Question

Which persuasive device in Elie Wiesel’s speech “Keep Memory Alive” best supports his main idea — that we must remember because forgetting about oppression and suffering makes it more likely that history will repeat itself?
A. His use of rhetorical questions, such as: “How could the world remain silent?”
B. His use of parallelism
C. His use of hyperbole and understatement
D. His use of repetition, particularly his repetition of the phrase: “I remember…”

Answer 1

The best device he used was parallelism when he said "Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.". He is emphasizing how our memory, and actions upon that memory, of the terrifying acts of the holocaust will keep us from doing it again.

While the other options do play a part in his persuasive speech, allusion contributes the most strength among all the devices used.