What is Marriage For?
What is Marriage For?
Article Review
Chelsea Crandall
Sociological Imagination
25 September 2014 What is Marriage For? Just take a second and think about it, what is the real reason behind a marriage? Of course it means spending the rest of your life with the one you love so much. Anyone can agree on that but what is the real definition of a marriage? Author E.J. Graff explains what marriage is in her book “What is Marriage For?” Graff starts off by discussing how the majority of states are finally starting to come across the idea of gay marriage and giving marriage rights to same-sex couples. She mentions that over twenty states and countries have passed the same- sex marriage law and that it has opened up so many opportunities for same- sex couples to finally get a marriage license. Graff says that “marriage has always been a social battleground, its rules constantly shifting to fit each culture and class, each era and economy.” A point that was mentioned by Graff was that when we think of marriage we think of boy plus girl equals baby but we need to stop thinking about that and to start thinking about girl plus girl equals love. Our society in the nineteenth and twentieth century believes that marriage is for making intimacy, not just for making babies. Graff says “if marriage is not for making babies, then why can’t same sex couples marry?” Most same- sex couples, says Graff, don’t even want to marry and put a label on their love. She says that if the same- sex couple is in love and happy then what is the point of letting the whole world know. Most relationships are between two people not the whole world. A really good sentence that author E.J. Graff finished off with was, “While marriage may retain its ancient name, very little else in this city has remained the same- not its boundaries, boulevards, or daily habits- except the fact that it is inhabited by human beings like me.” The book “What is Marriage For?” by E.J. Graff can be easily related to
Article Review
Chelsea Crandall
Sociological Imagination
25 September 2014 What is Marriage For? Just take a second and think about it, what is the real reason behind a marriage? Of course it means spending the rest of your life with the one you love so much. Anyone can agree on that but what is the real definition of a marriage? Author E.J. Graff explains what marriage is in her book “What is Marriage For?” Graff starts off by discussing how the majority of states are finally starting to come across the idea of gay marriage and giving marriage rights to same-sex couples. She mentions that over twenty states and countries have passed the same- sex marriage law and that it has opened up so many opportunities for same- sex couples to finally get a marriage license. Graff says that “marriage has always been a social battleground, its rules constantly shifting to fit each culture and class, each era and economy.” A point that was mentioned by Graff was that when we think of marriage we think of boy plus girl equals baby but we need to stop thinking about that and to start thinking about girl plus girl equals love. Our society in the nineteenth and twentieth century believes that marriage is for making intimacy, not just for making babies. Graff says “if marriage is not for making babies, then why can’t same sex couples marry?” Most same- sex couples, says Graff, don’t even want to marry and put a label on their love. She says that if the same- sex couple is in love and happy then what is the point of letting the whole world know. Most relationships are between two people not the whole world. A really good sentence that author E.J. Graff finished off with was, “While marriage may retain its ancient name, very little else in this city has remained the same- not its boundaries, boulevards, or daily habits- except the fact that it is inhabited by human beings like me.” The book “What is Marriage For?” by E.J. Graff can be easily related to