Please read “A Gay Man’s Case Against Gay Marriage” by Michael Bronski on pages 687–690 of your text. Then reply with your analysis of the rhetorical situation of the essay. What is Bronski’s reason for writing? What is his purpose and angle? Who do you think his audience might be? Finally, think about the writing strategies Bronski uses to achieve his overall purpose. Based on our discussions of commentary and argumentative writing, what strategies do you think he relies upon to present his position?…
In the documentary film “The Laramie Project,” many issues were brought up and discussed throughout its duration: socio-political ones such as laws against hate crimes as well as socio-ethical ones such as live-and-let-live philosophies. However, what may have truly caught my attention, and probably as well as others’, was the controversial socio-ethical topic of homosexuality.…
On June 26, 2015, the supreme court legalized gay marriage across the United States; the fight was finally over, or so it seemed. In Kentucky, county clerk Kim Davis would not give same-sex couples marriage licenses on the basis of the fact that it was against her religious beliefs. This story has caught headlines all over and drawn attention from celebrities, politicians, among others, in particular, Time Magazine posted an article on September 7th, 2015. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, in his article “Kim Davis Is Not a Patriot,” uses pathos and logos to successfully convince his audience that Kim Davis should not be heralded as a patriot, let alone a ‘national hero.’…
In two shining examples of rhetorical power “A letter to a Birmingham Jail” and “Malcom X’s debate at the Oxford Union” The two great leaders of the civil rights movement outline their platforms and justify their philosophies in regards to how the movement should go about achieving societal change. Although the civil rights movement was brought to national attention by the combined work of MLK and Malcom X, the rhetorical strategies employed by the two are quite different and hold varying degrees of effectiveness. These social justice warriors did not receive an equal amount of respect nor did their ideas have an equal amount of impact because…
Henry Highland Garnet exerted powerful rhetorical strategies to the abolition and Civil Rights Movements during the nineteenth century. His spiritual and loyal appeals complimented rigorous and sometimes conflicting principles as seen in his “An Address to the Slaves of the United States of America.” The captivating rhetoric of Garnet and his ability to form new alternatives and redefine elements of contention signifies the rhetoric of strife, promoting African American loyalty and emphasizing the courage of African American males. Garnet was a dynamic elocutionist, enabling him to emotionally appeal to his audience and contribute to crucial historical and political concepts. One can also appreciate how rhetoric can affect the antiquity of beliefs and encourage social and political change with Garnet’s argumentative techniques as an example.…
In the early morning hours of June 28, 1969 the streets of Greenwich Village in New York turned from the normal relaxed party scene to a nightmare of riotous proportions. In the next three days the gay liberation movement would hit an influential peak that would carry the movement into the 70’s and influence homophile history forever. Most historians agree that the Stonewall Riots were the marker for the gay liberation movement. While the events that occurred in 1969 changed the way homosexuals viewed liberation the movement began years before. In this essay, I hope to show that the Stonewall Riots became the peak of the gay liberation movement that found its origins in the 1950s.…
Same sex marriage legalization has been a continue argument for years. It was admitted as legal by California government in June 2008, but it was halted due to the passage of Proposition 8. There is no wonder why people take Proposition 8 as hate towards LGBTI community. Thus, Morse wrote a article in National Review Online to appeal more supporter, and to argue there is no hate toward LGBTI community from Proposition 8. Her rhetorical choices help to increase the probability that there are more readers will support her argument.…
In his essay "Against Gay Marriage," William Bennett, a great spokesman for conservatives and former Secretary of education under President Reagan, maintains his conservative stance that allowing same-sex couples to marry would have a harmful and lasting effect on our society 's intrinsic values and, in his view, would stretch the "fragile" institution of marriage beyond recognition (409). Bennett, as the title indicates, presents a powerful argument "Against Gay Marriage." He argues that allowing gay marriage would change the meaning of marriage, the ideal of marriage as being an "honorable estate," and would have a large role in molding sexuality (409).…
Martin Luther King’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail” was addressed to eight clergymen after being arrested during his non-violent protest. Without a strong rhetorical focus, the effect of this speech might not have been so impactful. Martin Luther King uses iconic, biblical, and classical references to support his point. He uses rhetorical strategies and…
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.…
Anna Moorhead Moorhead 1 Ms. Duran English 11 13 March 2015 The March on Washington Civil disobedience, according to Dr. Kings’ letter from Birmingham Jail, is a way of revolting against an injustice in a peaceful manner. The March on Washington for LGBT rights was a peaceful protest in 1993. It was against the widespread discrimination through policies like the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy. Many people resigned from the army due to this policy and turned to peaceful protesting.…
(1) Exam #1 date. See your syllabus course schedule, as will be either Thursday 9/18 or Friday 9/19 during regular class time. Be on time or you may not be able to take the exam, and besides, some of you will need every class minute for the exam. Especially for freshmen, if you do not understand the pitfalls preventing some from doing well on exams and how to avoid them ... then read my article and the editorial by Dr. Allan Saxe "Why do some students succeed and others fail to achieve desired class grades, and academic goals & objectives?"…
Bayard Rustin was an instrumental part in civil rights and several other monumental movements in America during the postwar era. A homosexual man, Rustin encountered numerous obstacles in his pursuits of an activist lifestyle including jail time and excommunication from various progressive campaigns. Throughout history, “most men who desire men have not led gay-centered social lives, and even those who do will have passed much of their time – in work, politics, worship, voluntary associations, and civic affairs – in non-gay contexts.” Rustin was no different. In the public sphere his sexual orientation tended to be of secondary thought as he attempted to put political activism in front of personal strife. Rustin’s yearn for political activism was hindered throughout his career due to the Politics of Respectability commonly utilized by the movements of the 1960s in an attempt to connect with political leaders.…
There are many controversies surrounding today's world, such as abortion, animal testing, and social reform issues. It seems that no one can come to a common agreement on the legitimacy of these topics. Personal characteristics, such as upbringing, culture, religion and ethnicity, all play a role in determining one's feelings on a given controversial issue. However, one of the most protested and discussed issues in current political debate is same-sex marriage. There is no right or wrong answer to this question, only hard pressed arguments expressing speculation regarding supposed outcomes, benefits and possible tribulations that would come along with the endorsement of gay marriage. Such ideas are shown in pieces of writing by Manuel A. Lopez, in "The Case Against Gay Marriage" and by Scott Bidstrup in " Gay Marriage: The Arguments and Motives." These issues both discuss and contend common controversy surrounding the gay marriage debate. After reading and analyzing each essay, it is observed that Manuel A. Lopez' style of writing and literary tone give him the upper hand in establishing a more effective piece.…
A group who can benefit greatly from rhetorical social movement is the transgender community. They are doing everything they can right now, but still face discrimination and violence. There is a dire need to bring changes to laws and the general publics attitude towards the transgender community. I don’t know one person who wouldn’t stand up to their people being used as political talking points and being murdered so I don’t think it is a choice for them to want to change how society responds to them but a must for their own safety and rights. Most recent reports indicate twenty-six transgender people have been killed in 2016, the number does not account for possible misgendering by police, news, or victims family. Laws such as HB2 in North…