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Andrew Negri
Professor Rebecca Morean
English 100: Section 15
November 5, 2014
Rhetorical Analysis of Gay Marriage
One of the oldest traditions in human history, marriage, has fallen into the
center of a heated controversy regarding its true definition. In the articles, Point of
No Return, by Stanley Kurtz and Whos More Worthy, by Jonathan Rauch. Both
authors defend themselves and attack each others differing views. Throughout
history the concept of marriage has strictly been viewed as the union between a male
and female, but now, this perception is slowly being amended into a new form.
While both authors make several compelling points, they also make statements that
fail to support their claims about the issue.
Stanley Kurtz asserts in his argument his opposition to the idea of
homosexuals marrying. Through the eyes of American society the idea of
homosexuals marrying completely goes against the age-old tradition and social
institution of heterosexual marriage. As a result the majority of people view this
concept of homosexual marriage as the destruction of the most basic social structure
and tradition of our society. When Kurtz describes this form of marriage as being
destructive to the foundations of society, his claims are not supported by physical
evidence. This is mostly true, because this is relatively new social ideology. One of
the problems concerning this movement is some individuals have succeeded in

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turning this into larger social issue. When Kurtz describes how Rauch attempts to
reinvent the movements that took place in the sixties, it actually shows how Rauch is
not completely wrong, but people should be given the right to pursue their own goals
in private (Rauch). It would seem needless to add to the list of problems in the
country; when the United States is experiencing increasing difficulty, with both
domestic and international affairs.
When Kurtz states, most couples are marrying simply to destroy a way of life,
he seems to miss the point. The proponents of gay marriage believe gay couples want
to be able to be treated just as any other married couple, because their personal choice
as to a marriage partner is a private matter. At the same time, there are those in
society who believe in taking advantage of the system, which is completely wrong in,
and of itself, but this does not mean all of those who believe in gay marriage are
trying to gain some unfair advantage (Kurtz). In a country like the United States there
are hundreds of differing cultures and opinions, which is what make us a unique
society, but also creates some of these very conflicts. Ultimately, it is wrong to make
laws that bar these individuals from practicing their beliefs as long their beliefs do not
create a danger to any other individuals or impede on the rights of others.
Another contributing factor to this conflict has been the inconsistency between
the actual state and federal laws on the issue. Essentially the states that have made it
a crime to identify as a gay or lesbian individual in the past have demonstrated a
counter position to very basic ideas that the United States was founded upon. This
contrary position was seen in the federal case of Lawrence v. Texas, where the

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justices ruled homosexuals had a right to privacy when it came to the activities they
chose. However, the United States was created to allow the states balance out the
power of the federal government, and recognizing the legitimacy of a marriage should
lay with the state government. There is no preventing of homosexual males or
females from moving to another state to marry. But the United States was established
with the idea of the federal and state governments balancing each other out in terms
of power. These states should be allowed to deal with the manner of recognizing the
marriage in based on the beliefs and votes of the citizenry of those states.
Overall, both of these authors use valid claims to support their arguments, but
at the same time they also point out the falsies in each others position. While this is
an extremely debated topic today, the real question is whether or not to throw away
old traditions or continue to embrace them. In reality there is no possible way to stop
an idea from growing an eventually transforming a society. But there is also a right
and wrong way to approach the issue and this is where the lines have begun to blur in
the United States of America.

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Works Cited
Kurtz, Stanley. "Point of No Return." Christiansonnet.org. N.p., 2001. Web. 03 Nov.
2014.
Rauch, Jonathan. "Who's More Worthy?" Christiansonnet.org. N.p., 6 Aug. 2001.
Web. 03 Nov. 2014.