Famous writer, speaker and survivor of the Holocaust, Elie Wiesel once said: “Together we walk towards the new millennium, carried by profound fear and extraordinary hope.” He spent his life trying to make a difference in the world today, hoping we will follow in his path of enlightening future generations about the dangers in society. Wiesel makes many valid arguments about indifference in the world that correlate to society in the 21st century. In “The Perils of Indifference” by Elie Wiesel, there are correlations between his arguments that people are indifferent to things unless there is a motivation not to be, the continued discrimination throughout society and the progression towards the goal of stopping indifference and the world today. …show more content…
In “The Perils of Indifference” by Elie Wiesel, Wiesel argues that it is easier to be indifferent and ignore the injustices that are going on in society than taking action and stepping up. He believes, “It is so much easier to look away from the victims. It is so much easier to avoid such rude interruptions to our work, our dreams, our hopes.” However, people should not fall into the trap of indifference; instead, they should acknowledge what is going on around them. For example, on January 27th, 2017, Donald Trump, America’s president, announced a travel ban that prevented several countries in the Middle East and Africa from escaping the dangerous conditions they are living in and coming to the United States. (Diamond) Abu Hassan, a man currently living in eastern Aleppo, explained the living conditions in Syria: “our biggest issue is lack of water and electricity… I, and many others like me, live here… alongside the bombing and destruction. We are used to this.” (Diamond) By blocking these refugees and immigrants out of the United States, America is becoming indifferent to the people who are actually in danger and in need of help. If society continues to do this, continues to act indifferent, more and more people will be put at risk. Another example of this would be in December of 2007, the date that marks the start of The Great Recession, a time where the United States experienced an economic downfall, resulting in over 8.4 million people to lose their jobs and many to lose their homes as well. (Bowman) Though America has recovered immensely from this crisis there is still a portion of society who has yet to fully recuperate. These people, still in need of financial aid, are not getting the attention and help that is required for them to live to their fullest potential. If people weren’t indifferent to this and willing to put forth effort to help those in need, these people could be financially stable or at least moving towards a point where they would be. Therefore, if people moved past the thoughts of indifference and stopped thinking about themselves, society could be a better place for those in need of safety. Even though people have come a long way, there is still continued discrimination throughout America and across the world. In “The Perils of Indifference” by Elie Wiesel, he explains how Jewish citizens were treated during the Holocaust and how discrimination is still an issue today. 2014 statistics show that women are paid, on average, 79% of what men earn in the workplace, making it so women supposedly won’t have equal pay until the year of 2059. If women were granted equal pay it’s estimated they could earn over two million more dollars over the course of their working lives. (Ford) Additionally, on June 12th, 2016, over 40 people were shot and killed by a gunman who entered a LGBT night club looking to cause violence. This isn’t the only hate crime targeted towards the LGBT community. In 2014 the FBI reported that over one fifth of hate crimes were stimulated by someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity. (Milligan) These events show how discrimination has led to violence and hatred throughout society. Also, considering that equality seems to be a common goal with many people in the world today, if people would just choose to stand up and fight against the discrimination and inequality going on around them, then the thought of everyone being treated equal may be something the world could achieve. Anyhow, the continued discrimination is creating a risk of danger in society, but if people chose to fight for what they believe in, they could make a difference. Despite all of the indifference in the world today, there are times where people stand up and do what they can to help.
In “The Perils of Indifference” by Elie Wiesel, Wiesel states, “This time the world was not silent. This time we do respond. This time, we intervene” when talking about the different times in history when countries have stepped in to help each other. For instance, on January 21, 2017, when over two million people gathered around the world to take part in a march for women’s rights, trying to make a difference. (Smith-Spark) This shows that people are standing up for what they believe in and deciding to take action instead of sitting back and watching the discrimination happening right in front of them. In fact, in 2012, after the shooting death of a black boy, Trayvon Martin, a new hashtag started to appear on social media: “#blacklivesmatter.” This hashtag started a new group who was supporting black equality called Black Lives Matter. As a result, with the help of social media and people around the world, these people are making change and trying to shut down discrimination. (Sidner) Not only have they informed people about the discrimination against race, but they have stood up for what they believe and and protested against what was wrong in hopes to exact change. Parts of society are moving forward, away from the indifference. Even though there is still along way to go people are trying to make a difference and putting in effort to help
others. In conclusion, there are correlation between Elie Wiesel’s arguments that people are indifferent to things unless there is a motivation not to be, the continued discrimination throughout society and the progression towards the goal of stopping indifference and the world today. Even though there is still a great amount of indifference in society, people are taking great strides towards achieving Elie Wiesel’s goal of the absense of indifference. If people continue to move forward and make change in society, there will not have to be “profound fear” but only “extraordinary hope” (Wiesel) when moving towards future generations.
