Rhetorical Analysis of “Time for Marriage Equality”
On April 21, 2015, The Hill newspaper published “Time for Marriage Equality” by Markos Moulitsas. In his article, Moulitsas claims that “the American public has decisively accepted marriage equality.” He gathered information from polls conducted by NBC/Wall Street Journal, CBS, CNN, and Bloomberg, to prove the popular public opinion supports same-sex marriage. In addition, Moulitsas provided quotes from “bigoted” high profile republicans, to prove the contradictions of their claims. He criticized Republicans, saying they are on the “wrong side of public opinion when it comes to the rights of gay Americans.” Moulitsas also accuses them of dismissing logic to justify the indefensible. In …show more content…
The use of diction in this phrase makes it sound as if he is politically attacking Republicans. Specifically, his choice of words and phrases such as “amazingly” and “on the right side” show annoyance and strong disapproval. This informs readers what and why Moulitsas felt called to write this article. Moulitsas graduated from Northern Illinois University in 1996 with two-bachelor degrees, majoring in philosophy, journalism, and political science. In 1999 he earned his J.D. degree from Boston University of Law. Soon after in 2007 Moulitsas was indicted into the Northern Star Hall of Fame by the NIU alumni association. The British daily newspaper, The Guardian, hired Moulitsas to write elections analysis for its weblog. Moulitsas was hired by Newsweek magazine in 2008 to cover the presidential campaign. Also, he is a member of the New Politics Institute. He wants to used his vast knowledge to inform readers of the illogical explanations Republicans use reasons not to support same-sex marriage. First, Moulitsas informs readers with statics from polls determining to the popular public opinion pertaining to same-sex marriage. Then, he expresses his concerns, and backs them up with factual evidence that directly supports his …show more content…
He was very distinctive in choosing words that would alter the readers mood in a way that would persuade them to agree with him. For example, he uses the term “bigoted” to describe Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee’s opposition. The harsh consonants sounds used in the pronunciation of “bigoted” gives a negative tone. Due to this, before reading the information, the readers subconsciously make the decision that the following information is negative. They have determined that the Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is unqualified to make a reasonable statement. Although the majority of the article includes negatively connoted words, when Moulitsas describes same-sex marriage, he only uses words that are positively connoted, such as “embraced.” The word “embraced” is typically used when describing the positive things in life such as happiness, love, warmth, and joy. Therefore, by using “embraced” in a sentence about approval of same-sex marriage, readers associate same-sex marriage as being a good thing. Lastly, Moulitsas includes specific terms to show sarcasm/ annoyance toward Republican opinions. The word “apparently” generally sets up a sentence for a sarcastic remark. Simply by reading the first word in the sentence, reader’s moods were changed. Readers were made to believe that the claim after the word “apparently” was going to be filled with sass, and would bash republicans, as if to say “how dumb are you?
On April 21, 2015, The Hill newspaper published “Time for Marriage Equality” by Markos Moulitsas. In his article, Moulitsas claims that “the American public has decisively accepted marriage equality.” He gathered information from polls conducted by NBC/Wall Street Journal, CBS, CNN, and Bloomberg, to prove the popular public opinion supports same-sex marriage. In addition, Moulitsas provided quotes from “bigoted” high profile republicans, to prove the contradictions of their claims. He criticized Republicans, saying they are on the “wrong side of public opinion when it comes to the rights of gay Americans.” Moulitsas also accuses them of dismissing logic to justify the indefensible. In …show more content…
The use of diction in this phrase makes it sound as if he is politically attacking Republicans. Specifically, his choice of words and phrases such as “amazingly” and “on the right side” show annoyance and strong disapproval. This informs readers what and why Moulitsas felt called to write this article. Moulitsas graduated from Northern Illinois University in 1996 with two-bachelor degrees, majoring in philosophy, journalism, and political science. In 1999 he earned his J.D. degree from Boston University of Law. Soon after in 2007 Moulitsas was indicted into the Northern Star Hall of Fame by the NIU alumni association. The British daily newspaper, The Guardian, hired Moulitsas to write elections analysis for its weblog. Moulitsas was hired by Newsweek magazine in 2008 to cover the presidential campaign. Also, he is a member of the New Politics Institute. He wants to used his vast knowledge to inform readers of the illogical explanations Republicans use reasons not to support same-sex marriage. First, Moulitsas informs readers with statics from polls determining to the popular public opinion pertaining to same-sex marriage. Then, he expresses his concerns, and backs them up with factual evidence that directly supports his …show more content…
He was very distinctive in choosing words that would alter the readers mood in a way that would persuade them to agree with him. For example, he uses the term “bigoted” to describe Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee’s opposition. The harsh consonants sounds used in the pronunciation of “bigoted” gives a negative tone. Due to this, before reading the information, the readers subconsciously make the decision that the following information is negative. They have determined that the Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is unqualified to make a reasonable statement. Although the majority of the article includes negatively connoted words, when Moulitsas describes same-sex marriage, he only uses words that are positively connoted, such as “embraced.” The word “embraced” is typically used when describing the positive things in life such as happiness, love, warmth, and joy. Therefore, by using “embraced” in a sentence about approval of same-sex marriage, readers associate same-sex marriage as being a good thing. Lastly, Moulitsas includes specific terms to show sarcasm/ annoyance toward Republican opinions. The word “apparently” generally sets up a sentence for a sarcastic remark. Simply by reading the first word in the sentence, reader’s moods were changed. Readers were made to believe that the claim after the word “apparently” was going to be filled with sass, and would bash republicans, as if to say “how dumb are you?