Activists Hail a Watershed Moment in Gay Rights Movement

In the next few days, the Boy Scouts of America is expected to announce whether or not it plans to change its longstanding national policy against openly gay members. Through an article retracing previous hurdles faced by gay rights proponents, Moni Basu, a journalist for CNN, explores the tremendous gains made by gays in the past 60 years, and how the mindset towards gay rights in America has changed.

            The context of this article that prompted this piece was Obama’s encouragement to the Boy Scouts of America to end their ban on gays. From this, Moni Basu stemmed her own purpose of writing an article to detail the historical progress made in gay rights that has gotten America to the point where its President is actually advocating for gay rights. This article shows that the activists from decades ago are finally starting to see the results of their never ending struggle to gain the rights they deserve. Although this article targets all of American society, a specific audience can be found in solely the gay community. Basu makes the point to acknowledge gay activists who have fought long and hard to get America where it is today.

Although there are several minor rhetorical devices used in this article, the most prominent device is Moni Basu’s appeal to America’s cultural memory. Cultural memories are social constructions of the past that allow individuals and groups to relate to one another by connecting to a common recollection. In this article, Basu addresses several gay rights struggles in history. She begins with the Stonewall Riots, then addresses various landmarks such as the Defense of Marriage Act and the military’s change in the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. Basu then concludes with Obama’s inaugural address mentioning Stonewall, and finally the Boy Scout’s consideration to change its national policy banning gays from membership. By pulling at the cultural memory of Americans, Basu help readers recognize how American attitudes towards gays have grown and changed through history.

Overall, Basu certainly does achieve her purpose of detailing the progress gays have made in gaining their rights. By showing the change in history from the Stonewall Riots to this point, the audience walks away with new knowledge and perspective on the gay's struggles to change America. The contrasting view from Stonewall to now that is presented in this article shows readers the immense change that spanned 60 years and has change American society in unpredictable ways. 

TOW Re-Write- Beyond 2012: Why the World Won't End

There are few who have not heard that this Friday, December 21^st, 2012, the world is supposedly coming to an end. However, The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) argues that December 21^st will not be the end of the world, which is contrary to what the Mayan calendar predicts. Instead, there will be another winter solstice. In a question and answer format, NASA explains the origin of the theories behind the end of the world, and refutes these proposed explanations. NASA, an agency of the United States government that is responsible for the civilian space program and for aerospace research, wrote this article. For this reason, the article is certainly credible. NASA was prompted to write this article in response to the recent uproar concerning the end of the world. Therefore, NASA’s purpose in writing this article is to present a scientific approach to explain not only why the world is NOT ending this Friday, but also to answer frequently asked questions to help settle people’s nerves about this upcoming event. Thus, it is only logical that the audience for this article is those concerned about the world ending.

            There are several rhetorical devices used in this article to help the author achieve his purpose of convincing society that the world is not going to end this Friday. The most prominent device used is concrete language that assists a logical appeal. Concrete language is language that describes specific, observable things, people, or places, rather than ideas or qualities. In response to every question proposed, NASA uses specific, observable facts to present their argument that the word is not ending, rather than abstract ideas like those supporting the Mayan Calendar claim. This language pulls people away from the Mayan myth and towards logical and factual science. Another subtle rhetorical device that assists the reader’s understanding is the informal, conversational diction accompanied by minimal scientific jargon. Although the author did incorporate scientific reasoning, the author kept the scientific terms to a minimum. Instead, he used layman’s terms to explain the same general concept. If the author were to have written a report packed with scientific terms, it would have become confusing, dull, and distant. However, with the conversational, informal diction, readers were able to follow along without difficulty, and stay engaged from beginning to end.

                        Overall, I do believe NASA accomplished their purpose of presenting scientific reasoning to explain why the world is not ending on December 21^st, 2012. By using a conversational style accompanied by concrete language, NASA was able to provide a logical explanation to convince the public that the world will continue to exist like it has for 4 billion years. Without the use of these rhetorical devices, the author would not have been able to convince those believing in the Mayan calendar that it is indeed false.

Trapped

            If you are anything like me, getting trapped in a closet, Ferris wheel cart, or even an elevator is a long-standing fear. The idea that you may be forever confined to the place you are trapped carries with it daunting emotions. Think about being trapped half a mile below the Earth’s crust in a small shelter with 32 other men. Placing yourself in that situation would be equivalent to the circumstance that 33 Chilean Miners were forced to undergo. In his book, Trapped, Marc Aronson details this unforgettable rescue of 33 heroes from beginning to end. Marc Aronson’s experiences as an American author, editor, publisher, speaker, and historian make him a credible author to attack this story.

            Marc Aronson wrote this novel a year after the Chilean Mine incident in order to take readers beyond the simple headlines of this story, and into the minds of those involved. However, rather than writing this story for the purpose of providing readers with an interesting tale, Marc Aronson writes this novel in hopes of detailing to his audience how the WORLD rescued these men, not just the workers on the mine. Individuals and companies from, “Australia, Austria, Canada, Japan, South Africa, South Korea, the United States- everyone from experts on undersea and underground to outer space- helped out” (Aronson 92). This rescue would not have taken place if all corners of the Earth did not lend a helping hand in whatever way possible.

            In order to attract the global audience of all ages, Marc Aronson utilizes various rhetorical devices to keep his audience engaged from page one. Significant devices that aided the purpose of the story were theme and point of view. Theme is simply the central or dominant idea of the work. The author constantly reiterates the theme of this novel to emphasize the global effort to rescue these men. Aronson makes the point to connect every action, whether seemingly significant or not, back to the overarching theme to emphasize the global picture. In doing so, Aronson achieves his center purpose. Additionally, Aronson employs an effective third-person point of view to assist his purpose. By telling this story from the outside looking in, readers get a sense of this story from the miner’s perspective, the rescuers perspective, the family’s perspectives, and the world’s perspective. Using this point of view, again, made this a story that branched beyond the mine in Chile. It made it a story about the world pulling their talents together to contribute to the cause anyway possible.

            Overall, I do believe the author was able to successfully show how the WORLD rescued these men, not just the people on the work cite. Through the use of a repeated theme and an effective point of view, the author achieved his purpose fully.