Atomic Bomb Argumentative Essay

834 Words2 Pages

How different would the world be if America had never dropped the bomb on Japan to end World War II? If America had simply offered Japan a way to surrender by simply threatening the use of the atomic bomb, would Japan have surrendered? The world will never know, however Leo Szilard, one of the scientists that created the atomic bomb, tried to make a plea for this to happen. A month before the atomic bomb was dropped on Japan in WWII, Leo Szilard and 59 scientists stood up for what they believed in and tried to alter the thinking and decision that the President was making. Leo Szilard structured his petition in a way that was an easy to follow and navigate argument. While a thesis statement is typically found at the beginning of a paper in Szilard employed ethos by stating “We, the undersigned scientists, have been working in the field of atomic power for a number of years.” (Szilard) This showed that these men had the authority to make the argument for they knew what the atomic bomb would do when deployed. The author used logos when stating to the President that they understood that the atomic was an effective means of ending the war, however, they presented an idea of presenting the Japanese with terms so that they could have the opportunity to surrender or we were going to use this weapon. These statements provided a logical way to end the argument and not have to use the bomb. Leo Szilard used the support of pathos to present the most emotional argument. “Thus a nation which sets the precedent of using these newly liberated forces of nature for purposes of destruction may have to bear the responsibility of opening the door to an era of devastation on an unimaginable scale.” (Szilard) He wanted to appeal to the President that if he used the bomb, other nations could come up with the same and return the attack on American soil and he wanted the President to feel how the American public would feel about

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