William J. Bennett'sThe Radical Idea Of Marrying For Love, And Against Gay Marriage?

“Marriage and Love”, a short essay by Emma Goldman, gives a wonderful argument regarding love and marriage, in fact, she nails it. Marriage does not equal love or has anything nothing to do with it. Not only that, but the marriage could also easily kill whatever relationship was there prior to the declaration. Marriage is simply a social construct, one that imposes control by religion, tradition, and social opinion (Goldman 304). However, if marriage is such the ball and chain that we all joke about, then why do people get married?

”since the beginning of civilization, in every known society, governments have recognized a marriage between a man and a woman because it provides the next generation outstanding citizens and is the only means of melding two sexes into a stronger and more complete whole” (Kaufman 164).

Stephanie Coontz is a sociologist who is interested in marriage and the change in its structure over the time-span as love became a main proponent of the relationship involved in marriages. In her article, “What 's Love Got to Do With It,” Coontz argues that the more love becomes a part of the equation the less stable the institution of marriage becomes. Marriage at one point was a social contract that bound two families together to increase their property and wealth as well as ally connections. Each party entered into the contract knowing their roles and if one partner failed to meet the expectations, they were still contractually obligated to one another and were not allowed to divorce. As love became part of the equation, each partner was less sure of their obligations and often chose to end their marriages if at all possible.

In Millennium: Strange Relations, presented by David Maybury Lewis examines the concept of marriage by focusing on three different groups the Nyimba of Nepal, Wodaabe of Niger, finally a Canada (Western European viewpoint). Lewis also examines the concepts of monogamy, fraternal polyandry, and polygyny with the respective case studies.

Marriage has often been described as one of the most beautiful and powerful unions one human can form with another. It is the sacred commitment and devotion that two people share in a relationship that makes marriage so appealing since ancient times, up until today. To have and to hold, until death do us part, are the guarantees that two individuals make to one another as they pledge to become one in marriage. It is easy to assume that the guarantee of marriage directly places individuals in an everlasting state of love, affection, and support. However, over the years, marriage has lost its fairy

In his paper “Against Gay Marriage”, William J. Bennett uses quotes from a multitude of sources to support the argument that he is making, such as when he is commenting on the effects of the recent Hawaii Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage. Bennett uses outside evidence to support major points such as his opposition to schools accepting homosexuals and teaching that homosexuality is equal. While most prolific in the second half of the argument, William J. Bennett uses both minor quotes and more important quotations of outside evidence to support his argument; however, Bennet does so in an unskilled manner. In several circumstances he uses uncited evidence from unnamed people, and he also quotes minor words with an unknown motive for doing so. The unclear motive for quoting minor words could be considered

Was anyone aware that forty to fifty percent or more of marriages will end in divorce (“Marriage and Divorce”)? It could be said that one of the largest contributing factors to that is how everyone does not really know what marriage is anymore. The entire Western Civilization is spending so much time trying to figure out what marriage means. They are letting their own marriages crumble. Is a marriage made to be between a man and a woman, or does a marriage really boil down to some form of gender roles? One way to try and decipher this mystery would be to look for the definition of the word itself. Marriage

The concept that marriage can occur, endure, and succeed without the factor of love seems to be common in many other places in the world. “Who Needs Love! In Japan, Many Couples Don’t,” by Nicholas D. Kristof published in the New York Times in 1996 explores the aspects and success of loveless marriage in Japan beginning with Yuri Uemura of Omiya, Japan.

In the late 1800’s through early 1900’s women and men were did not “tie the knot” like the women and men do in today’s day. In today’s world, women and men get married because they have many things in common, they are in love with each other, and they choose to get married to one another. In many stories written back then, readers can expect to read about how marriages were arranged and how many people were not having the wedded bliss marriage proclaims today.

