"What is Marriage?" by Evan Wolfson - Response

I found it somewhat peculiar that Wolfson chose to use the court case Turner vs. Safely in this excerpt.  After reading the introduction, I learned that this excerpt was going to be about gay marriage and gay people gaining the right to legally marry.  In the beginning Wolfson describes how marriage is a mutual concept that all countries around the world share and its many meanings.  I thought that section was entertaining and well written; it kept me wanting to know when he would introduce the concept of gay marriage.

  He decided to ease into gay marriage rights by bringing up another group of people who originally didn't have the right to marry; prisoners.  When the Turner vs. Safely case was introduced to the Supreme Court, they decided that "marriage is such an important choice that it may not be arbitrarily denied by the government" (94).  I believe that Wolfson's rhetorical strategy by sharing this story before he brought up gay marriage was to say 'so convicted felons who broke the law are allowed to get married because it's 'so important', but two people of the same sex who have never broken the law and are in a loving relationship can't?...how is that at all fair?  I believe that Wolfson definitely reached his readers with this approach; it was effective because it makes the reader feel even more sympathy for same-sex couples who don't have the right to marry.  I have to admit I was confused at first as to why the court case was being discussed, but once Wolfson made his point I understood his angle and what he wanted the reader to think about. 

Though bringing up the Turner vs. Safely case begs the question 'if convicted felons can marry why can't gays?', I'm not sure if it is completely relevant to the issue of same-sex marriage.  Gay people that want to get married are asking for the privileges that come with being legally married and starting a family with that status.  Prisoners, though allowed to marry, don't have the same rights as every other United States citizen because, well, they're in prison.  Gays are just like every other citizen in the US and they don't deserve to have less rights because of their sexual orientation.  I commend Wolfson for making a strong argument about this issue and though it may not be one hundred percent relevant, they way he introduced it definitely caught the readers' attention.

"8 is Not Hate: The Meaning of a Proposition" - Response

Jennifer Roback Morse has an interesting view on Proposition 8: The California Marriage Protection Act.  Her thesis in this editorial is that marriage is meant for a man and a woman because marriage is about procreating and all children should be able to have a relationship with a mother and a father.  And "that isn't hateful towards anyone" (83).  She also believes that the California Supreme Court "has greatly overstepped its bounds" (83) because allowing gays to become legally married contradicts what many religious groups believe in and they made it so that being opposed to same-sex marriage is considered "discrimination".  Morse states that voting yes for Proposition 8 is a way for the ordinary citizen of California to protest.  "They are not saying they hate gay people; they are saying the Court is out of control" (83). 

Obviously this is an extremely controversial topic.  I personally believe that if two people truly love each other they should have the opportunity to become legally married no matter what their sexual orientation.  However, I found Morse's editorial to be very persuasive; not persuasive in the sense that I would vote yes or no for Prop 8, but I thought she made many valid points that helped me understand her point of view and persuaded me to trust her.  I trust that Morse does not hate gay people, but that she struggles to agree with the Supreme Court and has a specific ideal of what marriage should be.  She relies on ethos, the customs, practices, and dominant assumptions of a people, to back up her thesis and appeal to the reader.  She explained that voting yes on Prop 8 has nothing to do with her views of gay and lesbian people, but her view of marriage.  She knows that there are people who dislike and discriminate against gays but that is not at all why she is voting yes.  I believe she valiantly proved to people who are gay that they shouldn't assume those voting yes hate them.  Homosexuality has been around for just about as long as human beings have been on this earth, but the concept of gay marriage is still fairly new.  Morse appealed to her readers' customs and practices by stating that marriage is for mothers, fathers, and children, because that is what they are accustomed to and is easy to accept.  She also relied on logos when discussing that allowing same-sex marriage could cause a lot of legal drama between gays and religious institutions.  Morse writes logically and has a confident voice that makes the reader appreciate her opinion and understand why so many people voted yes for Prop 8.  Considering my personal views on this subject, Morse's editorial really made me stop and think about whether I would've voted yes or no; and that shows how Morse as an author appealed to my sense of logic and emotion.

"Looking for Work" by Gary Soto - Response

Gary Soto's narrative "Looking for Work" was really enjoyable to read.  He is a very descriptive writer; I always had a vivid image in my head of the scenes he set.  And I always wanted to know what mini-adventure he would go on next.

