The article exemplifies the action aspect of stasis theory. While the headline simply states that the Russians have won the race to launch the first satellite in space, the subject lines of the articles contained within the paper are pointing to the various reactions the public and the government must be having in response to this defeat by the soviets. Among them is the fact that the ‘U.S. may speed up [their] satellite program’, indicating that the U.S. is contemplating how to respond to the increased threat of Russian progress. Another article seems to explain how to spot the satellite, as if attempting to provide some means of security or false illusion of control. Additionally, the sub-headline states that man is ‘on the threshold of space travel’ seemingly implying that the soviet success with sputnik will have a domino effect in the rest of the space program. The implication of a domino effect is evidence for an urging for action in order to ensure that the first person on the moon is an American. Overall, the paper seems to lack a bit of focus and reflect a confusion, at the heart of which asks: “What do we do next?”
~Eva
I found it interesting at first that you found action to be the main stasis used, but I like your argument a lot. I think cause and effect could also be argued here, since the soviet's sending the satellite directly caused a reaction of fear in America.
ReplyDeleteI agree with stasis being action here, good analysis. It's interesting to see how competitive countries are. I wonder how long America was planning to send someone to the moon prior to the satellite launch by Russia.
ReplyDeleteI think your analysis of the stasis used here is completely on point. Also, the question of "What do we do next?" was affecting most Americans because the space race was so prevalent in their lives.
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