Introduction
Much can be said about human nature. Why people are so competitive? The reasons can be endless but the core is power. The competitive nature of humans can be traced from the ancient times. Every person just like every government seeks wealth and power on a day to day basis. Consequently, when people and governments get the power they have always wished for, they develop the fallacious presumption that they have the necessary wherewithal that subsequently gives such person or government the right to interfere with the affairs of the not so powerful people or countries. William J. Fulbright writes an essay about the seeming arrogance of the United States and its citizenry caused by its immense wealth and power vis-à-vis their own interests and the interests of other nations and their citizens. The essay is successful and its effectiveness is evidenced by structure of the argument, the tone, and the proper use of pathos, ethos, and logos.
The essay has a clear structure. It begins with a clear background that gives the reader an idea of what to expect in the body paragraphs. The clear manner in which the writer presents the topic is evidence that the author understands the subject. The arguments that the writer presents are presented in a logical sequence form the introductory part to the conclusion therefore making the essay comprehensible. Further, the content of the essay and develops a good structure of the essay thus arousing the interest of the reader. Consequently, every paragraph in the body of the essay discusses a single general idea thus avoiding repetitiveness while also maintaining a logical connection between preceding arguments.
As regards the pathos, the essay is successful since it is able to appeal to the emotions of the reader. The pathos within the essay is evidenced by the passionate delivery of the argument coupled with sayings. An example of sayings is apparent when the author states thus, “The Lord, after all, surely would not choose you as His agent and then deny you the sword with which to work His will” (Fulbright 1966). Accordingly, the author uses vivid language. This form of language paints a picture for the reader who is then able to clearly imagine what the writer is speaking about. An example of vivid language is the part where the author states, “we become noisy and demanding and we strut around as if we owned the place” while describing how Americans behave when they get outside the American borders. Another aspect of pathos in the essay is the use of stories. The use of stories is epitomized by the author’s narration of the differences in the way the American and Japanese students behaved in a small-town airport in during his recent vacation in Mexico. These forms of pathos have been effectively utilized in the essay and are meant to stir the feelings of readers with the aim of eventually appealing to the Americans to change their attitudes towards non-Americans.
Logos on the other hand refers to the presentation of a logical appeal (Lutzke 2009). This is basically a form of substantiation of the arguments of the writer. It is usually done by presenting facts and figures where necessary in order to support various claims within the essay. This approach intensifies the statements made by the author. Logos may be in the form of comparisons, use or references, and metaphors. Fulbright makes several comparisons in the essay. For instance, he compares the kind of power that the United States has today to the kind of power that Napoleon and Hitler once held. Fulbright also compares the behavior of the contemporary Americans to that of the Greeks, Romans, Spaniards, and Germans when their respective countries had immense power. Consequently, the author uses metaphor when he likens the danger of an occurrence of holocaust to judgment day. By including the logos in the essay the author enhances the ethos within an essay hence making him appear more knowledgeable regarding the topic being discussed.
Regarding ethos, Fulbright writes confidently and convincingly. This gives the reader a lot of confidence in the writer because the reader is able to perceive the writer as competent enough to address the subject. This form of confidence in the writer is defined by the impressive use of logos within the text. The assertive and passionate manner in which the author writes creates an impression that the writer has vested interests in the topic.
Conclusion
The discussion of the topic is well balanced and the text is an enjoyable read. The examples that Fulbright provides are things that any United States citizen can relate with since they exemplify the day to day interactions between individuals as well as the relations between America and other nations. The text is particularly informative to American citizens who have to deal with cross-cultural relations with people from different background. The arguments are well articulated.
Work Cited
Fulbright, J. William. The Arrogance of Power. New York: Random House, 1966.
Kaplan, Morton. Senator Fulbright and the arrogance of power. International Journal on World
Peace, 1995, 12(1): 9-13
Lutzke, Jaclyn and Mary F. Henggeler. The Rhetorical Triangle: Understanding and Using
Logos, Ethos, and Pathos. School of Liberal Arts Indiana University: University Writing Center, 2009. Web. 28 Nov. 2013 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LlZ0b0AwDacb-UFo-b6e5SFedezj5PLfLTvWNf2EfXQ/edit?pli=1
TLC/College of the Canyons. Aristotle’s Appeals: Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. Web. 28 Nov. 2013
http://www.canyons.edu/offices/tlc/Handouts/PDFs/Aristotle's%20Appeals.pdf
