America is one of the most powerful countries in the world, but power is not always the best answer when it comes to supporting a different country. In the essay "On the Arrogance of Power, 1966." by William J. Fullbright it talks about how America is powerful as a nation but its arrogance of power does not always work in every situation. Fullbright’s thesis statement for this essay is as follows: The dilemmas involved are preeminently American dilemmas, not because America has weaknesses that others do not have but because America is powerful as no nation has ever been before and the discrepancy between its power and the power of others appears to be increasing (Fullbright). In this essay Fullbright talks about how America was a super power and was over using its power during the Vietnam War. The essay On the Arrogance of Power was informative and insightful because the author explained the use of arrogant power and the outcome it had on the Vietnamese people. The author argues that even though America is powerful, power is not always the final answer to a problem. During the Vietnam War, America tried to utilize its strength in South Vietnam to support the South Vietnamese people and it ended up being too much force. Fullbright’s quote of a Chinese proverb: "In shallow waters dragons become the sport of shrimps" which described how America can…show more content… His idea was expressed with clear and precise information giving the reader a clear-cut understanding for what they’re reading. Fullbright explained that we were trying to be boy scouts by trying to drag old ladies across a road that they didn’t want to cross (Fullbright). This statement provided a picture in the reader’s mind of how the wrong type of force was being utilized in the operation in South Vietnam. He explains that America was trying to create a new society for the Vietnamese for which force was not the right way to do
