Read this passage:I remember: it happened yesterday, or eternities ago. A young Jewish boy discovered the Kingdom of Night. I remember his bewilderment, I remember his anguish. It all happened so fast. The ghetto. The deportation. The sealed cattle car. The fiery altar upon which the history of our people and the future of mankind were meant to be sacrificed.I remember he asked his father: "Can this be true? This is the twentieth century, not the Middle Ages. Who would allow such crimes to be committed? How could the world remain silent?" And now the boy is turning to me. "Tell me," he asks, "what have you done with my future, what have you done with your life?"Elie Wiesel, Nobel Prize acceptance speech, 1986Why does Wiesel talk about himself in the third person?A.To answer a question that many people have asked him aboutB.To focus the audience on the terrible experiences he had as a childC.To ask the audience members to consider what they would do in his situationD.To give the audience facts and evidence that support his argument
Question
Read this passage:I remember: it happened yesterday, or eternities ago. A young Jewish boy discovered the Kingdom of Night. I remember his bewilderment, I remember his anguish. It all happened so fast. The ghetto. The deportation. The sealed cattle car. The fiery altar upon which the history of our people and the future of mankind were meant to be sacrificed.I remember he asked his father: "Can this be true? This is the twentieth century, not the Middle Ages. Who would allow such crimes to be committed? How could the world remain silent?" And now the boy is turning to me. "Tell me," he asks, "what have you done with my future, what have you done with your life?"Elie Wiesel, Nobel Prize acceptance speech, 1986Why does Wiesel talk about himself in the third person?A.To answer a question that many people have asked him aboutB.To focus the audience on the terrible experiences he had as a childC.To ask the audience members to consider what they would do in his situationD.To give the audience facts and evidence that support his argument
Solution
Wiesel talks about himself in the third person to focus the audience on the terrible experiences he had as a child. This technique allows him to present his experiences objectively, as if he were another person, which can make the narrative more powerful and impactful. It also allows him to distance himself from the traumatic events, which can be a coping mechanism.
Similar Questions
Fifty-four years ago to the day, a young Jewish boy from a small town in the Carpathian Mountains woke up, not far from Goethe's beloved Weimar, in a place of eternal infamy called Buchenwald. He was finally free, but there was no joy in his heart. He thought there never would be again. Liberated a day earlier by American soldiers, he remembers their rage at what they saw. And even if he lives to be a very old man, he will always be grateful to them for that rage, and also for their compassion. Though he did not understand their language, their eyes told him what he needed to know that they, too, would remember, and bear witness.Elie Wiesel, "The Perils of Indifference," 1999Why does Wiesel begin "The Perils of Indifference" by thanking the U.S. soldiers who freed him from the concentration camp as a child?A.To reprimand the soldiers of other countries who did nothing to helpB.To appeal to the audience who were mostly from the United StatesC.To inform the international audience that U.S. soldiers helped himD.To tell the U.S. audience that the United States should no longer be proud of its actionsSUBMITarrow_backPREVIOUS
I remember: it happened yesterday or eternities ago. A young Jewish boy discovered the kingdom of night. I remember his bewilderment, I remember his anguish. It all happened so fast.Why does Wiesel speak about himself in the third person?A.It makes the speech less important.B.It shifts the focus to his difficult childhood.C.It makes him seem funnier.D.It shifts the focus to the audience.
This is what I say to the young Jewish boy wondering what I have done with his years. It is in his name that I speak to you and that I express to you my deepest gratitude. No one is as capable of gratitude as one who has emerged from the kingdom of night. We know 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.Elie Wiesel, Nobel Prize acceptance speech, 1986Why does Wiesel return to the image of himself as a young boy in the conclusion of his speech?A.To encourage the audience to ask him questions about his experiencesB.To provide the audience with facts about what happened to him during the HolocaustC.To show how honored he is by the awardD.To appeal to the audience's emotions and leave the audience with a memorable imageSUBMITarrow_backPREVIOUS
I remember: it happened yesterday or eternities ago. A young Jewish boy discovered the kingdom of night. I remember his bewilderment, I remember his anguish. It all happened so fast.How does he present his ideas in these sentences?A.He boldly states his argument.B.He asks a rhetorical question.C.He refers to himself in the third person.D.He appeals to the audience's sense of humor.SUBMITarrow_backPREVIOUS
Read this passage:This is what I say to the young Jewish boy wondering what I have done with his years. It is in his name that I speak to you and that I express to you my deepest gratitude. No one is as capable of gratitude as one who has emerged from the kingdom of night. We know 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.Elie Wiesel, Nobel Prize acceptance speech, 1986What rhetorical strategy does Wiesel use in the conclusion of his speech to appeal to the emotions of the audience and leave the audience with a memorable image?A.He asks that the audience put themselves in his position.B.He allows the audience to ask questions about his experiences.C.He returns to the image of himself as a young boy.D.He provides facts about the number of deaths during the Holocaust.
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