On 6 August, 1945, President Truman’s decision to utilize an atomic bomb on Hiroshima to end World War II was carried out. The second bombing on Nagasaki was the final assault needed to push Japan into surrender and end the dreaded war; a decision that left President Truman with a feeling of distaste and horror, a decision that very few attempted to sway the presidents’ mind on, and none that were successful (Miller Center 1). However, there was one petition, which if it had reached President Truman in time that could have made the difference in the choices that were made. Leo Szilard 's petition to President Truman, urging him not to use atomic weapons against Japan during WW II, used all three types of persuasive appeals to accurately describe
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When using Logos in an argument, logic is the key means of persuasion. Szilard uses many examples of Logos throughout his petition which also contained the appropriate tone and language to grab the Presidents attention and show what the decision he was about to make would lead to in the future. Szilard noted in his petition that these atomic weapons were built to annihilate entire cities with no regard to its target and the ruthlessness and effectiveness of these weapons, once released, would take hold and it would be difficult to keep these atomic bombs from being used over and over again in the future (Szilard 1). The logic throughout this petition would be consistent with that of a leader looking at the best interest of its own nation, as well as the rest of the …show more content…
While all three persuasive appeals were used, Logos was the main effort that was supplemented and strengthened by using Ethos and Pathos. Coupled together, this petition could have, and reasonably would have, made a difference in the decision making process the President would have gone through. Szilard and the other cosigners may not have changed the overall decision to use the atomic bomb, but could have possibly affected the timeline and reduced all other efforts before its
When using Logos in an argument, logic is the key means of persuasion. Szilard uses many examples of Logos throughout his petition which also contained the appropriate tone and language to grab the Presidents attention and show what the decision he was about to make would lead to in the future. Szilard noted in his petition that these atomic weapons were built to annihilate entire cities with no regard to its target and the ruthlessness and effectiveness of these weapons, once released, would take hold and it would be difficult to keep these atomic bombs from being used over and over again in the future (Szilard 1). The logic throughout this petition would be consistent with that of a leader looking at the best interest of its own nation, as well as the rest of the …show more content…
While all three persuasive appeals were used, Logos was the main effort that was supplemented and strengthened by using Ethos and Pathos. Coupled together, this petition could have, and reasonably would have, made a difference in the decision making process the President would have gone through. Szilard and the other cosigners may not have changed the overall decision to use the atomic bomb, but could have possibly affected the timeline and reduced all other efforts before its