Is marriage really important? There is a lot of controversy over marriage and whether it is eminent. Some people believe it is and some people believe it is not. These opposing opinions cause this controversy. “On Not Saying ‘I do’” by Dorian Solot explains that marriage is not needed to sustain a relationship or a necessity to keep it healthy and happy. Solot believes that when a couple gets married things change. In “For Better, For Worse”, Stephanie Coontz expresses that marriage is not what is traditional in society because it has changed and is no longer considered as a dictator for people’s lives. The differences between these two essays are the author’s writing style and ideas.
“On Not Saying ‘I do’” and “For Better, For Worse” have diverse writing styles. First, Dorian Solot’s essay is in first person. Solot states, “I must have missed the day in nursery school when they lined up all the little girls and injected them with the powerful serum that made them dream of wearing a white wedding dress” (490). This sentence is an example of how Solot’s writing style is mostly in first person. However, Stephanie Coontz’s essay is in third person. Coontz states, “As late as the 1960s, two-thirds of college women in the United States said they would marry a man they didn’t love if he met all their, often economic, criteria” (497). This is an example of a sentence where Coontz’s writing style is in third person. Second, Solot’s writing style is very personal. Solot discusses her personal ideas, experiences, and focuses. Solot explains, “In my early twenties, about three years into my relationship with my partner, Marshall, the occasional subtle hints that my family and friends were ready for an engagement announcement became decided...
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...t a couple should not live together nor engage in sexual activity until they are wed. If I had to agree with one of the authors, I would agree with Coontz because society does not focus on marriage anymore. Most of the people I know do not put marriage as the main goal of their daily lives. Also, I agree with Solot and Coontz about gay marriage. I do not support that gay marriage is a correct way of living, but I do believe they should have the right to love who they please. Overall, these essays were enjoyable to read because they provoked emotion and opinions out of me.
Works Cited
Coontz, Stephanie. “For Better, For Worse.” The Contemporary Reader. Ed. Gary Goshgarian. 10th edition. Boston: Longman, 2011. 496-499. Print.
Solot, Dorian. “On Not Saying ‘I do.’” The Contemporary Reader. Ed. Gary Goshgarian. 10th edition. Boston: Longman, 2011. 490-492. Print.
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This essay, though seeming a little weird at first, is sophistically written and brilliantly uses rhetorical strategies to hint at the personality and style of the author. Throughout the essay there are many examples that go undetected, but leaves one with subconscious thoughts of the author. The writer’s personality saturates this article as he uses a passionate tone, but uses words and phrases that suggest his introverted personality and desire to sound superior.
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Peterson, Linda H., John C. Brereton, Joseph Bizup, Anne E. Fernald, and Melissa A. Goldthwaite. The Norton Reader: An Anthology of Nonfiction. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2012. 195-99. Print.
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Inside the article “Why Marriage is Good for You”, Maggie Gallagher makes claims that marriage improves many facets of an individual’s life; including both mental and physical health, longevity, finances, and reduced chances of infidelity (Gallagher). The statements made throughout the article reference many statistics and studies conducted by various organizations and individuals, however, Gallagher falls victim to a number of common logical fallacies. While this weakens Gallagher’s argument in the article, it does not necessarily make it false.
Meyer, Michael. The Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking, Writing. 10th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s. 2013. Print.
The debate on whether to get married or stay single has been raging for a long while, with both sides of the coin having their own pros and cons regarding the matter. Many proponents of either marriage or single life have strong individual convictions, and it is difficult to reach a definitive, objective conclusion. Is the married individual happier than his/her single counterpart, or is getting married just a comfort seeking ritual that people believe they have to fulfill at some point in their lives? It is necessary to dissect this issue in the light of four factors: health and other medical factors, the economic and financial factors, mental and emotional wellbeing and lastly, the social factors. According to Webster’s dictionary, the definition of Married is “the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law”.