Taking Sides Paper
Syvanna Simmons
Brigham Young University
SFL 210, Section #001
30-875-4737
Taking Sides: Divorce’s toll on children In this article on divorce, Karl Zinsmeister addresses the many short- and long-term effects it has on children. Although he does well in addressing both sides, it appeared to have many flaws. These flaws include not citing the information he claims, not having a large enough sample size, and failing to recognize other factors that may contribute to the cause of divorce . The purpose of this paper is to summarize his article, critically analyze three flaws and one strength, and give an opinion.
Summary
In Karl Zinsmeister’s “Divorce Toll on Children”, he outlines the negative aspects …show more content…
One strength is how the author incorporated an opposing viewpoint but used research to have it lose its credibility. This is evident when Zinsmeister says “you’ll sometimes hear the claim that divorce doesn’t hurt children as much as conflict in a marriage. This statement is not supported by the evidence shown in significant studies. ‘For kids,’ reports Kalter, ‘the misery in an unhappy marriage is usually less significant than the changes’ after a divorce. ‘They’d rather their parents keep fighting and not get divorced” (Zinsmeister, 1996). Part of having a strong article is to persuade with accuracy and confidence. This article was able to do this through out which strengthened their …show more content…
Parents should do all that they can to stay together and figure out their problems for the best interest if their children. Although the children may not have great relationship examples, they can surround themselves with positive enforcements and decide how they will act instead of being acted upon due to the circumstances. The other thing that childhood divorce encourages, of course, is the avoidance of marriage. For example ,"My mom got remarried and divorced again, so I've gone through two divorces so far. And my father's also got remarried--to someone I don't get along with all that well. It's all made me feel that people shouldn't get married.". When the actions of the parents result in such negative consequences for the children it then affects the child well into adulthood which then becomes a cycle for their kids in future. I believe that divorce affects generations to come. I have never experienced divorce, but I have seen this impact in people I have grown up with. I saw the long term consequences that divorce had on a family we have been friends with. The mom had been married and divorced three times. Through each divorce the kids were uprooted, forced to choose between parents, and they also see marriage as a short term event. One of the kids is a close friend of mine and has on
Syvanna Simmons
Brigham Young University
SFL 210, Section #001
30-875-4737
Taking Sides: Divorce’s toll on children In this article on divorce, Karl Zinsmeister addresses the many short- and long-term effects it has on children. Although he does well in addressing both sides, it appeared to have many flaws. These flaws include not citing the information he claims, not having a large enough sample size, and failing to recognize other factors that may contribute to the cause of divorce . The purpose of this paper is to summarize his article, critically analyze three flaws and one strength, and give an opinion.
Summary
In Karl Zinsmeister’s “Divorce Toll on Children”, he outlines the negative aspects …show more content…
One strength is how the author incorporated an opposing viewpoint but used research to have it lose its credibility. This is evident when Zinsmeister says “you’ll sometimes hear the claim that divorce doesn’t hurt children as much as conflict in a marriage. This statement is not supported by the evidence shown in significant studies. ‘For kids,’ reports Kalter, ‘the misery in an unhappy marriage is usually less significant than the changes’ after a divorce. ‘They’d rather their parents keep fighting and not get divorced” (Zinsmeister, 1996). Part of having a strong article is to persuade with accuracy and confidence. This article was able to do this through out which strengthened their …show more content…
Parents should do all that they can to stay together and figure out their problems for the best interest if their children. Although the children may not have great relationship examples, they can surround themselves with positive enforcements and decide how they will act instead of being acted upon due to the circumstances. The other thing that childhood divorce encourages, of course, is the avoidance of marriage. For example ,"My mom got remarried and divorced again, so I've gone through two divorces so far. And my father's also got remarried--to someone I don't get along with all that well. It's all made me feel that people shouldn't get married.". When the actions of the parents result in such negative consequences for the children it then affects the child well into adulthood which then becomes a cycle for their kids in future. I believe that divorce affects generations to come. I have never experienced divorce, but I have seen this impact in people I have grown up with. I saw the long term consequences that divorce had on a family we have been friends with. The mom had been married and divorced three times. Through each divorce the kids were uprooted, forced to choose between parents, and they also see marriage as a short term event. One of the kids is a close friend of mine and has on