooked even though some people know it is happening. In all the pieces he has written above he gives information on many events that happen where people know what's happening but do nothing to stop it. So Elie Wiesel's reason to persuade and inform the people is to stop people from overlooking tragic and inhuman acts and stop them. Wiesel is speaking and writing about this to persuade the people who hear him speak or read his novel to stand up to the things that did and are happening, so events like the Holocaust never happen again.
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."
At the time of Hitler's reign six million Jews died and even more suffered, yet the world remained silent. Six million lives could have been saved by simply speaking out against these tormentors. Eli feels strong about this subject and says, "Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor never the tormented"(Wiesel Acceptance Speech, pg 1). This helps the reader realize if society doesn't speak it takes the side of the tormentor.
After surviving such a horrific ordeal, one might hope that life would return to some sense of normalcy. However, the reality is that the experience of the Holocaust changed everything for Wiesel. His hopes of a peaceful and meaningful life might be shattered by the reality of the ongoing suffering in the world. In his nightmares, he might see a world where the lessons of the Holocaust have not been learned and the atrocities of the past are being repeated. The hopes he had for a better world might be crushed by the reality of the ongoing violence and injustice.