Elie Wiesel Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech Analysis

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Take a Stand Against Injustice Many people stay silent in times of dispute because they fear being judged, but in reality staying quiet and not choosing sides will never solve the situation. Elie Wiesel was a devoted Jew who was forced to suffer the horrors of the Holocaust at the young age of 15. After being shipped in cattle cars to many concentration camps, including Auschwitz, Elie began fighting for justice and equality for all people despite income, race, religion, or political views. In his Nobel Prize acceptance speech, Elie Wiesel stresses his claim that silence and neutrality will always benefit the oppressor through the use of logos, ethos, and pathos. In Wiesel’s speech he uses the rhetorical appeal, logos, to present to …show more content…

Wiesel has dedicated his life to helping others because he knows what it is like to be alone and suffering. As a great example to the people, he explains, “that every moment is a moment of grace, every hour an offering; not to share them would mean to betray them. Our lives no longer belong to us alone; they belong to all those who need us desperately” (Wiesel 13). Elie makes the audience feel guilty for not helping those that needed their help the most and for taking their freedom for granted. By making them feel guilty, he is actually pushing the audience to do more to help their community. The reader feels inspired and challenged to dedicate their life, like Wiesel, to helping the oppressed. Wiesel has an impact on his listeners by using pathos and encouraging them to never stay neutral and to never stay silent. To reiterate, Elie Wiesel uses logos, ethos, and pathos in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech to retaliate against silence and neutrality because the oppressor will always be benefited. He makes logical points that prove his beliefs to his audience. Also, he appeals to his readers morals and gains their trust. Wiesel also toys with his reader’s emotions, making them feel guilty for not helping those who need it most. Silence will only provoke the oppressor and neutrality will only benefit them. Refuse to stay

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