Summary Of Petition To The President

Michael Smith

Professor Amy Decker

English 102

19 May 2015

Critical Evaluation of “Petition to the President” Szilard makes a valid argument in his “Petition to the President” essay by using a good balance of logos, pathos, and ethos as well as by being sure to restate his point to assure that the reader makes the necessary connections. He used ethos very well when stating his reason for what makes him a reliable source to be talking on behalf of the topic. Logos were used well when Szilard was explaining how the use of atomic bombs would simply open a door to more destruction and turn them into an “easy fix” for any future problems with other countries that the U.S. may face. Although he did use logos and ethos as well as pathos, it appeared

He also stated that, “The last few years show a marked tendency toward increasing ruthlessness,” which allows readers to see that he has been studying the trends of weapons that were being used by the militaries, including the new idea of atomic bombs. Although he did not use many examples of ethos, the few that he did made his credibility

Szilard explains later in the essay that if the U.S. were to make the choice of using an atomic bomb, it would in turn do nothing more than lead to not only more destruction, but more lethal. Although the statement of, ”The last few years show a marked tendency toward increasing ruthlessness” could be seen as an example to prove his credibility, it is also a good example of logos. Szilard uses the statement to show that there have been trends made by the military and they’ve been able to somewhat measure just how much more ruthlessness they’ve become. Szilard used a strong sense of pathos throughout the entire essay and was able to make the reader appeal to his personal and emotional as well as philosophical belief towards the topic of using atomic bombs to put a final end to the war against Japan in 1945. He states later on in the essay that the United States was already using the means of destruction against the Japanese that the Germans had used against the English and that the public was completely against. He then goes on to add that if the United States were to go on and actually use the atomic bomb, it would do nothing but make them more ruthless; with this idea, it can make the reader begin to second guess their own opinion on the use of the atomic bomb. Earlier in the essay, he made the suggestion that Japan should be given the opportunity to surrender to the U.S. and that