Kirsyn Brewer 14/11/2013 Mia Eaker English 1101 Marriage Equality: Rhetorical Analysis The tradition of asking for

your partners hand in marriage is timeless, standing as perhaps one of the sweetest things about human interaction. However, even in this modern day, the act of marriage is denied to countless people worldwide, because they are attracted to someone of the same sex. My chosen ad explores the idea of marriage equality through the satire of asking literally an entire nation if youre allowed to marry. In it a man is asking the entire nation of Ireland if he can marry his female partner. Much debate has sparked all over the world about the right for a same sex couple to marry. The ad is a modern one, released in the past year as a response to a lack of reform in marriage in Ireland. Traditionally marriage has been between a man and a woman, only in the past decade has there been a huge push for allowing those of the same gender to have the same rights as heterosexual couples. This ad in particular was released by an Irish organization known as The Civil Marriage for Gay and Lesbian People. They are working on expanding the definition of marriage so that it encompasses all people, regardless of sexual preference. This organization uses what seems to be a deep understanding of the mind of humans to get their point across in the ad. They put the watcher in the position of the protagonist by making him a heterosexual male, and reversing the situation of a straight couple having to ask if they can get married. This is done in a video

format, where most of the time the audience is directly behind the man, giving the watcher the ability to place themselves in that position. The organization also trying to highlight that marriage is not a political or religious issue. By their statement at the end of the ad How would you feel if you have to ask 4 million people if you could marry? they are expressing their position that this issue has nothing to do with politics or religion. This draws on the analogy of just because your religions says you are not allowed to do something, doesnt mean that applies to the rest of the world. For example, just because your religion says you cant watch Dr. Who on Sundays means that you cant. I can watch all the Dr. Who I want on Sundays. The same goes with marrying someone of the same sex. This ad is geared towards any individual that is on the fence or is indifferent about this issue at hand. The organization is trying to appeal to the logic of those that see it. It is easier to convince someone of a point if they are undecided about the issue at hand because they are the most easily swayed one way or another. The ad was done in a video format, allowing it to reach a wider audience. It is most likely aired on television, or before a Youtube video. Likewise this format allows for more information and more emotion to be put into it, thus it has a bigger impact with the audience. The main figure of speech the ad uses is drawing a sort of paradox where a man has to go around asking if he can marry the woman he loves. They us the traditional asking the father for the womans hand in marriage while then switching to the man asking a woman. This makes the audience assume that he is also asking her mother if he can marry her, going just a bit off the conventional path. It then takes another turn where the man is asking everyone in the country if he can marry Shianna. The ad begins in the cit y-a place where historically change has come first-while progressing to the country regions-the slowest area to change. This is done to show how things will progress as marriage equality comes into existence. It will be the cities that will

begin the fight, and eventually-towards the end and perhaps even after laws promoting equality has been passed-the country will follow. The fact that the country woman at the very end said yes, shows that there is hope. Eventually change will come. Logic and emotion are used to get this point across. They prey on emotion by bring to mind the experience of proposing and asking for someones hand in marriage. Likewise they focus on logic by their final statement on asking to marry. The ad opens with the protagonist asking his loves father for her hand in marriage. It brings up the feelings of insecurity and fear that comes with asking for permission to marry. This appeal to tradition and leaves the audience with a sense of nostalgia. This empathizes with anyone who has ever been in love, and considered marriage with their partner. They use the idea of love and marriage-an act of love-to convince those that have loved that it is unfair for members of the population to have to ask to be married. They use the devotion of the man to show that-like a man in love they are not going to stop this campaign. They are going to keep fighting and knocking on doors for what they believe in because it is the right thing to do. The ad is presented in such a way that it forces the audience to look at things from the point of view of the organization by bringing out the nervous, desperate emotions that come with proposing. The logic of the final statement is what drives the emotional message home. It leaves the audience with the thoughts of what if? What if this was you and you had to do exactly what the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Trans*) community does every time legislation is brought up involving same sex marriage. The ad is designed perfectly around the message it is trying to get across. The video does a wonderful job of giving the audience an emotional message, driving it home with a simple sentence made to make the watcher think about what they just watched and what they are now feeling. The ad would have been less impactful if it had been in print or in some other from. The

emotion wouldnt have been there had it not been in a video, and as a result the ad would not have gotten its message across effectively. By choosing this format, the creators were able to appeal to the idea of equality in the best way possible. The ad is appealing to the idea that all are equal, and something as basic a marriage is not a religious or political issue. No one, gay or straight should have to ask if they are allowed to marry the person they love. This ad uses the idea of marrying someone if you love them and have been with them for some time. Society teaches us that marriage is one of the biggest, most defining things that an person can do, and the ad uses that to promote that everyone should be allowed to marry. Because of this, the ad does its job in working to persuade the watcher that marriage equality should not be an issue, and having to ask someone that is not involved in the relationship if you can marry is a ridiculous concept. They give plenty for the audience to think about and ensure that they will think on it by praying on their emotions. The setup of the ad is nearly perfect, effectively bringing the audience in while providing logic as to why the organizations views make sense. It keeps to a nervous, hopeful, and nostalgic tone, while using the universal concept of marriage and love to relate to the adult voters that are indifferent about the issue.