Injustice still occurs in today’s society. In “Hope, Despair, and Memory” Ellie Wiesel repeats, “it would be enough” to express his frustration in how humanity has not changed. Wiesel’s point of view differs from Solzhenitsyn oration in “One Word of Truth Outweighs the World” because Solzhenitsyn believes lying and violence are inseparable. However, Wiesel and Solzhenitsyn are similar in that they are both frustrated with our society not learning from past mistakes.
An estimated 11 million people died in the Holocaust. 6 million were Jews. In the book Night by Elie Wiesel tells his story as a Holocaust survivor. Throughout his book he describes the tremendous obstacles he overcame, not only himself, but with his father as well. The starvation and cruel treatment did not help while he was there. Elie makes many choices that works to his advantage. Choice plays a greater factor in surviving Auschwitz.
Wiesel tells us that even though indifference is tempting and it is easy to look away and ignore the event at hand, doing so is no different from participating in the event. The things Elie Wiesel experienced during his time at Auschwitz is horrific, yet it seemed as nobody cared about the fact that millions of Jews were being killed due to indifference. The same goes for other events of history such as civil wars, assassinations, and the two World Wars: little recognize the wrongdoing and carry on with their lives. Indifference is the Black Plague of the twenty and twenty-first century: nobody knows what is causing the indifference, and we attempt to end it, but nothing
Speeches are given for a purpose. Whether it is for persuasion, or education, or even entertainment, they all target certain parts of people’s minds. This speech, The Perils of Indifference, was given by Elie Wiesel with intention to persuade his audience that indifference is the downfall of humanity, and also to educate his audience about his conclusions about the Holocaust and the corresponding events. He was very successful in achieving those goals. Not only was the audience enlightened, but also President Bill Clinton, and the First Lady, Hillary Clinton, themselves were deeply touched by Wiesel’s words.
In Elie Wiesel’s speech “Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech”, Wiesel suggests that in times of crisis, people must stand together against injustices. Wiesel develops and supports his claim through his use of anecdotes, inclusive diction, rhetorical questions, and parallel structures. Wiesel’s purpose is to motivate the world to stand up against injustices in order to prevent the persecution of more innocent people. The audience Wiesel intended for his speech is anyone on Earth who is willing to make a difference, but mostly directed at adults who are able to go out and actually contribute to making a change. Wiesel succeeds in establishing a bond with the audience, as he comes off as very humble and trustworthy. Through his use of rhetorical
From being a bystander of bullying to committing murder are many ways of being indifferent. It is everywhere in everyday life in prospering countries and in poor and destroyed countries. Elie Wiesel knows how indifference feels and how it affects people. He was also indifferent and regrets what he did to this day. He was a victim of the Holocaust and lived through indifference. During his imprison ship he saw indifference everywhere in the camps. How he treated his father is what he regrets. He just cared about himself because another prisoner told him to. He believes his father died because he did not help him all he could. His whole book could be based on indifference if you interpreted it that way. From how the guards treated the prisoners to how kids including Elie treated their own parents. Indifference is a very big topic and a part of Night. Indifference is what pushed him to write his descriptive, emotional, strong, and outstanding novel.
