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Steps On The Moon Ethos

Decent Essays

The article Man Takes First Steps on the Moon seeks to inform the audience of the United States’ moon landing. However, it also attempts to aggrandize the event using various occurrences of pathos. For instance, the text uses terms such as “spectacular moment,” “good shape,” “ultra careful,” “dramatic descent,” “spectacular shot,” etc. in order to create a dramatic effect. The article would then explore what other countries thought about the landing, using the despondent Russia to demonstrate feelings of defeat. Little ethos was used, since the article wasn’t meant to persuade, but inform, and since the Times newspaper is considered to be quite trusted. Most of the logos was in the form of quotations, such as “Tranquility base. The Eagle has …show more content…

It however also strives to promote objectivism -- a philosophy that bases its values around individualism, freedom, and reason. The July 16,1969 Launch: A Symbol of Man’s Greatness primarily describes the awe-inspiring lift-off using pathos to create a dramatic atmosphere. This can be seen in phrases such as “shock of anxiety, as if this were a building on fire,” “two gigantic wings,” and “a pale cylinder with a blinding oval of white light at the bottom.” However, this commentary also strives to connect the blast-off to the idea of objectivism; “What we had seen...was the concretized abstraction of man’s greatness,” Rand claims. He also says that the “fundamental significance of Apollo 11’s triumph is not political; it is philosophical; specifically, moral-epistemological.” However, this statement is largely unsupported, as Rand uses pathos rather than logos to justify his belief. While this may be effective to audiences that are susceptible to pathos, logos should be bolstered logos. And since this commentary was to be put in a philosophy book, logos should be the primary concern. In general, this text is rather mediocre in achieving its

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