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.

Stasis Theory: Space Oddity

Although it is more difficult to identify specific aspects of stasis theory in a song, most of them are definitely present. In the case of Space Oddity, the astronaut was certainly a major phenomenon. It came out right before the Apollo 11 mission, at the height of the Space Race. The main character of the song, Major Tom, is a fictional character, but he represents the attitude towards astronauts at the time. The slow melody and minimization of lyrics serves to provide the audience a depiction of space. However, there is a slightly sinister ending as Major Tom gets lost in space. This shows the idea that space exploration might not be the purely good thing that was the prevalent thought at the time.

Stasis Theory: Kennedy

President Kennedy uses all the elements of stasis theory to make his argument to Congress. In the beginning of his speech, he uses definitions to make his argument more persuasive. By defining the space race as a battle "between freedom and tyranny", he makes it much harder to object to his cause. Then, he bluntly lays out the facts that the United States is losing the race, providing his reason for speaking. Already inherent in the concept of a battle, it goes almost without saying that this is a bad thing for the country. Kennedy adds a carrot by talking of the glory that would be associated with landing on the moon. The action and jurisdiction parts of stasis theory tie together very well in this instance. JFK requests Congress to approve more funds for space programs. He also reveals his vision of a man on the moon before the end of the decade.

Kairos: Space Oddity

The song "Space Oddity" by David Bowie was first released in 1969 just before the Apollo 11 moon landing. This was the culmination of the Space Race, which garnered a lot of attention from all around the world, including  in England where "Space Oddity" was originally released. It's title is a play off the movie 2001: A Space Odessey which came out in 1968, a further indication of media interest in space exploration.