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Done 1 Ana Done Niles Haich English 1304 February 3, 2016 Thesis Statement Summary: Toulmin Paper

The article The Year We Obsessed Over Identity makes a strong case for celebrating trends in acceptance of race and gender by grabbing the attention of the reader with evidence, while still considering possible rebuttals, oftentimes creating thought provoking, unbiased statements that really engage the reader. Before supporting its position, this paper will provide a summary of the article. The writer, Wesley Morris, opens his article with his first piece of evidence, a feministic and amusing scene from a recent movie entitled The Intern. Morris introduces the topic he is to discuss by reeling the reader in with the description of a particular scene from The Intern which features Robert De Niro, “portrayer of psychos, savages and grouches no more” educating his friend about feminism. The scene Morris latches on to is meant to provide solid evidence of the changing roles in society between men and women. The second piece of evidence the writer provides is the TV show Key and Peele (Morris). The article praises the show for its courageous and thought provoking episodes that make the audience think about the progression (and sometimes a lack of progression) in the perception of race. The final piece of evidence the article provides includes additional show references and a particularly controversial issues regarding a transracial woman named Rachel Dolezal, that grabbed the attention of many with her actions which “resurrected questions about the nature of identity” (Morris). To support its position, this paper will call the reader’s attention to the use of evidence the writer includes in his article. The article closes with the statement, “transition should make us

Done 2 stronger – if it doesn’t kill us first” (Morris). This statement is the writer’s theme throughout his article and is by far the most important thought the writer has included. Morris leaves the reader to think for themselves how beneficial, if at all, transition has been throughout 2015 by including the spine-chilling phrase “if it doesn’t kill us first”. Morris uses evidence to form a bright and positive outlook, yet his closing paragraph creates a hesitant, pessimistic attitude towards the change in society. Due to its insightfulness, one cannot help but accept Morris’s interesting outlook on the matter of identity. Moreover, one cannot ignore the diverse nature of each and every topic Morris bring out in his article. His discussion of Far From the Tree by Andrew Solomon shows Morris’s thorough investigation into the matter of identity and his thoughtful consideration towards identity and the “distress over its unfixed or unstable counterpart” (Morris). He carefully weighs the positives and summarizes the examples of a good change in society in the year 2015 but there is also room to consider the imbalance in his article. The opposing view of Morris’s article is worth noting. Morris himself carefully includes possible rebuttals and counterarguments, so as to not seem biased to one particular side of the topic. He lauds the change in society regarding the acceptance of many non-traditional relations but he also states that “there’s also the choice to ignore the matter of identity” altogether (Morris). Although the matter of acceptance and transition is something to be embraced, Morris also considers that not everything and everyone has been a positive influence in this change. Morris brings about the “transracial” issues regarding Rachel Dolezal and uses her and the famous novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, in order to make a connection between past and present and the ongoing presence of the “myths white America tells itself about progress”. Morris, here, proves that although there is much good, one cannot ignore the lingering feeling of racial and gender tension. There is validity, therefore, in suggesting that Morris’s review is not wholly effective due to

Done 3 the presence of “a mood of menacing instability”. Morris tends to dive back and forth throughout his article and the one cannot help but feel confused as to what the main idea of the article is or where its direction lies. Oftentimes it seems that Morris creates a positive outlook, yet his evidence sometimes does the opposite of what he intends. However, Morris enchants the reader with an overwhelmingly open minded article that really embraces one’s values and societal changes in all. This paper has argued that the article The Year We Obsessed Over Identity makes a strong case for celebrating trends in acceptance of race and gender by grabbing the attention of the reader with evidence, while still considering possible rebuttals, oftentimes creating thought provoking, unbiased statements that really engage the reader.

Done 4 Work Cited Morris, Wesley. "The Year We Obsessed Over Identity. The New York Times Company. The New York Times, 10 Oct. 2015. Web. 30 Jan. 2016....