Tess Griman Ms.

Ingram Reflection Paper 3 April 2014 Multi-Genre Project: Same-Sex Marriage Looking back at my midterm and whom I had chosen to sit at my round table, I decided that for my two genre pieces, the most appropriate audience would either be North Carolina state legislators or the Governor. My reasoning for choosing that specific audience was because my topic is a Constitutional Amendment and State Law and I would need legislators in order to change the law. Due to the controversial nature of this topic, I centered my argument on factual information supporting the cause, rather than opinion based arguments. This was done in attempt to appeal to my audiences logos, which is appropriate in this situation because it is unbiased and more professional. I included economical statistics like how much revenue could be gained by legalizing same-sex marriage in North Carolina. I found that according to the United States Census that was taken in 2010, there are 16,198 same-sex couples that reside in North Carolina (Census). The average cost a couple is willing to spend on a marriage in Wake County is between $22,857-38,095 (Cost of Wedding). By multiplying the average cost and the number of same-sex couples, I was able to calculate how much revenue could be gained. Besides the U.S. census, I used sources like the North Carolina government website, news articles, and human rights websites to help me write these genres. There was certainly quite a bit of research needed in order to find and verify my statistics.

The two genres I chose, a Letter and a Brochure, were chosen due to their simplicity and formality. I also perceived these genres to be appropriate in the way that they could display my information in a straightforward fashion. My first genre, a letter, is addressed to our Governor, Pat McCrory. In my letter, I detailed my findings and made sure that I kept my argument unbiased- just fact driven. I attempted to appeal to his logos with my abundance of facts. Ethos played a part when I mentioned that my statistics had come from our most recent Census. Because my goal was to really write a letter that was different from others, pathos made a brief appearance in my last sentence when I beseeched him to think of what is best for his state. I also utilized the Linguistic, Visual and Spatial mode in my letter. Linguistically I chose words that were clear, simple, and professional. Visually, I had to Google the correct format when writing an official letter. The address, font, and spacing all were very specific. Spatially I chose to arrange my information in a way that would grab the governors attention so he would continue to read what else I had to say. Regardless of what his viewpoint on the matter is, the economical gain for the state far out weighs any personal (religious) issues he has with it. Being a Republican, the substantial gain should really entice him to think about the matter more thoroughly and seriously. On his website, I was able to find his office address where I could send my letter. My other genre, a brochure, includes some information that is the same, but also includes some other benefits that I discovered. By utilizing the different spaces that a brochure provides, I organized my information so that the reader could pick and choose what he wants to read. Visually, my use of pictures that relate to the topic either further support my claims or just serve to break up my text. Again, Logos is the most prominent of

Aristotles appeals that can be found in my brochure. Ethos can be found perhaps in my fictitious organization. I made up a headquarter location and a website where my readers could find more information and my sources. I could print dozens of these brochures out and hand them to legislators in the state capital or just hand them out to other civilians. I chose a topic that is not only sensitive to people but also to time. As of now, 17 states have legalized same-sex marriage, and 5 more states have had judges rule that their state ban is unconstitutional (Utah, Oklahoma, Virginia, Texas, and Michigan). With all the other states jumping on the bandwagon, they are essentially providing different venues for the same-sex couples in our state to wed. I would hate for North Carolina to lose their potential business and revenue to other states. Same-sex couples that have not left the state to marry somewhere else are most likely holding out because they want their lives to start and end in a state that they love. Time is running out for state legislators to take action. Overall, I feel pretty successful in my genre choices as well as their content. I have invested quite a bit of time into this matter because it is something that I am truly passionate about. It is also an issue that I have realized I could have the power to change. I hope that what I have found and presented will make a difference one day and not be just theory but reality.