The Perils Of Indifference Elie Wiesel Speech Analysis

Elie Wiesel is an incredible survivor of the indifference of emotionless humans. He was born in Sighet, a memorable Holocaust location, in 1928; he was forced and evacuated out of his home at the age of only fifteen years old. He stayed and fought in the camps until he was liberated by American soldiers in 1945. Unfortunately, his parents and his little sister were killed while in the camps. He is now a very experienced writer who depicts the boy he was and how it has shaped him into the man he is, in his writings. 

Elie Wiesel gave one of the most memorable speeches to this day at the White House on April 12, 1999. He was invited to speak at the millennium lectures by the Clinton administration. The millennium lectures were a series of profound speeches by inspired individuals who wanted to create a legacy and turning point for the next generation. He gave the notable speech, “Perils of Indifference”, to President Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Congress, Holbrooke, friends, and many other high officials. The basis of his speech was the lasting impact on lives due to the indifference and passivity of individuals towards injustice and cruelty, especially during his time in the concentration camps throughout the Holocaust. Elie Wiesel was extremely passionate about his beliefs. He experienced indifference first hand as a child while being forced out of his home for being a Jew. He suffered in camps, such as Auschwitz and Buchenwald, for years.  He wanted to speak up and be the spark for change in a generation that is to come. He wants people to stop turning their faces to oppression and indifferent emotions. The speech sparked remembrance and commemoration for those who went through the Holocaust and have faced the terror of blank emotions from others. However, it also provoked a yearning for change in the near future. 

While Wiesel shows his understanding for the temptation to be indifferent, he does not show the condoning of it: “...Indifference can be tempting -- more than that, seductive. It is so much easier to look away from victims... Indifference reduces the other to an abstraction”. Wiesel highlights how he knows that being uninvolved in painful and complicated situations may be easier than being in the middle of it. However, he has first hand experience of the hurt and agony it can lead to for a lifetime. Being indifferent leaves others to hurt and to suffer, while they are left in such grueling conditions. He describes what the impacts were as a whole on those who were a victim to such passivity of the hurt happening behind the curtains: “...we are now commemorating that event...but, then we felt abandoned, forgotten. All of us did”. This quote demonstrates that even though time has passed, the sufferers are still being impacted and shaped by such atrocities. The survivors, including Wiesel, are glad that the darkness is being brought into the light, because it can begin change. However, he emphasizes the misery that they felt when they found out that there were American ships and leaders who turned their backs to the discoveries of the hidden cruelty happening in other parts of the world. Despite all of the hurt, he dreams that there is a new day coming: “And together we walk towards the new millennium, carried by profound hurt and extraordinary hope”. Wiesel emphasizes how he believes that there is a better day coming for future generations, as people learn from past mistakes and heartaches. He knows that the pain caused by indifference of the people and the agonizing experiences he had to go through will never be forgotten, but he has hope that growth will be a result of speaking out. 

Wiesel wrote this speech to speak out on the sensitive topic of being willingly oblivious to the events taking place around the world. He wanted to illustrate how detrimental it can be, specifically on him. He mentions that it has happened multiple times in our history: “These failures have cast a dark shadow over humanity: two world wars, countless civil wars, the senseless chains of assasination…”. Turning a cheek to such major, harmful situations creates painful history being made. It has been repeated several times. He wants to spark change for future generations to learn from the mistakes and be better equipped to respond: “This time, we do respond. This time, we intervene”. Wiesel makes it clear that the people during this period of time when he gives his speech are remorseful and hurt by the indifference that took place in the past, as he speaks up. They are judging the people of the past and the situations they allowed to happen. They are reflecting on the many lives taken and places destroyed, because people turned the other way instead of facing reality face-to-face. He also explains that the people of America, specifically the Clinton’s, are hopeful to intervene and to do better than others have before them. They are optimistic that they can learn from the past to change the future. People feel discouraged about what has been allowed to happen, but will use this as fuel to open their eyes and to be more aware. 

Before giving this speech, Wiesel personally went through the Holocaust and the concentration camps. He was forced out of his home to live in this horrendous situation, where people were killed and disposed of. America turned its face to it for a long time. This is where his source of revenge to fight against indifference has rooted from. However, when he was giving the speech, the Kosovo bloodbath was taking place. Serbia and Yugoslav soldiers were killing and displacing thousands of families. The particpated in mass killings, rape, and forcing people out of their homes. Instead of taking action, the government tried to get rid of the bodies. This is the epitome of indifference. It only began to stop after NATO intervened to stop the brutal mass murders. Wiesel was thankful that this time, America decided to intervene and take a stand for those who are left unspoken for. 

As he gave this speech, those who were attending at the White House were deeply impacted. They were very grateful for the opportunity to hear Elie Wiesel speak up on such a sensitive and personal matter about his life that applies universally to America. It was an honor for them to sit in the room with him as he spoke. The speech opened their eyes even more to the desperation and need for balance and justice in the world. It showed them that while it may be easier to look away, it is better to fight for the voiceless. They were touched and had several questions about his experience and beliefs. They realized that his form of coping was standing up for what he knows is right, instead of anything violent.  In his writing, Wiesel talks about the abandonment and the hurt that is felt by the victims of the Holocaust when they disocver the indifference of teh Americans and their lack of intervention. However, he fails to mention the details of the personal feelings and struggles of memories that he still faces today. How does being a victim of indifference cause him to feel and wrestle with everyday life thinking about how something could have been done to prevent the heartache it has caused? He is hopeful for a change and explains the hurt they felt as a whole, but what does he struggle with the most?  

Elie Wiesel is extremely well known for this sincere speech he gave in front of a crowd, hoping to make a difference in the world and for the future. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986. He also took on the Chairman role for the President’s Commission on the Holocaust. He is well known for being an advocate for justice, peace, and being bold, instead of turning away. He has written several novels to help further detail his experiences and thoughts. One of the most famous memoirs he wrote is “Night”. He left a legacy of boldness and compassion behind. People know that Elie Wiesel was strong willed, especially when it came to speaking on indifference. He made several notions that people could be saved and awful things in history could have been prevented, if people would have tried to make a difference. He wants peace in the world. If someone is doing nothing, then they are a part of the problem. Present day, people still refer back to this speech. It is extremely full of wisdom and knowledge. He wrote a speech several decades ago that still applies to matters today. The power of his boldness has led many to shamelessly take a stand against passivity. People judge the past, as he mentions in his speech, because it is horrendous. As a country, America has learned from these mistakes when people step out to make a difference, as Wiesel did. He has made it known to millions of people that being passive and indifferent is not okay, and America will continue to fail and be in constant regret if it does not change its ways. He is hopeful for the potential that the future has if change will be made and people will love one another, and stand up for those who cannot. 

Works Cited

“Elie Wiesel.” Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity, 25 Sept. 2017, eliewieselfoundation.org/elie-wiesel/.

National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives and Records Administration, clintonwhitehouse4.archives.gov/WH/New/html/19990413-850.html. 

“The Nobel Peace Prize 1986.” NobelPrize.org, www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/1986/wiesel/biographical/. 

“The Nobel Peace Prize 1986.” NobelPrize.org, www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/1986/wiesel/facts/. 

“UNDER ORDER: War Crimes in Kosovo - 4.” UNDER ORDERS: War Crimes in Kosovo - 4. March-June 1999: An Overview, www.hrw.org/legacy/reports/2001/kosovo/undword-03.htm.