A2 Final Draft
Elijah Anderson
GWRTC 103
A2 Essay
3/6/15
Fight for a sense of security As a citizen growing up in America we all learn to recite the pledge, branding the ideals of liberty and justice for all. However, how much of this statement is true? According to Jean Mills and Carol Eichelberger in their article “A Quiet Fight to Marry”, this fundamental foundation of the United States of America is as ironic as the people to vow to protect these freedoms. This lesbian couple living in Alabama, where it is very difficult for many to accept the concept of a same-sex couple, has set out on an extensive journey to become activists whom will protect their rights and benefits that many opposite-sex couples currently receive. They effectively do this through a use of various rhetorical techniques to capture, maintain, and sympathize with the reader’s attention. Recently the state of Alabama has overturned the ban on gay marriage, which sounds like a case for celebration among many. However it has been reported that 51 of Alabama’s 67 counties “were not issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples” (Francis). This was a result of Alabama’s chief justice Roy Moore. In defiance of a federal ruling he encourages many to not comply with the federal court’s decision because he views homosexuality as “an evil” (Francis). Along with the chief justices opinion of homosexuality the majority of the south agrees with this notion of a wrong doing, categorizing gays as being a “degenerate” and damned “to burn in hell” (Eichelberger and Mills A27). Both of these ladies use aggressive diction to show how they are viewed by the society that surrounds them. This use of phrases such as “burn in hell” is effective in the way that it paints a picture of the agonizing experience of being submersed in flames. This image that the reader is forced to recognize symbolically depicts the pain and struggle that this couple faces from day to day. These women are also successful in exhibiting their ideas
GWRTC 103
A2 Essay
3/6/15
Fight for a sense of security As a citizen growing up in America we all learn to recite the pledge, branding the ideals of liberty and justice for all. However, how much of this statement is true? According to Jean Mills and Carol Eichelberger in their article “A Quiet Fight to Marry”, this fundamental foundation of the United States of America is as ironic as the people to vow to protect these freedoms. This lesbian couple living in Alabama, where it is very difficult for many to accept the concept of a same-sex couple, has set out on an extensive journey to become activists whom will protect their rights and benefits that many opposite-sex couples currently receive. They effectively do this through a use of various rhetorical techniques to capture, maintain, and sympathize with the reader’s attention. Recently the state of Alabama has overturned the ban on gay marriage, which sounds like a case for celebration among many. However it has been reported that 51 of Alabama’s 67 counties “were not issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples” (Francis). This was a result of Alabama’s chief justice Roy Moore. In defiance of a federal ruling he encourages many to not comply with the federal court’s decision because he views homosexuality as “an evil” (Francis). Along with the chief justices opinion of homosexuality the majority of the south agrees with this notion of a wrong doing, categorizing gays as being a “degenerate” and damned “to burn in hell” (Eichelberger and Mills A27). Both of these ladies use aggressive diction to show how they are viewed by the society that surrounds them. This use of phrases such as “burn in hell” is effective in the way that it paints a picture of the agonizing experience of being submersed in flames. This image that the reader is forced to recognize symbolically depicts the pain and struggle that this couple faces from day to day. These women are also successful in exhibiting their ideas
Cited: Francis, Enjoli. "Most Alabama Counties Defy Feds by Blocking Gay Marriage." ABC News. ABC News, 9 Feb. 2015. Web. 25 Feb. 2015. Mills, Jean, and Carol Eichelberger. "A Quiet Fight to Marry." The New York Times. The New York Times, 10 Feb. 2015. Web. 25 Feb. 2015. Noone, Sarah. "Alabama State Legislators: Repeal Law Forcing Schools to Teach That Being Gay Is Criminal." Change.org. Change, 2014. Web. 25 Feb. 2015.