Unmasking the Moral of the Story : a Narrative Analysis of the "Stand for Marriage Maine" Campaign

Abstract

The marriage equality debate has recently become the subject of political and social commentary across the country. Many states have seen some sort of marriage amendment come to a vote. As with any controversial issue, groups aligned with both sides of the debate have been arguing their perspectives. It is important these messages are analyzed. Stand for Marriage Maine released three television commercials in their 2009 ?Yes on One? campaign. In the election, Mainers voted to repeal their marriage equality act. The influence of the messages used by this campaign to reverse marriage equality in Maine can be better understood through rhetorical analysis. This project uses a narrative analysis of the Stand for Marriage Maine commercials to explain how the campaign used narrative elements to attempt to persuade viewers to accept a view of the world that was in sync with the group?s agenda.