Rhetorical Analysis Of Mary Roach's 'Packing For Mars'

In Packing for Mars, Mary Roach communicates that the most interesting part of space travel is humanity and the complicated obstacles that come with it. Roach’s purpose is to argue that although they present difficult challenges, much can be learned about humanity through space travel. To support this argument, the author compares humanity to machinery and the opinions of scientists to her own, provides anecdotes concerning the humanity of astronauts, and describes the struggles and morality of those changed by space from their answers to an interview.
The first rhetorical strategy present in the excerpt is comparison. Roach utilizes this strategy to demonstrate how scientists view humans and how they view machinery. When Roach is comparing humanity to machinery, she informs the reader that it is reasonable to bring something to space that is “stable and undemanding,” but also reminds them how much more intriguing it is to bring humans; something that is “unpredictable” and “inconsistent” (paragraph 1). Because humans are described in this manner, it is evident how space exploration expands the boundaries of man’s mind and body. …show more content…
Through her use of comparison, she better explained how sending humans to space presents valuable intrigue, and with her anecdotes Roach shows the flawed, humble side of the heros in spacesuits; and by using an interview of the astronauts themselves, the author suggests that space changes humans’ moral and basic perspectives of the world around them. Her argument is important because it explains the worth of working to overcome man’s hurdles in order to send humans into space. Roach’s writing communicates that with every accomplishment out in space, more can be learnt about what it means to be human and how far astronauts can push the limits of their