Stoddard Essay
Karleigh Pierce
Mr. Vickrey
ENG 112.4203
14 February 2012
Why Same Sex Marriage Should Be Legalized Same sex marriage is a topic that a lot of people seem to have an opinion on. In his essay, “Gay Marriages: Make Them Legal,” Thomas B. Stoddard, a former director of the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, which is a gay rights organization, address the issue of why same sex marriage should be legalized and why they government should not be involved. Stoddard begins his essay by introducing the reader to a couple, who happen to be a lesbian couple from Minnesota. By making this essay about two gay women it is more culturally accepted then if this were an essay about two gay men. He also does something very clever by making this couple from Minnesota; he gets the audience to pay attention to what he is saying because Minnesota is the heart land of America. Stoddard brings in an emotional element into his essay by telling the reader’s the story of how one of the women was in a horrible accident and was later taken away from her partner. This strengthens his argument because it allows him to explain to the audience why the government should not be involved in who one marries. Another major point of his argument is government involvement in who one can and cannot marry. “
Stoddard concludes his argument by saying that the gay community in America should “demand an end to this monstrous injustice,” (722). He ends boldly like this to drive home the point that the gay community deserves the right to be married and get the same benefits that a heterosexual couple receives. He also wants the readers to see that as longs a the two
Work Cited
Stoddard, Thomas B.”Gay Marriage: Make them Legal.” Current Issues and Enduring Questions A Guide to Critical Thinking and Argument with Readings. Barnet Ed. Ninth Edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2007. 721-723. Print.
Student
Mr. Vickrey
ENG 112.4203
14 February 2012
Why Same Sex Marriage Should Be Legalized Same sex marriage is a topic that a lot of people seem to have an opinion on. In his essay, “Gay Marriages: Make Them Legal,” Thomas B. Stoddard, a former director of the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, which is a gay rights organization, address the issue of why same sex marriage should be legalized and why they government should not be involved. Stoddard begins his essay by introducing the reader to a couple, who happen to be a lesbian couple from Minnesota. By making this essay about two gay women it is more culturally accepted then if this were an essay about two gay men. He also does something very clever by making this couple from Minnesota; he gets the audience to pay attention to what he is saying because Minnesota is the heart land of America. Stoddard brings in an emotional element into his essay by telling the reader’s the story of how one of the women was in a horrible accident and was later taken away from her partner. This strengthens his argument because it allows him to explain to the audience why the government should not be involved in who one marries. Another major point of his argument is government involvement in who one can and cannot marry. “
Stoddard concludes his argument by saying that the gay community in America should “demand an end to this monstrous injustice,” (722). He ends boldly like this to drive home the point that the gay community deserves the right to be married and get the same benefits that a heterosexual couple receives. He also wants the readers to see that as longs a the two
Work Cited
Stoddard, Thomas B.”Gay Marriage: Make them Legal.” Current Issues and Enduring Questions A Guide to Critical Thinking and Argument with Readings. Barnet Ed. Ninth Edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2007. 721-723. Print.
Student
Cited: list according to the MLA format in LBH - 56b.445+