Analogy Claims

• “By this point, you might be wondering, and possibly feeling guilty about wondering, why Brannan doesn’t just get divorced. “

This claim is considered an analogy claim because it assumes the emotions of the audience, trying to make them feel guilty wondering such a thing

Categorical Claims

• “He is her friend, and her first love, and her rock, and her lifeline, her blossoming young daughter’s father, her ally, and her hero, she tells Caleb when he asks.”

This claim puts Brannan’s husbands into different categories, all of which say the same thing: He’s her loving husband

Factual Claims

• “Army records also show that 65 percent of active-duty suicides, which now outpace combat deaths, are precipitated by broken relationships.”

I consider this to be as factual claim because it was said according to army records, but I’m on the fence about that statement.

Evaluative Claims

• “And she would tell you openly that she’s thought about it. ‘Everyone has thought about it,’ she says.”
• “Brannan fully supports any wife—who feels that she or her children are in danger, or in an untenable mental-health environment, or for whatever reason—who decides to leave.
• “‘I have enormous respect for Caleb,” she explains if you ask her why. ‘”

All of these claims have the judgement of Brannan. It’s her thoughts an opinions on the different matters that are presented.

Ethical and Moral Claims

• “By this point, you might be wondering, and possibly feeling guilty about wondering, why Brannan doesn’t just get divorced. “
• “Brannan’s got her reasons for sticking it out with Caleb.”
• “Brannan fully supports any wife—who feels that she or her children are in danger, or in an untenable mental-health environment, or for whatever reason—who decides to leave.”

These claims are ethical because they evaluate the different situations given, while also giving judgement of those different situations.

Quantitive or Numerical Claims

• “In the wake of Vietnam, 38 percent of marriages failed within the first six months of a veteran’s return stateside; the divorce rate was twice as high for vets with PTSD as for those without.”
• “Vietnam vets with severe PTSD are 69 percent more likely to have their marriages fail than other vets.”
• “Army records also show that 65 percent of active-duty suicides, which now outpace combat deaths, are precipitated by broken relationships.”
• “And veterans, well, one of them dies by suicide every 80 minutes.”
• “But even ignoring that though vets make up 7 percent of the United States, they account for 20 percent of its suicides —or that children and teenagers of a parent who’s committed suicide are three times more likely to kill themselves, too—or a whole bunch of equally grim statistics, Brannan’s got her reasons for sticking it out with Caleb.

These are Numerical claims because they can be considered factual, with numerical values to back the facts up.

Casual Claims

• “‘He has never stopped fighting for this family. Now, we’ve had little breaks from therapy, but he never stopped going to therapy. I love him,” she repeats, defensively at times.'”

This claim is considered casual because of the cause and effect situation that is put in it. She loves him, because her husband fights for the family and goes to therapy. Inversely, if he didn’t put in the work in therapy and if he didn’t fight for his family, then she wouldn’t love him.