Michele Sponagle's 'When The Only Way To End It'

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In our culture today it is not uncommon to have a difficult relationship with the loved ones in our lives. In Michele Sponagle 's article, "When the Only Way to Improve a Parental Relationship is to End it," from the Washington Post, she writes about her personal experience with her emotionally abusive father. After years of constantly being reminded of the pain her father caused and the hurtful relationship they shared, Sponagle concludes that the only way to move on in her life was to end ties with her father. In making a compelling argument, Sponagle shows the best way to mend a damaged relationship is by ending it, through her use of logical structure, personal experience, and sound advice.
In the first paragraph Sponagle starts off with a piece of her story. She catches the reader 's attention by the line “Breaking up with someone you love is difficult under any circumstance.” Beginning with that statement allows for the reader to be brought to a place where they can be vulnerable; A lot of people can relate to or imagine what it is like to break up with or lose a loved one. With this introduction to her article she then goes into more detail that builds up her …show more content…

In conclusion, I think that this article was well composed and Sponagle did an admirable job at making her point and her story known. I have personally been blessed with fantastic parents who raised me in a respectable, loving home but I have also seen what goes on in the world and I know that the story of Michele Sponagle is not a rare one. After the years of suffering short and long term effects such as overeating, inappropriate relationships and anxiety Sponagle did the research and cut ties with her father. Her decision to end the relationship was well supported by her ability to use logical sense of structure; a talent to connect to the reader 's emotions;and a sound, trustworthy frame of mind. It is inspiring to use the gift of writing to reach out to others and let them know that they are