Question

Read this excerpt from the conclusion of Elie Wiesel's "The Perils of Indifference" speech:

Does it mean that we have learned from the past? Does it mean that society has changed? Has the human being become less indifferent and more human? Have we really learned from our experiences? Are we less insensitive to the plight of victims of ethnic cleansing and other forms of injustices in places near and far? Is today's justified intervention in Kosovo, led by you, Mr. President, a lasting warning that never again will the deportation, the terrorization of children and their parents, be allowed anywhere in the world? Will it discourage other dictators in other lands to do the same?
Which statement best describes Wiesel's use of a rhetorical device?
A. Wiesel uses several metaphors and similes in order to help his audience better understand the suffering he endured.
B. Wiesel asks rhetorical questions with the expectation that his audience, the president of the United States, will answer them.
C. Wiesel ends his speech with several rhetorical questions to leave the audience with something to think about.
D. Wiesel presents himself as an expert on his topic in order to he

Answer 1

C. Wiesel ends his speech with several rhetorical questions to leave the audience with something to think about.

Answer 2

Answer: C. Wiesel ends his speech with several rhetorical questions to leave the audience with something to think about.

Eliezer "Elie" Wiesel was a Romanian-American Holocaust survivor. He was also a novelist, political activist, professor and Nobel Laureate. Wiesel was a prisoner in the Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps, and he tells his story in Night.

Throughout his life, Wiesel campaigned for victims of oppression in places like South Africa, Nicaragua, Kosovo, Armenia and Sudan. In this excerpt, he reflects on these injustices, all over the world, and connects them to the suffering he witnessed in the Nazi camps. He asks readers to think about the ways the world has changed, and whether this change has been enough. He also makes the reader wonder whether these injustices will ever stop and if they are any different from those during WWII. These questions are rhetorical, as he does not expect an answer. However, he asks them in order to force the reader to reflect on them.