Night by Elie Wiesel - The Perils of Indifference Speech Discussion and Activity

Night by Elie Wiesel - The Perils of Indifference Speech Discussion and Activity: During your Night by Elie Wiesel unit, inspire students to raise their voices against injustice with this meaningful speech-writing activity based on Elie Wiesel’s powerful address, The Perils of Indifference, shared at the White House in 1999. After viewing Wiesel’s speech and analyzing selected excerpts, students engage in critical discussion, make personal and text-based connections to Night, and ultimately craft their own persuasive speech about a modern injustice. This post-reading resource promotes empathy, civic awareness, and the transformative power of language.

This is included in a unit plan:
>>> Night by Elie Wiesel Unit Plan

Included in the Night by Elie Wiesel Perils of Indifference Speech Writing Activity:

➡️ Elie Wiesel Speech Video & Discussion Task Cards: Students watch Wiesel’s historic 1999 speech (video link included) and engage with selected excerpts through thought-provoking prompts designed to spark personal, global, and text-based connections.

➡️ Speech Response Assignment: Students will choose one of the discussion card excerpts to explore more deeply and consider connections to the world and Night by Elie Wiesel.

➡️ Modern Injustice Speech Writing Planning Organizer: Students choose a modern injustice and use a detailed graphic organizer to plan their own persuasive speech. Prompts guide them through crafting a hook, describing the issue, sharing a personal connection, and concluding with a call to action.

➡️ Speech Writing Pages: Students use their completed organizer to write a final good copy of their speech, modeled in tone and structure after Wiesel’s original.

How the Night by Elie Wiesel Perils of Indifference Speech Activity Works:

1. Begin by showing Elie Wiesel’s The Perils of Indifference speech (YouTube link included) to the class.
2. Have students work in small groups to discuss and reflect on Wiesel’s key statements using the task card prompts. Each student selects one prompt to respond to in writing, connecting Wiesel’s words to Night, their own experiences, or current events.
3. Guide students through the graphic organizer to brainstorm and structure a speech about a current injustice, using Wiesel’s message as inspiration.
4. Students write and revise a final version of their speech to raise awareness and advocate for change, developing their writing, critical thinking, and empathy in the process.

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