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Lauren Diodati

Johnson

ELA 9

10, March 2017

CIA 4 Essay

Unjust situations occur every day, causing inequalities, injuries, and even deaths. When

Elie Wiesel accepted his Nobel Peace Prize award for the book Night, he discusses the

traumatizing memories from his experience during the Holocaust, and how we can prevent

similar events in the future. In Wiesels speech for his award, he shows that when you see

something unfair happening, you need to stand up against the situation, and stand up for whats

right. He shows this by using the rhetorical appeal of pathos, and the rhetorical devices of

juxtaposition and anaphora.

In Wiesels speech, he uses the rhetorical appeal of pathos to show that you need to

stand up for whats right. During the speech, Wiesel begins to talk about how he does not have

the honor to talk on on behalf of the dead. He goes on to talk about how he feels, The presence

of my parents, that of my little sister, (2). This quote shows how much pain he, and millions of

others felt for the rest of their lives from the holocaust, simply because people other countries

like America, didnt stand up against the Nazis until it was too late. This quote appeals to pathos

because it causes the audience to see the amount of pain that the people who experienced the

Holocaust felt. Wiesel goes on to discuss how quickly everything escaladed, starting with the

ghetto, then says, The fiery altar upon which the history of our people and the future of

mankind were meant to be sacrificed, (4). This quote shows how the fiery altar or crematorium

changed history by killing millions of innocent people. This quote reveals the theme by using
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pathos because it makes the audience see the despair that the people went through, causing

them to be motivated to stand up for whats right, so history doesnt repeat itself. In conclusion,

Elie Wiesel reveals the theme, you need to stand up for whats right, by appealing to pathos.

Next, Wiesel uses the rhetorical device of anaphora to reveal the theme, stand up for

whats right. When Wiesel talks about the very beginning of the Holocaust, he says, I remember

his bewilderment, I remember his anguish, (4). This quote shows how Wiesel refers to his

younger self in the third person to show how much confusion and pain the Holocaust caused,

that he will remember for the rest of his life. The quote uses anaphora to repeat the phrase, I

remember to shows how Wiesel will never forget what he went through, and he doesnt want

people to feel the way he feels, so he convinces the audience to stand up for whats right and

stop injustice before people have to feel the same way he does. Later on in his speech, Wiesel

says, What have you done with my future, what have you done with your life? (6). This

quote explains how Wiesel speaks of his younger self talking to himself currently, to show how

the Holocaust ruined his childhood, and the rest of his life. This example of anaphora reveals

the theme by showing people that if you stand up for whats right, it can prevent lives from being

ruined, whether it be injury, mental health, of even death. Concluding this, Wiesel shows how

the use of anaphoras can reveal the theme, stand up for whats right, in his speech.

In the Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance speech, Wiesel uses the rhetorical device of

juxtaposition to reveal the theme, stand up for whats right. In his speech, Wiesel beings to talk

about how we need to prevent similar occurrences in the future , then says, Neutrality helps the

oppressor, never the victim, (7). This quote shows how if you dont pick a side during a time

where something unjust is happening, you automatically take the side of the oppressor,

because theyre going to think that you believe that whats happening is okay because you

arent trying to stop it. This reveals the theme because the words oppressor and victim show
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how there will always be two sides of the battle, and you must stand up for whats right, and

make sure that people dont have to feel negative emotions, like the victims that endured the

Holocaust. After that, he goes on, saying, Silence encourages the tormentor, never the

tormented, (7). This shows how Wiesel is trying to motivate his audience to keep bad things

from happening, before people must feel the way that he felt during the Holocaust. This reveals

the theme by showing that you must stand up for whats right, so that there is no tormentor

and tormented, making sure that no one feels pain like he did. In conclusion, Wiesel uses the

rhetorical device of juxtaposition, the show that you must stand up for whats right.

In summary, Wiesel shows how you must stop unjust situations from occurring, and

stand up for whats right. When you stand up for whats right, you are preventing people from

feeling pain, that they shouldnt be feeling in the first place. So make sure that whenever you

see something unfair happening, do the right thing, and stand up for whats right.