Pathos: Space Oddity

Pathos is by far the most frequently used and most effective rhetorical element in "Space Oddity". This is in large part due to the medium, a song, that lends itself to pathos. However, the statement Bowie was making also holds little room for logos or ethos. The song is slow and aims to provide the listener with the feeling of actually being in space. This causes the audience to think about the strangeness of space travel because they are imagining themselves in place of the astronaut. Then, at the end of the song, the astronaut gets lost in space. Not only is this a stark reversal from the beginning of the song, where he was a hero, the listener feels an emotional attachment to the lost astronaut. It makes people wonder whether there could be tragic downsides to this Space Race.

Pathos: JFK's Moon Shot Speech to Congress

John F. Kennedy does a very successful job at appealing to the emotions of the audience. In this case, the audience is 435 members of Congress. In his speech, he attempts to appeal to the egos of the members by comparing them to the Soviet Union. JFK continuously refers to the Soviets success in order to motivate and encourage Americans to want further expand their knowledge of space. His confidence and drive makes Americans want to have pride in their nation. Winning the Space Race will enable America to have a lead on the Soviet Union, which will boost their egos. In addition, JFK uses "we" in order show the nation that he is not above them and they all must work together. Imagination is a key idea when thinking about pathos. The whole idea of space is open to curiosities that JFK is confident he can diminish.