rhetoric

On July 20, 1969, one of America’s most memorable event occurred. Apollo 11’s commander, Neil Armstrong, walked across the moon. This marked a momentous occasion not only in American history but also in the history of mankind. In the article, “One Giant Leap to Nowhere”, Tom Wolfe, the author, discusses the standstill found in NASA and subsequently its death after the Apollo 11 mission trip. He marks July 20, 1969 as the fall of NASA, though much of America would disagree and state that this was only the beginning. Wolfe goes on to describe the purpose of NASA, explaining that beating the Soviet Union in the space race was the sole purpose of NASA. On July 20th, America celebrated their triumph over the Soviet Union. America had placed a man on the moon before the Soviet Union. America’s goal was achieved. No longer was NASA necessary in the eyes of the government because NASA had accomplished what the government had planned for NASA. The government funding dwindled and further elaborate projects was halted due to insufficient funds. Wolfe explicitly states that because of NASA’s initial wrong goal, beating the Soviet Union, NASA has become but an empty husk of what it could have been. Wolfe states that the true purpose of NASA is to build a bridge to the stars. Tom Wolfe makes a compelling argument about the reason for NASA’s struggles with logical facts, quotes and paraphrases from credible sources and his passionate, humorous, sarcastic tone. Tom Wolfe’s witty comments immediately grab the reader’s attention. A perfect example would be his beginning sentence into the article, “…a giant leap for mankind and a real knee in the groin for NASA,” His overall tone in this article was sarcastic and humorous. His statements found in the article such as, “ –irreplaceable!- there were no others!”…anywhere!” appealed to the readers due to its passionate and humorous quality. The readers could identify with the feelings that the Wolfe was trying to convey. Instead