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Jasmine Byrn
Mrs. Burnette
Honors English 10
19 May 2016
The Issue of Indifference
Coldness, cruelty, death, ignorance, false bliss, injustice. Imagine a world that is so cold
that everyone turned their backs to those in need. Imagine a world where ignorance is
considered bliss and it is easier to ignore than to help. That is the same world Elie Wiesel had to
live in as a teenager. Elie Wiesel was born September 30, 1928 and by the age of fifteen he was
in the infamous concentration camp Auschwitz ("Wiesel, Elie."). He spent over a year in the
camps witnessing death constantly and being treated as something less than a human. His
experiences in the camps are what caused him to become an author and as well as a
humanitarian. He has devoted his life to helping those victims of oppression and discrimination
in order to prevent another holocaust. He does this by speaking about his experiences in the
camps as well as starting charities ("Elie Wiesel.). During the holocaust most of the world knew
what was happening to those who were persecuted, but no one stepped in to help them
everyone decided to be indifferent (American Rhetoric: Wiesel). In his 1999 speech The Perils
of Indifference Elie speaks about how truly dangerous it is to be indifferent. He conveys his point
about his stand on the indifference in the world through various rhetorical devices in his speech
such as anecdote, pathos, and logos.
Elie Wiesel utilizes rhetoric in many ways throughout his speech. One rhetorical device
that stands out is his use of anecdote. Throughout his speech he references to his time in the
concentration camp as A young Jewish boy [who] woke up in a place of eternal infamy called
Buchenwald, (American Rhetoric: Wiesel). This grabs the audiences attention, adds
emotional value to the speech, and it relates to people on a personal level. By his retelling of his
experiences it gives background about indifference which is the very thing he is trying to change

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in the world. He also mentions how their hope had begun to slip away because they felt that
God had abandoned them, Better an unjust God than an indifferent one (American Rhetoric:
Wiesel). Their hope slowly diminished as they were not rescued, and they asked themselves
why any God would allow this to happen to his loyal followers. They would have rather been
punished then to think that he had left them completely. He tells about what happened mentally
to those who experienced the Holocaust, sadly implying they were dead and did not know it
(American Rhetoric: Wiesel). They saw the living world through the eyes of the dead. Instead
of feeling pain, hunger, or any human emotion, they felt the stark blankness of nothing
(American Rhetoric: Wiesel). This shows how the victims of the holocaust were treated, and it
shows how they were abused and beaten physically and emotionally to the brink of insanity. It
tells vaguely of the tortures he had to endure to get to where he stands today. So his anecdotes
build credibility as well as providing a way to emotionally understand him and his cause against
indifference.
While he uses anecdote very well he also uses pathos to establish emotional
connections. One way he builds pathos throughout his speech is through his tone. He manages
to describe how detached the other prisoners felt during their time in the camps, Unaware of
who or where they were (American Rhetoric: Wiesel). The detached tone adds to dramatic
effect and it helps show the audience what those victims were feeling while they were locked
away. He also adds pathos when he describes how he felt after finding out that everyone knew
what the Jewish people went through yet no one intervened. With a somber tone he told of his
displeasure that no one tried to stop Hitler as soon as possible. He was very displeased with
everyones ignorance and indifference to the mass genocide that was occurring right in front of
their eyes. He was horrified at the lack of concern people showed for others when they turned
away the St. Lewis, a boat of Jewish people trying to escape persecution, Nearly 1,000 Jews
[were] turned back to Nazi Germany (American Rhetoric: Wiesel). This builds up pathos by
showing how cruel indifference is and how 1,000 people could have been saved from mass

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genocide but they were not for fear of causing conflict with Hitler. It makes the audience think
about what could have become of those families if they were accepted. It makes them think that
possibly if they were saved that maybe they could have lead a normal life. It triggers the
audience to think on a more emotional level thus making them connect more with Elie and his
experience.
Lastly Elie shows rhetoric in his speech through his logos. By stating facts throughout his
speech to build credibility on the subject he is talking about. He talks about the latest
assassinations that have occurred in the past years, Gandhi, the Kennedys, Martin Luther King,
Sadat, Rabin (American Rhetoric: Wiesel). He also talks about the inhumanity in the gulag,
(American Rhetoric: Wiesel) these both show that he knows indifference is everywhere. This
also builds up his credibility because it helps show that indifference can occur anywhere and in
any time all someone has to do is look carefully. Using logos makes his cause more
believable ,and it will help raise awareness about indifference.
Elie Wiesel conveys his point about his stand on the indifference in the world through
various rhetorical devices in his speech such as anecdote, pathos, and logos. Through his
anecdotes he tells about his experiences with indifference and how it affected him and others,
thus adding an emotional and factual appeal to the speech. With his pathos he connects with
the audience on a more personal level through his tone. His tone helps convey the deep
emotional connection he has with indifference. Equally so using his logos he builds up factual
credibility by showing that indifference can be found everywhere and not just in the Holocaust.

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Works Cited
"American Rhetoric: Elie Wiesel - The Perils of Indifference." American Rhetoric: Elie Wiesel
The Perils of Indifference. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.

Berenbaum, Michael. "Wiesel, Elie." World Book Student. World Book, 2014. Web. 24 Apr.
2014.
Holmstrom, David. "Elie Wiesel." Christian Science Monitor. Dec. 10 1996: 10-12. SIRS
Renaissance. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.