Rhetorical Analysis on “To Know Us
Is to Let Us Love”
Trevor Cox
University of Texas at El Paso
The New York Times is recognized as a credible publication, on staff is metropolitan reporter Frank Bruni. Mr. Bruni writes articles, which are being published in several large cities newspapers. Frank Bruni has been a writer with the New York Times for sixteen years. Mr. Bruni graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina. Upon graduating with his bachelor’s degree, he went on to get his master’s degree in Journalism from Columbia University, where he graduated second in his class with high honors. Mr. Bruni is homosexual and openly acknowledges that fact. He wrote an article entitled “To Know Us Is to Let Us Love” I will look at the article and analyze it for the rhetoric used.
In the beginning of the article Bruni shares his insight and his thoughts about same-sex marriage, something he is able to relate with being homosexual himself. Within the first two paragraphs of the article, we are exposed to some brief history of how homosexuals have been treated in the past and how that has changed with time. There were laws in place, which prevented people from gaining employment, or renting an apartment based on whom he or she loved. (Bruni, 2011, par 1) There are now laws in place, which make such discriminatory acts illegal. The article continues with the explanation of the development that has transpired in the acceptance and the eventual legalization of same-sex marriage in a very short span of time. Bruni conducts interviews with several different people who come from diverse political backgrounds, and socioeconomic groups. Some of the people interviewed included a governor, a mayor, an ex-police commissioner, and an athlete. The persons Bruni interviewed related and supported same-sex marriage because this issue influenced their lives in some way.
Bruni exemplifies logos within his article when he gives an example of how much of the United States population is homosexual, which is twenty-five percent according to the gallop poll (Bruni, 2011, par 8). Another way in which Bruni demonstrates the use of logos rhetoric within his article is as follows: he discusses what states had anti-discrimination laws were in place in the 80’s when he was a college student, which states now have anti-discrimination laws, and which states allow same-sex marriages, or civil unions.
The intended audience for this article may include readers of the New York Times, activists for equality, and members from the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and transgendered) community, or families that have homosexual loved ones. The article offers many examples of how Bruni is able to relate with the homosexual community or other persons that may have gone or are going through what Bruni did. Towards the end of the article, Bruni shares a conversation that took place between him and his father, which conveys the understanding that his father was not so accepting of his sexual orientation. I believe Bruni intended to bring this issue to the attention of fathers of homosexual men that struggle with accepting their son’s sexual orientation because of his own personal experience with his father.
In his article, Bruni is able to bring to surface personal emotions the reader may experience by using pathos in different and subtle ways. One of these ways is by discussing the topic of AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), which certainly commands a wide variety of emotional responses and personal reactions. “This month is the 30th anniversary of the disease’s emergence… And it is worth pausing to note how drastically the epidemic raised the stakes of secrecy and silence, pulling homosexuals from the shadows.” (Bruni, 2011, par 7). In this powerful quote from Bruni’s article, it is understood that AIDS played a huge part in homosexuals coming out of the closet, in societal acceptance, and less discrimination towards the gay community. Bruni uses another example of pathos in paragraph two “... I do not recall our talking- or dreaming- much about that. We considered ourselves realists. Sometimes idealists. But never fantasists.” (2011). In this quote Bruni clearly illustrates for the reader how far fetched the idea of same-sex marriage was in his youth, and how discouraging this was to homosexuals. In the last example of pathos, that Bruni uses he states, “To reckon with the gay people right in front of you is to re-examine your qualms…” (2011, par 14). In this paragraph Bruni makes anyone who has a homosexual family member come to terms with their own insecurities, fears, or personal discomfort with someone so close to them being gay. In essence, Bruni means that there comes a time when one has to come to terms with the reality of someone they love, and not just someone they know being homosexual.
In conclusion, Frank Bruni is a reputable writer who is well known and recognized by numerous major publications around the country. In the article I have been discussing, his insight and personal knowledge of what he writes gives the reader a personal attachment to his points of view about the struggles of homosexuals wanting the right to get married or the struggle with the acceptance from a parent. This article is very informative for anyone who accepts the idea of same-sex marriage or for anyone who remains closed minded to the idea.
RESOURCES
Bruni, F., (2011, June 25) To Know Us Is to Let Us Love. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/26/opinion/sunday/26bruni.html/?_r=1
