Sara Yoest Pederson's The Family Of A Different Feather
Analysis of The Family of a Different Feather Sara Yoest Pederson wrote an article titled “The Family of a Different Feather”. The article deals with the touchy issue of same-sex parents and how to explain that some children have two moms or two dads instead of one of each. Children are curious about things like this but their curiosity does not always last very long. Sara Pederson used a well written children’s book to explain this to her child and suggests that parents do the same. Pederson goes on to say in the article that our society has judged some children’s books as “most challenged and inappropriate material for its age group”. Some of this is based on the “forbidden” same-sex parenting.
The same-sex issue is hard to explain to children
in a way that they will understand. Of course, it is better to teach them about it instead of hiding it or protecting them from something that is here to stay. Same-sex partners are a reality. Children need to understand this. It is better to educate children on real-life matters rather than sheltering them. Sheltering them could possibly lead to prejudice and bigotry over time. One of the first questions about sex a child will ask is “where do babies come from”. You basically tell them that it takes a man and a woman to make a baby. This is why it is so hard for children to understand when one of their friends has two mothers or two fathers. Pederson used the book “And Tango Makes Three” to tell her child about same-sex parents. Just because a child has two fathers or two mothers does not mean that the love between child and parents is not that same as it is for all types of families.
The claim, or thesis, for this piece is that parents can learn from children’s books and, therefore, should not be taken off the bookshelves. Same-sex parenting and same-sex marriages are still a very touchy issue in the United States. The book “And Tango Makes Three” can be very helpful in explaining the same-sex parenting issue to young children and how these parents can give their children the same love that a man and woman can give to their children. I agree that children should have access to all books to read. These books can help to answer questions the child has through comparing animals to humans or just by telling a story about a family.
A warrant identified in the article includes a child’s belief that all parents are one mother and one father. Another warrant is that it is impossible for a child to have two parents of the same sex. Another warrant would be how to explain that the subject is better left to be short and repeated than trying to make it long and drawn out. By doing the latter, the child’s focus will be gone and nothing will have been accomplished.
Some of the words in the article that would be considered qualifiers are “her highness”, “two dads” and “deliberately vague”. Sara Pederson does not offer any denial of any kind. She believes in the book.
I believe the article did a good job of persuading the audience to buy the book “And Tango Makes Three”. Even though it is a short book, it is filled with great information for both parents and children. Government agencies should not be the ones to monitor what books children can read. This is something that should is left up to the parents. Do not shelter children on matters that deal with real-life situations. By using Toulmin’s Model, the claims, warrants, supporting facts, background knowledge and qualifiers helped to understand the article better.
Reference
Wood, N. (2012). Perspectives on argument (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education ISBN 10: 1-256-50923-X. p. 472
The same-sex issue is hard to explain to children
in a way that they will understand. Of course, it is better to teach them about it instead of hiding it or protecting them from something that is here to stay. Same-sex partners are a reality. Children need to understand this. It is better to educate children on real-life matters rather than sheltering them. Sheltering them could possibly lead to prejudice and bigotry over time. One of the first questions about sex a child will ask is “where do babies come from”. You basically tell them that it takes a man and a woman to make a baby. This is why it is so hard for children to understand when one of their friends has two mothers or two fathers. Pederson used the book “And Tango Makes Three” to tell her child about same-sex parents. Just because a child has two fathers or two mothers does not mean that the love between child and parents is not that same as it is for all types of families.
The claim, or thesis, for this piece is that parents can learn from children’s books and, therefore, should not be taken off the bookshelves. Same-sex parenting and same-sex marriages are still a very touchy issue in the United States. The book “And Tango Makes Three” can be very helpful in explaining the same-sex parenting issue to young children and how these parents can give their children the same love that a man and woman can give to their children. I agree that children should have access to all books to read. These books can help to answer questions the child has through comparing animals to humans or just by telling a story about a family.
A warrant identified in the article includes a child’s belief that all parents are one mother and one father. Another warrant is that it is impossible for a child to have two parents of the same sex. Another warrant would be how to explain that the subject is better left to be short and repeated than trying to make it long and drawn out. By doing the latter, the child’s focus will be gone and nothing will have been accomplished.
Some of the words in the article that would be considered qualifiers are “her highness”, “two dads” and “deliberately vague”. Sara Pederson does not offer any denial of any kind. She believes in the book.
I believe the article did a good job of persuading the audience to buy the book “And Tango Makes Three”. Even though it is a short book, it is filled with great information for both parents and children. Government agencies should not be the ones to monitor what books children can read. This is something that should is left up to the parents. Do not shelter children on matters that deal with real-life situations. By using Toulmin’s Model, the claims, warrants, supporting facts, background knowledge and qualifiers helped to understand the article better.
Reference
Wood, N. (2012). Perspectives on argument (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education ISBN 10: 1-256-50923-X. p. 472