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,
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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
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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
Hardin begins with metaphors. He points out that while the metaphor of earth as a grand spaceship has a certain popularity (or did 23 years ago) it is a flawed metaphor
example of pathos because it plays with peoples emotions and they can more relate to this and
In the London edition of the Times, the article “Man Takes First Steps on the Moon” describes the moon landing in detail, painting a picture for those who did not get to watch it live on a television. The speaker describes the event by using charged words with which they create a dramatic rendition which appeals to pathos. By doing this, the audience can feel as if they are next to the astronauts as they took their first steps. This use of pathos creates a certain emotion within the
Among all the facts that the cosmic perspective is vital to humanity there is some sentiment too. Tyson introduces the atomic structure of everything in the universe. The basic building blocks of life. These are carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen. All of these natural elements are found in the human body as well as in the stars of the universe. We are thus a part of the stars and the stars are a part of us. This brings up a feeling of importance to the reader. Throughout the article readers feel the weight of the world coming in at them. In this short paragraph Tyson reminds them that they are a part of the universe and have a place in life.
Weatherford's also uses pathos as a way to convey his argument to the reader. Especially in the opening paragraph when Weatherford assumes that the reader grew up learning how Christopher Columbus “discovered” America, and how he lived peacefully with the Native Americans. Weatherford uses this and demonstrates how Columbus did nothing that people thought he pioneered: “Columbus’s voyage has less meaning for the North America that for South America because he never set foot in our continent, nor did he open it to European trade.” It is portrayed to the reader that Weatherford can keep discussing the wrong that Christopher Columbus did. He does this in the way he construct his essay by having some sort of connection with everything. Weatherford speaks
Pathos is used very effectively in Seth Davis’s article. By using pathos he is helping to expose the purpose of the article in a way that you wouldn’t think of before. Davis states “As the father of three children under the age of eight, I can only pray that someone “exploits” my sons someday
There are many instances where Parks is shown using pathos as his main rhetorical appeal, making the reader more sympathetic towards Brazilian families going through these everyday struggles. Parks uses pathos to get the reader to want to
Writers and speakers use pathos to present a feeling they have towards a certain event that is occurring, like demonstrating their displeasure with injustice. Frederick Douglass and Elizabeth Cady Stanton use pathos in their work to make their argument stronger by inspiring their readers to take action on the injustices that are being committed.
In his letters, Elder Hansen writes using different types rhetorical elements. One element he uses often is pathos. According to Aristotle, pathos deals with emotions and feelings from the heart. Elder Hansen shares to his family and friends his personal experiences and how he has been changed by them. His writing also includes ethos, which helps the audience decide the credibility and character of the author. Many people may not understand why an
In the introduction of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” King responds to the clergymen’s criticism about his non-violent actions in Birmingham as “unwise and untimely” As he justifies why his actions were not “unwise or untimely” King addresses the bigger issue of blacks suffering from racism and lack of equality and the need to take action for justice. To convey his arguments King uses quotations, allusions and pathos to effectively support his argument and to carefully refute what his opposition is saying. Throughout his piece, King uses quotes said by famous historical figures to support his central claim that black oppression needs to be addressed. King quotes St. Augustine, a highly respected religious figure, “an
On the contrary, opponents of NASA may speculate that overpopulation or ruining our planet will not occur, therefore the time, effort, and money spent on exploring Earth-like planets is useless. In actuality, overpopulation and the diminishing of Earth’s resources and health are working hand in
“Where what breathes, breathes / and what drinks, drinks,” the persona says (3,5). Natures relationships depicted in the first stanza are beautiful. At first, something as simple as the “islands” may seem unimportant (1). Once analyzed, its purposed is defined by providing a warm home for life to sustain. Without the “restless wind” and “incoming tide,” the animals could not sustain (4,6). Everything in the universe is interconnected.
Still, on Earth, harsh realities challenge people every day. Some people believe that, with the prevalence of terrorism, poverty, and disease on Earth, a rare asteroid threat should be the least of society’s concerns. Why should society
In Edgar Allan Poe’s “A Descent into the Maelstrom,” the power of nature is underestimated. Aspects of the natural world are depicted in an extreme, otherworldly and almost unfathomable form, and serve as indicators for a journey into a world that is within nature, but simultaneously borders on the supernatural. Common elements of the natural world are intensified and serve as symbolic, rather than everyday elements. Their exaggerated forms signify a break from a more familiar, assumed understanding of nature, which man thought he could predict and control, to a more powerful force. The protagonist in “A Descent into the Maelstrom” attempts to use reasoning and science to prepare to map out nature’s workings, which proves to be unreliable as he encounters natural forces that surround supernatural events. The end result is that a reliance on the principles of science and reason are exchanged for a renewed understanding of the powerful role of nature and its relation with the cosmic. Through the sailor’s changed perspective after encountering the maelstrom, the reader is able to see the relationship between the nature of the cosmos and man’s place in it. It is through the comparative theme of the cosmic versus the small that Poe challenges the favored prevalence of scientific thinking that stemmed from the Enlightenment.
The Big Picture is separated into six parts: Cosmos, Understanding, Complexity, Thinking and Caring. Each of the six topics are vital parts to supporting Carroll’s main argument of the strength of poetic naturalism, which is the idea that the universe and the world around us is widely complex and can be understood and talked about in several different ways. At first glance, Carroll’s wide assortment of topics may seem unruly, unorganized, and unfocused because of the ambitious attempt to incorporate sophisticated ideas from wildly unrelated subjects. However, upon further inspection, Carroll’s decision to structure his book in this fashion further supports his assertion that the world as we understand it can be discussed in many different ways and in many