I believe that the narrator is attracted to the kind of family life depicted on TV because it seems simpler and more 'put together'.  He views his family as disorganized, dysfunctional, and dirty.  He wishes his family could be more formal like the ones on TV.  However, when he brings this up to his family, they could care less.  It has little impact on them because they are used to their routine and how they live and don't feel the need to change anything or try to impress anyone.  Also ,they don't wake up early in the morning to watch all the TV shows that the narrator did.

The narrator goes looking for work because he decides that he wants to become wealthy "and right away!".  He believes that if he gets a job he will be able to turn his family's life into one of the ideal lives he sees depicted on TV.  However, by the end of the story, the meaning of work has completely changed for the narrator.  He realized that he could be happy with his life and his family just the way it is and also that he truly enjoys helping people no matter the reward.  His attitude changed from seeing everything as not good enough to being zen and just enjoying what is right in front of him and all it has to offer.  He was no longer working to become wealthy, he was working because he liked it.

The mature Soto's thoughts on his family life back when he was nine are that it was perfect just the way it was and now he knows he was fortunate to have such a good family.  In the story he says "I tried to convince them that if we improved the way we looked we might get along better in life" (30).  In my opinion this suggests that now he believes that no matter how they looked or dressed, they would've gotten along just fine.

Food plays a role in this narrative.  Beans and tortillas were always for dinner; reflecting upon their Mexican heritage.  Also fresh fruit from trees in people's yards were highly valued and seen as 'treats'.  I thought it was interesting that for dessert they would go outside to pick a peach off the tree.  Soto compares this to a TV show where they have dessert on a plate, but ultimately he has fun going outside to retrieve his dessert.

The cast of supporting characters in this narrative contribute to the meaning of family within the story because they all influence his family life in different ways.  His siblings and friends are there for him to play with and talk to and remind him, in a way, how to have fun and just be a kid.  His mother rejects his ideas but at the same time is loving and puts a lot of work into caring for her family.  They might not share his perspectives but they all support him and work to maintain a familial balance.

Oxford English Dictionary Assignment: Opportunity

When I think about how I define the word “opportunity”, the first thought that comes to my mind is being given the chance to do something, anything, whether big or small.  You can be given the opportunity of a lifetime, you can get a job opportunity, or maybe you have the opportunity to steal your friend’s last cookie while they aren’t looking.  Regardless of what it is, usually when you are given an opportunity it is a chance to take action, generally for a positive outcome.  

The word “opportunity” comes from Anglo-Norman, French, and classical Latin meaning favorable circumstances, occasion to do something, advantageousness, or timeliness.  It was first used in the early thirteenth century in Old French.  “Opportunity” was introduced in Italian in the early fourteenth century. Therefore this word came into the English language through the process of borrowing.  

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, one definition of “opportunity” is “senses relating to favorable circumstances, position, etc.”  When observing quotes from different time periods in English using “opportunity” under this definition, I noticed a trend.  As the dates become more recent, the quotes have more to do with jobs, companies, and making money.  For example, in 1971, H. Macmillan said “the opportunity of acquiring half the shares in the Regent Oil Company-the other moiety was held by Caltex”.  Though, in earlier centuries, the word “opportunity” was used in expressions or to describe gaining or losing something.  For example, in 1659, N.R. Proverbs stated “opportunity makes a thief”.  And in 1773, S. Johnson said “the wind is now changed, and if we snatch the window of opportunity, an escape from this island is become practicable”.  Both of these quotes are witty sayings that show that opportunity creates options. 

Another definition that the Oxford English dictionary provides for “opportunity” is “the convenience, suitability, or advantageousness of a site or position, especially for being readily accessible”.  This definition was mainly used from the mid fifteen hundreds throughout the seventeen hundreds.  A good example of this is from Gibbon’s Decline and Fall from 1781; “Augustus, who had observed the opportunity of the place, prepared a capacious harbor”.  “Opportunity” in its contemporary form is generally not used with this definition.  Today, “opportunity” is used quite generously in the working world.  “Job opportunity” is a common phrase that one hears today is our society.  Sometimes one might say if you don’t take an opportunity you could run the risk of losing a business.  So the word opportunity in its contemporary usage is generally revolved around the working world.

Exploring the word “opportunity” will help me interpret the readings and discussions in this course because we observe how “other” is defined, and we are given the opportunity to look deeper into the different ways that people live their lives.  Knowing the true meaning and ways to use “opportunity” is important because the research we conduct in this course is going to provide us with the opportunity to be more open minded and accept change. 

 

Works Cited 

"Oxford English Dictionary." Opportunity. 3rd. Oxford University Press, 2011. Web. 3 Feb 2012.