High school teachers and UT instructors,
Below you will find supplemental materials related to the rhetorical analysis essay assignment, including additional readings on the topic of same-sex marriage as well as readings on other topics (e.g., gun control). You might use these readings for additional practice in rhetorical analysis or for background information on the issue of same-sex marriage.
Additional readings on the topic of same-sex marriage
You might wish to use these articles either to provide more context surrounding the debate or to provide your students counterarguments to Anna Quindlen's position in her article "Evan's Two Moms," thereby offering diverse and competing perspectives on the debate.
These readings include:
- A recent article by Andrew Sullivan published on July 7, 2009, featuring a brief 20-year overview of the same-sex marriage debate and public attitudes towards gay rights: link to article.
- Andrew Sullivan's published 1996 testimony before Congress in support of same-sex marriage and in opposition to the Defense of Marriage Act: link to Word document.
- A Time article by Charles Krauthammer, who opposes Sullivan's position: link to article.
Readings on other topics
You might wish to use these articles as additional texts with which to practice rhetorical analysis in your classrooms.
Gun Control
- Ted Nugent, "Gun-free zones are recipe for disaster", CNN online, 20 April 2007
- Tom Plate, "Let's lay down our right to bear arms", CNN online, 21 April 2007
Need additional resources? Have resources to share? Please feel free to suggest other materials you would like to see on this site, whether for your colleagues or your students.