After reading The Comet by W.E.B. Du Bois, I gained a better understanding of the use of genre conventions for rhetorical effect. Throughout the reading, the author showcased the use of speculative fiction and post-apocalyptic storytelling to articulate the way society works and the deep-seated racism in the landscape of New York City both then and now. In the story, the author sets the scene with a comet that takes place, and two people are alive, both of whom are of different races and different walks of life. When the character Jim was looking around NYC, he found another woman who was white to be alive. The author stated, “Not that he was not human, but he dwelt in a world so far from hers, so infinitely far, that he seldom even entered her thought.”. The author interprets that because of their way of life, they were unaware of society and other people of different kinds. An interesting interpretation of this piece of work from Du Bois is that it is still present today, and people are looked upon a certain way based on what they look like, and this story showcases this very well. Towards the end of the story, as the two are waiting at the building, a group of people, her father being one of them, finds them and automatically assumes the worst in Jim and that he did something to her. The author stated, “And this man here? He asked, encircling her drooping form with one arm and turning towards the Negro.”. W.E.B Du Bois articulated an interesting story to inform the readers of the use of speculative fiction and post-apocalyptic storytelling, showcasing the way society works and the deep-seated racism from past and present.