The text that I will be analyzing is "Is American Nonviolence Possible?" This essay was published by Todd May on April 21, 2013.  May's essay is a response to the violent events that America has encountered in recent years. In particular, the Boston Marathon Bombing. Todd May states in his response that America is a violent country (May 354). He gives very detailed reasons and examples of how American violence has steeped in these last couple of years (May 355). However, towards the end of his essay, he starts to change his view point. He tries to persuade the audience that America is capable of being nonviolent again. The appeal that I have chosen is logos. By looking at the author's use of logos in this essay, the audience can easily understand his point of view and be persuaded. The author uses a solid argument and logic to prove that although America has a violent past, our country has the capability of being nonviolent again. 

Logos is the appeal to logic and reasoning. To use this appeal, the author has to have a solid thesis or claim. The argument would then have to have logical reasons behind them to back it up. The title of this essay is one that may catch the audience's attention at first. "Is American Nonviolence Possible?" is the argument or claim that the author is going to be trying to make. He asks a question as if he is asking the audience what they believe. The author states in his essay that "We are a violent country" (May 354). This is much unexpected considering the fact that he is trying to prove that America can be considered nonviolent again. The author then starts to give the reader logical reasons to why America is violent. He includes three main reasons. These reasons include deep individualism, decline of our ability to control events in the world, and economic reasons (May 355). May goes into depth about why he believes these reasons have contributed and played a large role in the violence of our society. He also gives specific examples such as the Boston Marathon murder and the mass killing at Sandy Hook Elementary School. By using these reasoning's and examples, the author has proven that America is violent for a reason by using logos. He made his claim and also proved it with several reasons. This in particular made the audience believe that his reasoning was accurate so he was able to persuade them earlier on his essay. However, this is not the main claim that Todd May was trying to argue. 

In the second part of his essay, Todd May leaves his argument for a minute and starts talking about a neutral topic. He states that "nonviolence is not passivity" (May 355). It almost seems as if the author is trying to prepare the reader for the second argument that he is trying to make. He then goes on to further his definition of humanity. He also touches on the subject of what nonviolence means to him. This is to prepare the audience for his reasoning that is coming later on. 

At the end of the essay, May asks another rhetorical question. He asks "Are we capable at this moment of taking on the mantle of nonviolence" (May 356). This is a contradictive question compared to the opening question. So the author then goes back to his central claim on how America can become nonviolent again. He makes the point that we have already been nonviolent in our country's history. He uses examples such as the civil rights movement, 9/11, and hurricanes that our country has encountered. He moves on to say that during those times we pulled together and put aside our violent differences in order to restore humanity and get over hard times (May 356). These reasons make the audience believe that America has been nonviolent in the past. This also would make the audience draw the conclusion that since we have been nonviolent in the past, we are able to do it again.

Although the author's primary appeal was logos, it was not the only way he appealed to the audience. He also used the two other appeals to a certain extent to gain the audience's attention. He used ethos (the appeal of credibility) and pathos (the appeal of emotion). He used ethos at the beginning of his essay whenever he quoted Martin Luther King Jr. This would causes the audience to be more likely to believe what the author is saying because King is a credible source for nonviolence. The author also used pathos when he gives the examples of the tragedies that our country has been through. The tragedies that have occurred in our country such as mass murders and natural disasters can also strike up emotion to citizens of our country. Because it is a sort of depressing topic, the readers were probably more likely to believe the author's reasoning of wanting nonviolence in America again. 

In the Carolina Reader, it states that the third point in making an argument is trying to find a common ground (Carolina Reader 12). May does this when he states "We are indeed violent, but we have shown flashes of nonviolence". I think that this makes the audience more willing to agree with the point that he is trying to make.

In conclusion, the author uses logos to make his central argument. He uses logical reasons such as how America is violent, cases of nonviolence, and how we can become nonviolent again. This reasoning easily persuades the audience that his argument is accurate. I also think that this appeal was more effective than the others because many people are probably debating on America's violent situation. By using facts instead of emotions, we can get more out of an argument about a subject that is so sensitive. By using convincing and rational points in his essay, I think that author has proven his point that America is capable of being nonviolent again. 