In the eyes of Elie Wiesel, author of Night, indifference whether it be in relationship abuse or another problem, is mentally damaging and needs to be eliminated. In his memoir, Night, Elie Wiesel illustrates how indifference can harm the mind of the victim when he says, “Never shall I forget the nocturnal silence that deprived me for all eternity of the desire to live,” (Night 34). In this, Wiesel is speaking of his first night in Auschwitz. When he mentions silence he is referring to the indifference that the Jews in concentration camps faced from the rest of the world. Wiesel refers to that night as the time he lost his desire to live because he saw so much indifference toward the suffering of the inmates and the horrific things that were happening to them. After this, his desire to stay alive was destroyed because he watched as the world stood by, indifferent to the senseless murder of millions. Throught this, Wiesel illustrates that indifference will impact people for the rest of their lives. Because indifference
Does survival require selfishness? I believe that survival is selfish because in order to survive you need to have some selfishness. This is supported within the novel Night by elie wiesel, the story Deep survival by Laurence gonzales and the story Is Survival Selfish by Lane Wallace.
”Lie down on it! On your belly! I obeyed. I no longer felt anything except the lashes of the whip. One! Two! He took time between the lashes. Ten eleven! Twenty-three. Twenty four, twenty five! It was over. I had not realized it, but I fainted” (Wiesel 58). It was hard to imagine that a human being just like Elie Wiesel would be treating others so cruelly. There are many acts that Elie has been through with his father and his fellow inmates. Experiencing inhumanity can affect others in a variety of ways. When faced with extreme inhumanity, The people responded by becoming incredulous, losing their faith, and becoming inhumane themselves.
If a person had to choose between their life and someone else’s, they’d choose to be the ones to live. Selfishness is a terrible thing that can cause families to fight, it can cause wars, or the death of someone to spare one’s own life. Night by Elie Wiesel, shows many examples of selfishness. Sons leave their fathers to save their own lives, reluctantly feed their dying father and even kill just for a piece of bread. Humans are inherently selfish, it’s a personality trait that doesn’t care about relatives or lovers or anyone else.
Elie Wiesel not only spoke on his behalf but also on behalf of all the victims of the Holocaust. His words do not only pertain to his situation but to the situations of every world crisis that has been failed to be acknowledged. Elie’s words can be related universally and makes you question, where were these people that are supposedly suppose to be the voices for the silent? The world thrives for equality but how can a world grow and unit if the people are silent. Elie makes valid points throughout the novel that can be referred to other situations in the past and are to come in the future.
To the people in the concentration camps, apathy is a “harsher punishment” (Wiesel) than anger or rage, because anger has feelings in it, while indifference just makes a suffering person feel even smaller and more insignificant. Indifference in humans potentially goes against religion, because it blurs the lines between “light and darkness” (Wiesel). Throughout his speech at the Millennium Lectures, Elie Wiesel both enlightens on the consequences of apathy towards those who need help, and inspires hope for a better future.
Oppression is the systematic method of prolonged cruelty and unjust treatment, often intended for those who are deemed “different” by a hierarchical society. It’s a basis that can be found in the plot of a fictional movie or novel, but most importantly, it’s an aspect of both past and modern life that has affected multiple nations. Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor, is a humanitarian who embodies the personal experiences of what being oppressed feels like – how it itches at one’s skin like the hatred and stares directed at them. The reason he is so important is because of his stories; what he has seen. The insight and intelligence he has brought forth further educates those who had previously accepted the world with their eyes closed.
Author and survivor of the holocaust, elie wiesel in his reflective speech “The Perils of Indifference”, informs just how such an effect indifference can make. He supports his claim by expressing gratitude, providing examples of the effect of indifference as well as sharing a personal story. In addition , he explains just how the tragic event of a genocide could happen again if we ignore it. Wiesel's purpose is to inform and warn readers just what indifference can do and how we should be aware to stop any future tragic events like this . he establishes a formal yet serious tone by using stylistic devices such as rhetorical questions and imagery in order to achieve his message, about inhumanity of indifference, the importance of resistance and how its still relevant today.
The speech, titled “The Perils of Indifference” by the author Elie Wiesel. He was a survivor in World War II. He and his family starved on small portions of bread and soup and alongside were brutal punishments like once he has been whipped twenty-five times for something minor. A few months later, after the passing of his family, the American troops came and save Wiesel. He then lived in Paris and became a journalist in 1945. In 1975 he moved to New York and taught at Boston University. Wiesel has won many awards, including the Presidential