Question

Read the passage. What tone does President Eisenhower use in this speech, and how does the tone affect the purpose of his speech?

Atoms for Peace

By Dwight D. Eisenhower (excerpt)

Occasional pages of history do record the faces of the ”Great Destroyers” but the whole book of history reveals mankind’s never-ending quest for peace, and mankind’s God-given capacity to build.

It is with the book of history, and not with isolated pages, that the United States will ever wish to be identified. My country wants to be constructive, not destructive. It wants agreement, not wars, among nations. It wants itself to live in freedom, and in the confidence that the people of every other nation enjoy equally the right of choosing their own way of life.

So my country’s purpose is to help us move out of the dark chamber of horrors into the light, to find a way by which the minds of men, the hopes of men, the souls of men every where, can move forward toward peace and happiness and well being.

In this quest, I know that we must not lack patience.

I know that in a world divided, such as our today, salvation cannot be attained by one dramatic act.

I know that many steps will have to be taken over many months before the world can look at itself one day and truly realize that a new climate of mutually peaceful confidence is abroad in the world.

But I know, above all else, that we must start to take these steps—now.


A.) a playful tone to persuade the world to disregard the isolated instances when the United States used nuclear technology
B.) a pacifying tone to convince the audience that the United States will use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes and not for destruction
C.) a pessimistic tone to indicate that the United States regrets having invented nuclear technology
D.) a rational tone to describe the failure of the United States to employ nuclear technology successfully
E.) an indignant tone to criticize the world for its mistrust in the United States to use nuclear technology peacefully

Answer 1

The correct answer for the speech included in this question would most likely be B.) a pacifying tone to convince the audience that the United States will use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes and not for destructionThis tone is implied by such phrases as 'I know that in a world divided, such as our today, salvation cannot be attained by one dramatic act.'

Answer 2

The correct answer is B, as President Eisenhower used a pacifying tone to convince the audience that the United States will use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes and not for destruction .

"Atoms for Peace" was the title of a speech delivered by Dwight D. Eisenhower at the UN General Assembly in New York on December 8, 1953.

The speech was a crucial point for the international focus on the peaceful uses of atomic energy, even during the early phases of the Cold War. It could be argued that Eisenhower, with some influence from Einstein, was trying to bring a sense of tranquility to a terrified world that the horror of Hiroshima and Nagasaki could reoccur.

The speech represents an ostensible antithesis to the international intrigue that then took the world to the edge of the abyss. Eisenhower remarked with new emphasis the serious responsibility of the United States for its nuclear actions - past, present and future. To a large extent, this speech established the rules of engagement for the Cold War.