Questions 1-4

1. a)The thesis of Asimov's essay can be found in the fifth paragraph of the essay after the poem example. He states "But what I see-those quiet, twinkling points of light-is not all the beauty there is." He is claiming that beauty not only lies in what you can plainly see, but also in what is not seen.

b) The essay is organized deductively. He presents his thesis and goes on to provide examples of beauty that cannot be seen in order to support his claim.

2. One method of development that Asimov uses is example. He presents descriptive examples of stars and solar systems outside of our own which we cannot see and goes into great detail of their beauty in order to relate them to his thesis and to further prove his claim. Another method of development that he uses is description. He objectively describes the solar systems and other galaxies in a scientific manner, not seen by us on Earth to prove that beauty does not have to be seen in order to be appreciated.

3. a) There are a couple of rhetorical questions used throughout this essay. The first is in the first paragraph "Why bother learning all that junk when I can just go out and look at the stars?" and a second is in the fifth paragraph, "Should I be satisfied to watch the sun glinting off a single pebble and scorn any knowledge of a beach?" These rhetorical questions offer the reader a chance to reflect on what the author's statement or opinion is trying to convey. Since they are so obvious, the reader unconsciously will respond as Asimov most likely wants, and they will therefore agree with him.

b) The use of imagery is used quite effectively throughout this essay, especially when the author is providing examples of beauty not seen. An example would be "we are becoming more aware of the violence at the centres- of great explosions and outpourings of radiation, marking the death of perhaps millions of stars." The author may just be describing the atmospheric conditions of the stars but he creates such an image with such great detail, one of which would normally just be disregarded and moved past. The use of imagery adds "visual interest" to the story, almost as if the author is "drawing" a picture for the reader so that what the author is writing is more comprehensible.

c) The author introduces a metaphor "-to form an enormous pinwheel. This pinwheel, the Milky Way galaxy" to make a comparison between to unseemly similar subjects. It offers the reader a link to what is being discussed so that they can make relations and connections to what is being presented.

d) The author uses personification effectively when he writes, "There are stars that pulsate endlessly in a great cosmic breathing". He gives the stars and galaxies personal characteristics to add interest, appeal and a sense of familiarity so that the examples being provided are more relatable to the reader.

4. In paragraphs 7 and 8, Asimov creates coherence in his writing through the use of similar introductory sentences. In the first paragraph he begins "Those bright spots in the sky that we call planets are worlds" and in the following paragraph starts with "Those other bright spots, which are stars rather than planets, are actually suns". The second introductory sentence is a direct reference to the preceding paragraph and creates a link between the two. Furthermore, the use of the phrase "bright spots" in both paragraphs makes a coherent connection to the planets and stars that the author uses as examples to prove his thesis.