"Science and Beauty" by Isaac Asimov

1. a) What is the thesis of Asimov’s essay?

The thesis is stated near the end of the essay in the statement ‘And all of this vision – far beyond the scale of human imaginings – was made possible by the works of “learn’d” astronomers.’

b) How is this essay organized: inductively or deductively?

This essay is organized inductively.


3. Identify and explain the significance of the following rhetorical devices in the essay:

a) rhetorical question

“Should I stare at a single leaf and willingly remain ignorant of the forest?”

The significance of this rhetorical question is o engage the reader and force them to think along the lines that the author is thinking. The question has only one simple answer, but it makes the reader think about other possible answers, and realize there are none, which proves the authors point effectively.

b) imagery

“worlds with pink and desolate deserts”

The imagery in this quote sparks curiosity about these other worlds that the author speaks of. The audience pictures the “desolate desert” in the mind and tries to think of what another world in our galaxy might look like.

c) metaphor

“stars that pulsate endlessly in a great cosmic breathing”

These metaphors contribute to the essay similarly to the imagery. They relate the beauty of the stars and planets that most people admire but don’t think too much about to the intriguing scientific views of the galaxy.

d) personification

“hurricanes that could gulp down the whole earth”

Personification gives human qualities to nonhuman things such as, in this case, stars and planets. This helps the audience to think about new aspects of the stars and planets, and from different points of view.


4. Asimov’s essay is an excellent example of coherence in writing – each part of the essay is seamlessly linked to the parts before and after it. Select any two consecutive paragraphs and explain how Asimov accomplishes the effective transition.

The transition from paragraph 8 to paragraph 9 was particularly smooth. Paragraph 8 begins with “Those bright spots in the sky...” and describes planets in a way that they appear as fascinating undiscovered worlds. Paragraph 9 is then introduced with the words “Those other bright spots...” and illustrates stars in an original and interesting way. The similar beginnings to these paragraphs link them both very well to paragraph 7 which stated that we should look up at the sky and see more than pretty lights.