Elie Wiesel Night And Indifference Analysis

Elie Wiesel was by no means a stranger to pain and suffering. As a child he was separated from his family as they were sent to live in the deplorable living conditions of Auschwitz among countless others. He remained there for more than a year, and although he survived, both his parents and his little sister did not. After he was liberated, he dedicated his life to speaking against injustice and indifference, things which weighed heavily on his heart. On April 12th, 1999, he was invited to speak at the White House Millennium Lecture series on the exigency of indifference. The Millennium Lecture series were a series of lectures given over multiple evenings in the wake of a new millennium. They were intended to bring out the creativity and inventiveness

If no one stands up for the victim, then the suffering will only continue. The reason indifference is so dangerous is because it does not elicit a response, whereas other reactions such as anger and even hatred do. Many believe that indifference is a necessity to sustain one's own sanity, however, he condemns that as being the easy way out. In other words, people choose to be indifferent because it allows them to escape the real problems that are going on in the world. Kairos is the Greek term for the opportune time. In photography for example, finding the kairotic moment is essential for creating the perfect photo. Too quick or too slow, the message is less effective. Influencing change is exactly the same and saying the right thing at the right time is crucial to being effective. In "The Perils of Indifference", Wiesel not only demonstrates the severe consequences of indifference by using the myriads of violent events and using the anniversary of Roosevelt's death as Kairos for the foundation of his speech, but he also anchors it around the Kairos of the new millennium as well, with the hopes of galvanizing his audience to not be as indifferent in the