Edwin Tomy George

ID: 80689715

Rhetoric and Composition II

RWS1302 CRN: 14843

Professor Shuv Raj Rana Bhat

September 19th, 2020

Genre Analysis Final Draft

Topic for Semester: Is spending on space exploration justified?

Introduction

The topic of the semester seeks to explore how spending on space exploration and

research is justified. Two genres were chosen for the analysis. The first genre is typography;

specifically, a web article titled “Why Spend Money on Space Exploration When We Have So

Many Problems Here on Earth,” written by Ron Garan. The article counteracts the common

arguments against space exploration, most of them descending from the main argument that

space exploration results in misallocating resources against humanity’s wellbeing. Ron Garan

uses many examples that support the opposing viewpoint, which is derived from space

exploration. The other genre chosen for the analysis is an iconography, which is an online

YouTube video called “Space Exploration – Fan Questions | Star Talk.” The main character is

renowned scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson, but the video itself is produced and organized by the

National Geographic Channel. Unlike the web article, the video focuses less on concrete
arguments and more on comparing the sheer immensity of space to the relatively tiny Earth.

Thus we are more likely to find out the solutions to our earthly problems out there.

Audience and Purpose

The web article’s main audience is fiscal conservatives, people who oppose considerable

government spending on non-critical sectors, and people emphasizing human welfare, especially

of those people in the bottom layers of society. This audience knows about the large expenditures

associated with national space programs and wants to know the reasoning behind the large

consumption of resources, when they can be targeted in other more important sectors, such as

solving world hunger. The audience then spends a couple of minutes reading through the article,

since it is short, with many visual aids to capture the audience’s attention. The author’s main

purpose is to persuade the audience into Ron Garan’s viewpoint, which he accomplishes by

providing several counterexamples. Although he uses engineering-related vocabulary, he uses

informal language to make it more understandable and relatable to the target audience, who may

not be acquainted with science and engineering topics. Likewise, the audience of the YouTube

video is of similar characteristics, with a much more aggressive opposing viewpoint. Here, the

audience specifically critiques NASA’s budget size and implies it’s a direct waste of resources,

marking a more hostile audience. Since it’s a short three-minute video and has many features

embolden by Neil deGrasse Tyson, such as background music that accentuates the highlights of

Tyson’s message, it is likely that the audience stays during the whole duration of the video. The

video’s main purpose is to persuade the user to consider that spending on space exploration is

justified. However, Neil deGrasse Tyson uses more awe aspiring informal language, with heavy

usage of nice-sounding astronomical vocabulary, instead of more technical counterarguments as

Ron Garan did. This astronomical vocabulary included words like outer space, galaxies and

super nova, space travel and more, all vocabulary which inspires awe in the viewers of the video,

including those who are skeptical of the scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson’s viewpoint.

Rhetorical Appeals

In both genres all the rhetoric appeals, ethos, pathos, and logos, are used. In the case of

ethos, the online article establishes its credibility by using supporting claims from organizations

that pander to the target audience. Since the audience is considerate of the health and nutrition of

the poorest in the planet, Ron Garan showcases examples where the World Health Organization

(WHO) supports research created through space exploration. With the second genre of the

YouTube video, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and the National Geographic Channel, are renowned for

their research, development, and promotion of the sciences across media, so they themselves

establish credibility and authority with the audience. For pathos, the web article panders to the

audience’s needs and requirements of a space program, which is to help the poor and return a

good investment, and it also evokes a sense of surprise, since the initial qualms of the audience

have been solved. While the web article is more considerate of the audience, the YouTube video

mocks the audience, as Tyson comments on the possible absurdity of the opposing viewpoint,

shaming criticizers for their erroneous beliefs while persuading them to join the more appropriate

perspective. For logos, both use many hard examples of real-world return in investments on

space exploration, although the web article relies more on it. Ron Garan showcases several

inventions originating from space and their positive effects on the economy, which more than

offsets the cost of a space program to a national budget. On the other hand, Neil deGrasse Tyson
and National Geographic provide examples of successful inventions, such as magnetic resonance

imaging (MRI), which came to be due to the exploration of frontier science.

Structure and Delivery

The online web article has a very good structure, which starts with the concerns the

audience has, and then it proceeds into multiple secondary paragraphs, which are short and

concise. Each paragraph counters the audience with an example that alleviates the audience of its

concerns from space exploration. The article ends with a consideration for the audience’s

possible change of heart, giving out a comforting signal at the end. The YouTube video starts

with a query of an opposing audience member, which is debated against using anecdotes and

rhetoric throughout the length of the video. With the article, more detailed examples supporting

the author are given in the typography, but at the expense that short texts limit the range in which

the author can express emotion. In contrast, in the YouTube video, emotion is more easily

expressed at the expense of showcasing supporting details. This can be demonstrated in how Neil

deGrasse Tyson avoided to go into detail of any of the examples he gave and used his tone of

voice as to provide emotion instead.

Conclusion

In conclusion, each genre does an effective job of persuading the audience to change their

viewpoints, as they effectively use all rhetorical appeals, which are well organized and visually

appealing. For a more logos-based approach, the article is more effective due to its extensive use

of supporting examples, while the video is useful for a more pathos minded group because of the

emotional arguments present throughout the video.

 References

DeGrasse Tyson, N. (Director). (2015). Space Exploration - Fan Questions | StarTalk [Video

file]. Retrieved September 19, 2020, from https://youtu.be/gRdwGb_wctA

Garan, R. (2016, September 02). Why Spend Money on Space Exploration When We Have So

Many Problems Here on Earth? - UNREASONABLE. Retrieved September 20, 2020,

from https://unreasonablegroup.com/articles/why-spend-money-on-space-exploration-

when-we-have-so-many-problems-here-on-earth/