Analysis of Elie Wiesel’s “Perils of Indifference”

Analysis of Elie Wiesel’s “Perils of Indifference”

Elie Wiesel grew up in the Carpathian Mountains during the rise of Nazi Germany. As a boy he survived four concentration camps, and when he was freed, moved to France. He then began to write about his experience in the Holocaust, and from his works, became an icon of peace. In 1999, Wiesel spoke at the Millennium Lecture Series where he discussed the indifference that has plagued the world both in the past and in the current moment. This speech was analyzed using Aristotle’s Modes of Persuasion which is based on how the speaker uses ethos, pathos, and logos. It was determined that Wiesel’s speech contained all three of these elements to varying degrees, which made his speech very effective in showing the audience what indifference is, and how it is prevalent in our world.