The
Onion is known for its mocking of everyday things and claims of dubious
veracity. In a recent article, The Onion discusses a NASA mission that
discovered a planet identical to Earth by using an orbital mirror. Sounds
absurd, doesn’t it? The Onion isn’t wasting its time though, since they
included dubious claims and irony to show how NASA is not being used for
practical purposes anymore.
The
article makes absurd claims about scientific discoveries made with the mirror throughout.
At the beginning of the article, The Onion writes, “According to NASA,
the $2.9 billion aluminum glass mirror… suggesting that our solar system may
contain a terrestrial planet of the exact same size, shape, and surface
composition as Earth” (par. 2). Later in the article, they compare the two
planets, discussing how they are exactly the same is water composition, period
of rotation, and axial tilt. The idea of a space mirror is absurd enough, but The
Onion continues to mock the usage of NASA by using these comparisons as
emphasis. In this way, the author is able to convince readers of a downfall in
NASA’s practical days, since the article makes it look like NASA is only being
used for absurd missions nowadays.
Continuing
through the article, there are also examples of irony used in order to show the
absurdity of the theoretical space mirror. The article states, “’What may be
even more surprising is that it was discovered in a part of space that was
previously thought to be completely empty’” (par. 3). This shows the absurdity
of the mirror because the word “surprising” is ironic. Although it is meant to
show the scale of the discovery, in reality, it just emphasizes the fact that
the mirror was just used for satirical purposes. The mirror is used by The Onion as a symbol of NASA's lost practicality and glory. At other points throughout the article, irony is used to emphasize this, and it is the irony itself that really is key in showing the problem with NASA.
With funding for NASA missions dwindling, the article came at the perfect time. It was meant to ridicule that missing funding, and its use of irony and dubious claims are effective in doing so. Readers are left to think about the problems with NASA's funding and glory today, and The Onion hopes to bring change with that.
With funding for NASA missions dwindling, the article came at the perfect time. It was meant to ridicule that missing funding, and its use of irony and dubious claims are effective in doing so. Readers are left to think about the problems with NASA's funding and glory today, and The Onion hopes to bring change with that.
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