Gary Ho

English 2010 10:30- 11:20

About Life by Danielle Crittenden
In the passage About Life, by Danielle Crittenden, the writer using a serious tone
prompts the importance of marriage in a persons life, especially those of middle-aged unmarried
females. Crittenden critically addresses the issue of marriage within an individual, claiming how
marriage could actually be liberating and prolonging. Writer also stress that ignoring such idea
could be devastating as lifelong independence itself could also be its own kind of prison.
Throughout the entire passage, the tone remains constantly serious as Crittenden
addresses various concepts of marriage. Writer explains that marriage itself is actually not
confinement, but a new stage in life as one experience more responsibility. Crittenden stress her
audience, middle-age females, that delaying marriage to prolong youth is only an illusion and
the mistake of marrying too early is a mistake of the previous generations. Crittenden claims also
that marriage provides a more in-depth perspective in life, explaining that an individual cannot
comprehend dependency until she is cradling her own infant in her arms, that when family
issue is at hand, it would make all the paperwork and assignments of her in-basket seem featherlight. These claims and explanations prompted by Crittenden urges her audience seriously to
consider the matter of marriage more urgently.
Crittenden also addresses marriage as liberating in a determined tone. Crittenden
explains that through marriage, we could be relieved of social tension, knowing then who an
individual will spend the rest of his/her lifetime with. Writer also differentiate her claim from
premature marriage, Crittenden claims she is not prompting an individual to marry the person
next to them, but to consider dating and marriage more seriously and maturely sooner. Marriage

answers key questions to the future of an individuals life as they cease to seek out something
more than isolation. We no longer have to live entirely for ourselves!
This passage by Crittenden illuminates the need of marriage to the audience of Middleage unmarried females. Writers serious tone allows the audience to think critically about this
issue of marriage, claiming that marriage may actually free oneself from isolation and liberate
this individual from questions of future that is yet to answer. Crittenden demonstrates that the old
ways of delaying marriage is not only negative, but immature as one repulse the idea of
commitment and responsibility. Writer focus to illustrate that marriage itself is not imprisoning
as it seems, but rather a beautiful stage of life simply misunderstood.

Comparing this passage with I Want a Wife by Judy Brady, this passage by Crittenden
is more persuasive and supportive. Crittenden has solid claims of the issue marriage, promoting
ideas of isolation, responsibilities, and commitment, while the passage by Brady prompted her
claims of marriage by indirectly listing the qualities of a wife. About Love is also more
persuasive as the targeted audience is truly the one Crittenden is directing, The audience of I
Want a Wife, being other unsatisfied married wives, obviously do not need convincing as they
already agree with the perspective of Brady. Crittenden also successfully demands a serious tone
for the audience to think critical much more efficiently than the humorous and absurd tone of
Brady. By employing a serious tone, the appropriate audience, and proper support, Crittendens
About Love provides a more supported and persuasive passage compared to Judy Bradys I
Want a Wife