Throughout my interview with BabyJean Vidas, I have learned that although her cultural norms were different for her while growing up, her reason to marry was very similar to mine. Love was the main factor in her choice to marry a second time, but she remembers how her culture and families’ beliefs affected her choice to marry her first husband. I believe love encourages all relationships in our life, we are social beings, but culture affects the steps in how the relationship progresses. Before Jean found love, she lived a story much different than many marriages in America. While a lot has changed in the Philippines, 20 years ago, it was very conservative. In the past, a common tradition that you still see today by many natives in the Philippines, is the practice of arranging marriage. According to Aguiar (2013) in an arranged marriage, elder relatives broker a young girl in their family. Elders seek a perfect mate with similar traits and in the best interest of the family. An arranged marriage also includes a viewing of the girl before a final agreement is made between

When someone “pops the question”, he is normally knelt on one knee, the paradigm of a prince charming. The illusion is shattered when the proposal is not solely performed to one woman, but many. Then, it is not just one bride. It is one of an array of brides. Polygamy, obviously, still exists today. Though no religion mandates it, and it is, in fact, illegal in the United States, it is still a realized phenomenon. Popular occidental culture has veered away from this marriage style. Now a day, a typical westerner prefers monogamy. The emphasis is on the couple, not the several. Both essays, My Husband’s Nine Wives by Elizabeth Joseph and In Defense of Polygamy by B. Aisha Lemu, depict different situations involving polygamy, through a

Polygamy is a marriage that involves multiple spouses depending on the group of people culture will determine whether or not the multiple spouses are male or female. Due to the fact that there are different pros and cons that come with the practice of polygamy. There are two different branches of polygamy: polyandry and polygyny. Even though both branches of polygamy has their cultural pros and cons and differ in family construction and kinship, the sigma that the American culture has placed upon this type of marriage has given the people predetermined but condemning conclusion.

The conservativeness of Bennett’s ideals of marriage are simple, between a man and a woman, and completely faithful; something he claims gay couples cannot commit to. A claim from Bennett is that, “[marriage’s] essential idea is fidelity”(272) and with “a homosexual marriage… a greater need for ‘extramarital outlets’”(272). He is not wrong that an essential factor in marriage is the fidelity of partners, but Bennett claims only homosexual couples seek out relationships outside of their marriages; however he seems to be uneducated or unaware of the fact that heterosexual couples do not always fit in nice little conservative

The world constantly changes, evolving into improved circumstances. Adaptation plays a vital role in survival. Americans have seen a tremendous amount of technical and social change through the past one hundred years. The controversial topic of gay marriage has become one of the biggest changes in recent years. In 2015, the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage in all states. Before the Supreme Court decision on June 26th, 2015, there were 37 states that had already legalized gay marriage. The legalization contributed greatly to the legal and moral debate of gay marriage. People represent their opinions on this topic in lots of different ways. Andrew Sullivan, an English-born American author, editor, and blogger, who also got his doctorate degree at Harvard University, wrote two pieces named, “For Gay Marriage” and “A Reply to Bennett,” he used pathos to convey his overall message, which appeals to the readers emotions. William J. Bennett, an American politician, and political theorist, who served as Secretary of Education for three years under President Ronald Reagan, and a graduate from Harvard University, use assumptions and generalizations to draw conclusions in his piece, “Against Gay Marriage.” Both have demonstrated their stance on gay marriage by writing articles, which, communicate to others on why their opinion is correct. Sullivan and Bennett have opposing opinions on gay marriage, but they both use several pieces of evidence in order to support their arguments;

A young man once lived happily with his wife and eight children. After his eighth child turned out to be a girl, he was a little bit upset but was still in love with his family. When he decided to take in a second wife in order to guarantee a male child, the family started having new problems. Some of the kids became traumatized since they had not been used to problems. The husband lost his job since his family problems were affecting his job performance. The family that has always been happy turned out overnight to be the contrary. The husband regretted the mistake he made by taking a second wife. Polygamy is illegal in most of the countries around the world including United States; it should also be outlawed in the practicing countries because it can cause unfairness towards women, poverty, jealousy, child abuse and can impact health.