Same-sex Marriage In Modern Society - Essay Example

?“Marriage is a Mixed Blessing”  Introduction The article ‘Marriage is a Mixed Blessing’ is written by Katherine M Franke which revolves around the controversial topic of same sex marriage. The article tells about the problems that same sex marriage can cause to the people who are involved in it. Katherine puts forward that same sex marriage can be a blessing for some of the homosexuals but it can also pose problems to some of the homosexuals. According to the article the homosexuals would be forced into marriage so that they can secure their partner which is not the case nowadays because they can simply register as domestic partners. In other words the cons of same sex marriage are highlighted in the article providing the view that something else should be sought out along with the approval of the marriage between homosexuals. Thesis Statement Katherine has provided a different view point on the controversial topic of same sex marriage. She has used ethos, pathos and logos to gather the interest of the audience. The advantages of being a domestic partner have been pointed which clearly have weight age because the approval of same sex marriage would only force the gays and lesbians to marry for the sake of security. The author has put forward that options should be given to the homosexuals so as to if they have to marry or remain domestic partners to be recognized by the institutions. Logical points within the article I agree with the author when she puts forward that gays and lesbians should not be forced to marry if they do not want to. On the other hand I disagree with the recommendation for options which should be made available to gays and lesbians. The option would help the homosexuals to decide if they want to enter the institution of marriage or not and this would be unfair for the heterosexuals as they have to legally marry to enjoy certain benefits. Equality should be maintained throughout and both the homosexuals and heterosexuals should be given the opportunity to choose marriage or domestic partnership. Intended Audience The intended audience is the homosexual society who is either interested in the institution of marriage or not. Their skill level can vary from very low to high depending upon their likes and dislikes. The values of the intended audience revolve around the love which goes beyond marriage. Homosexuals who believe that they can revive and keep their status beyond marriage are targeted by the article. The real audience however turns out to be the hetero and homo sexual both as the article uses an emotional appeal to urge everyone about the problems that the people are facing. I am not a part of the intended audience but I have become a part of the real audience as the article appeals to me in the same way that it would appeal to a homosexual. Main Idea and Genre of Article The main idea of the article was to create awareness amongst the homosexual society that there is a problem that exists beyond the solution of same sex marriage. It urges these people to look into the problem and decide for themselves if they really want to be forced into marriage or not. I believe that the author did not use the emotional appeal perfectly so as to create an emotion amongst the homosexual society by citing evidence of people who are happy without entering the institution of marriage. Evidence could have been provided from different sources to confirm the problems that the homosexual society may face after the legalization of same sex marriage. After reading the article I believe that I have learned about the problems that the homosexual society can face either way. The article made me learn things which I previously was unaware about regarding the problems that these people can face after the legalization. The text is an opinion by the author and would prove to be effective for a certain audience which believes in the problems that can be caused by same sex marriage. People who believe firmly and have fought for same sex marriage would not find the article effective. Evidence in the article The text was written in June 2011 and was featured in the New York Times newspaper. The author has given evidence regarding the problems that can be caused by the legal institution of marriage for heterosexuals and then compared it to the homosexuals. She uses the example of a benefit office which wants heterosexuals to marry so that their partner can avail the benefits and points out that the homosexuals do not need to marry to avail these benefits. The evidence impacts the audience in a positive way by informing them about the institution of marriage and perks associated with it only. Use of rhetoric The author has used several of the rhetorical appeals to convey her message to the intended audience. She has created an emotional attachment with the audience along with an ethical appeal and has then logically sought an answer for the problems. Katherine has created an emotional attachment with the audience by using the words like ‘we’ which clearly points out that she belongs to the same society that she is writing about. She does not criticize the homosexuals who want to marry as she mentions twice in the article that she would love to congratulate them on their marriage but emphasizes on the fact that marriage should still remain a free will. She also uses ethos to her advantage as she is a credible writer working as a professor in the Columbia law School. Lastly she uses logic to convey her point to the audience. She puts forward evidence and links the institution of marriage with the domestic partnership concluding that the homosexuals should not be forced to marry if they do not want to. Conclusion  Katherine Frank in her article has used different techniques to prove the wrong side of same sex marriage. Same sex marriages may be welcomed by many of the homosexuals but these marriages would also give rise to some problems which are noted down by Katherine Frank. Although they would give rise to problems I believe that these same sex marriages should be made legal so that both heterosexuals and homosexuals have to face from the same problem. If the homosexuals are given a way through which they can avail benefits through domestic partnerships the heterosexuals should be given the same opportunity. Work Cited Marriage Is a Mixed Blessing. Katherine Franke. New York Pages. 2011 Read More