Essay 2

Natalie Barletta

3/12/13

Professor Guarino

Church VS. Homosexuals

One of the hot topics nowadays is gay rights. Gay rights has become an important issue. Most people can say that we’ve come a long way since our parents generation of being in the closet. However, there are still remains of homophobia, and there are people out there who think that homosexual people should not marry. One of the main reasons why people think this is because they claim that the Bible doesn’t condemn gay marriage. In a recent New York Times Article, titled “Reading God’s Mind”,  Frank Bruni writes about these issues. He showcases a homosexual male named Jeff Chu whose life has consisted of hiding who he truly is because of the religion that he’s grown up with did not agree with homosexuality. In the article, he discusses his struggles with accepting himself for who he truly is, in addition to his parents struggling with who their son really is. The argument that he makes, although its a good one about the subject relies too much on pathos, therefore becoming untrustworthy because it has a narrow scope with very little factual appeal.

I noticed that Bruni only mentions the South Baptist religion.  We all know that there is more than one sole religion in the world. Other than the multiple branches of Christianity, there is Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Muslims. If Bruni had talked about these other religions, then he would have presented a more valid point. It would show that the topic is more personal, than a hot issue. However, since he made it solely about the Southern Baptists, it leaves the reader wondering, “what about the other religions?” The article is an example of hasty generalization, because it’s an argument that is made based on solely one person’s experiences. “And his parents, strict Southern Baptists, have always deemed such a love sinful, and against God’s wishes.” After this quote, one can say that it would be good to add some additional information about the other religions about there. This makes it lack credibility because if he had added more experiences of homosexual men and women of different religions, it would have been a more holistic approach.

The piece has more emotional appeals than factual appeals which makes it biased because it has a narrow scope. While reading the article, one can say that it’s a very personal article. This piece talks about Jeff Chu’s closeted experience with the church which didn’t approve his homosexual feelings. It was very personal, and you can tell that it was biased. “Jeff Chu was married last September, on the lawn of a house on Cape Cod, against the backdrop of an ivy-covered fence. About 80 people came. His mother and father weren’t among them”. This quote is a good example of pathos because Bruni is playing on the emotional heartstrings on the readers. You can’t help feeling sorry for someone whose parents don’t approve of their marriage. More logos would have approved this article. It would have showed more credibly. With too much ethos, we tend to wonder if the person actually knows what they were talking about. Emotional appeals can be good to strengthen arguments. However with too much emotional appeals it can be over the top and weakens the argument altogether.

The argument presented is an issue that I do agree with. I do agree with Bruni and his views on homosexual marriage and the way religions perceive it as being against God’s word. However, Bruni could have done a better job presenting it because he plays on the heartstrings on his readers, in addition to providing a tunnel vision of the Southern Baptist religion. With presenting more logos, he would have been able to present the argument better, in addition to making the tunnel vison wider. Then, he would have had an even better article on his hands.

The Highs of Grade Inflation.

Alfie Kohn is an author, and a lecturer. He's a very controversial figure in American culture, and attacks many social science issues such as parenting and education. Alfie recently wrote an article called "The Dangers of Grade Inflation". In this article, Alfie uses fallacies to support his argument that grade inflation is a good thing. He uses fallacies to pull on the heartstrings of anyone who was or is a student. Two examples of him using fallacies to support the argument is when he says that good grades motivate students to study harder, and when he begins to talk about standardized tests not being a good enough source to measure intelligence. 
In the article, Kohn mentions that receiving higher grades is motivation to work and study harder. In his article, he says "With the exception of orthodox behaviorists, psychologists have come to realize that people can exhibit qualitatively different kinds of motivation: intrinsic, in which the task itself is seen as valuable, and extrinsic, in which the task is just a means to the end of gaining a reward or escaping a punishment. " In this quote from the article, Kohn is simply saying that when someone gets a good grade then they would be movitvated to work harder and get an even better grade. If someone doesn't do well, then they would quickly lose interest in doing well. As a student, I can agree with him. Last year, I took a very challenging AP course, and quickly lost the motivation to do well. I didn't study quite as hard as I should, and my grades showed it. However, in my classes that I did do well in, I had the motivation to do better. This uses fallacies because the author using sentimental appeals to present his argument because he uses emotions to distract the reader away from the facts. 
Another example is when Kohn mentions how standardized tests aren't a good source for getting measuring intelligence. Kohn says "Third, a decline in overall SAT scores is hardly the right benchmark against which to measure the grades earned at Harvard or other elite institutions." This shows fallacies because he is using an Ad hominem argument, because he is attacking the Harvard University system, rather then the argument that is presented.
Overall, Kohn presents a really excellent argument using emotional fallacies. He uses them in the two examples that I've presented; when he talks about the motivation to study harder, and when he attacks Harvard's system of admissions.