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Summary Of Rhetorical Analysis Of How Mad Are The Planets

Decent Essays

Grace Otten
Mr. Justin Ryan Carter
ENGL 1310.054
September 11, 2015
How Mad are the Planets? Rhetorical Analysis of The Madness of the Planets by Corey S. Powell The planets we have come to know and love are actually out of control and unpredictable. The Madness of the Planets, written by Corey S. Powell, made its appearance in the accredited Nautilis magazine and blog in 2013. Powell discusses and argues that the planets are not as stable as the scientific community once thought. In this piece, Powell barely taps into the reader’s emotional ide at all and takes a more ethos and logos perspective and uses examples, interviews, and theories to establish credibility and giving explanations for his argument, making his point of how the planets, …show more content…

Powell does, however, touch a little bit on pathos by personifying the planets throughout the piece and uses one main example to appeal to the emotions of the reader. Instead of focusing on pathos, Powell uses more of an ethos and logos appeal by conducting interviews with credible scientists and explaining emerging theories and research. This then, makes Powell able to tap into a more logistic perspective and build upon his credibility as a scientist and writer.
All throughout the piece, Powell quotes interviews he has overseen. The scientists and colleagues he interviews are extremely knowledgeable in their field and support Powell’s claim concerning the stability of the planets, or lack thereof. Alessandro Morbidelli is one the experts Powell talked to. Morbidelli works at the Nice Observatory in France as a planet dynamics expert. Powell’s other colleague that works with Morbidelli, Kevin Walsh, was also interviewed. Walsh works as lead researcher in solar …show more content…

Powell describes the event Comet ISON’s asteroids making a catastrophic landing in Chelyabinsk, Russia a few years back. Using this accident in his argument is a good example of pathos because it makes the reader feel sympathetic for those involved and that the instability of the universe might affect them personally. Powell also makes the readers feel a certain way about the planets themselves by personifying them. Like how Powell says, “The moon never forgets,” (p. 226) like the moon actually remembers or that a rejected planet, “is currently wandering alone among the stars,” (p. 228) making the reader feel bad for the lonely plant. The pathos in Powell’s argument is minimal but

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