Stephanie Ericsson states her thesis in the first line of her 3rd paragraph. She states that “We all lie. We all do. We exaggerate, we minimize, we avoid confrontation, we spare people’s feelings, we conveniently forget, we keep secrets, we justify lying to the big-guy institutions.” This thesis introduces her topic and what her essay will be about. She creates the idea that many people may go about their lives lying, believing it does not have a large effect but it does.
As someone who lies, Ericsson does not think it is possible to eliminate lying from our lives. Towards the beginning of the passage she says “I once tried going a whole week without telling a lie, and it was paralyzing. I discovered that telling the truth all the time is nearly impossible.” In saying this Ericsson states the fact that in our society lying has become as common as breathing. With some people not being able to go a day without lying.
I think that a life without lies could be desirable. If lies ceased to exist as a race, humans could come together to do a lot of good. But on the other hand if lies didn’t exist many peoples true colors would come out with the absence of the “white lie”. For example when receiving a bad gift from someone you could no longer say “It’s amazing thank you so much” the truth would have to be said which could sound something like “This is horrendous.”
The purpose of this essay is to expose some of the problems that can arise from lying and some of the types of lying that exist. She begins with “The White Lie” one of the most common and simple lies that everyone knows of. She works her way through different forms of lying ending with “Delusion” a more severe lie. She makes sure people understand that all lies are severe. Beginning with the most common one and ending with a less common one she is saying that no matter the kind of lie, it is still lying
Questions on Writing Strategies
With Ericssons four-lie introduction she is beginning her passage with an example of the few lies she lists later on. She is also showing the reader about how she is also a liar and in a few cases is not any better than the person reading her passage. It helps the reader to see what kind of person she is and can in a way connect on a more personal level with her short but impactful anecdote. By organizing her essay in this way it is also more of an explanation rather than her judging people for lying.
The epigraph that works the best is by R. L. Stevenson and says “The cruelest lies are often told in silence”. Personally i think that this quote is efficient in what it says because of how true it is. This epigraph is effective because in essence it is completely summarizing what is to follow in the passage rather than to just provide an example. This shows what a strong source and quote can do for a passage and make it that much better.
Ericsson begins the section of delusion by stating its definition in the first few lines. She continues paragraph 32 by providing an example that is quite common and most people will be able to understand. Paragraph 33 is then an alternative way of viewing the way people may use delusion. Ericsson describes how people use delusion to not incorporate so much reality in our day to die lives. So the way she develops her discussion of delusion is by describing delusion and how it is negatively used but then showing how everyone uses it almost as a means of escape.
I believe that Ericssons is that even though lying will always be prominent its use can be minimalized. If people continue to lie and accept this, the use of lying will only increase and it will not stop. If the use of lying is minimalized, people will begin to speak the truth and eventually only the truth will exist. Personally her conclusion was effective because the purpose of the essay is restated while she is also again saying how lying can not be stopped and people will continue to lie. It brings the whole piece together.
Ericsson uses definitions to to emphasize her ideas on lying. These definitions are very clear as most people are familiar with these kinds of lies so the definitions must be well written to not seem redundant. She begins each kind of lie with a short epigraph related to that kind of lie, some being examples and some of them being more of a summary. As an example they are helpful for the reader to have a more clear idea of the definition of the word. These are helpful to the reader in making the definitions as clear as people to avoid any confusion between the types of lying. The clearest definitions are stereotypes and delusions since they get right to the main point of the lie and are further explained with examples.
Questions on Language
In paragraph 35 when Ericsson uses the words cancer and garbage she uses the to describe lying. When she calls it a “cultural cancer” she could be referring to how a cancer spreads lying also spreads quickly amongst people and has a lasting effect. The way garbage is used, it is describing the effect of lying. Both of these words normally having negative connotations are strong descriptive words for lying as it is not an easy going thing.
I think that Ericssons tone in both of these cases is appropriate. When speaking about paragraphs 12-13, James Porter was a disgusting person and Ericsson is in the clear to have an angry tone towards the Catholic Church. There would be no reason for her not to be angry with what that man did and show her tone in her passage. In regards to paragraphs 18-20 she also has reason to be angry and in a way denied something. She shows this by saying “I felt like I’d just found out my mother was really my stepmother.” Ericsson was lied to about something important that is essentially the basis of a religion.
- Travails: engage in painful or laborious effect.
- Ecclesiastical: relating to the Christian Church or its clergy.
- Gamut: a complete range or extent.
- Myriad: extremely large number.
- Reticent: not revealing one’s thoughts
- Passive-aggressive: indirect resistance to demands of others and an avoidance of direct confrontation.
- Floating anxiety: someone who can not determine triggers of anxiety
- Adult-children-of-alcoholics movement: a twelve step program for men and women who grew up in alcoholic or otherwise dysfunctional homes.
- Schizophrenics: a long-term mental disorder of a type involving a breakdown in the relation between thought, emotion, and behavior, leading to faulty perception, inappropriate actions and feelings, withdrawal from reality and personal relationships into fantasy and delusion, and a sense of mental fragmentation.
- Catatonia: abnormality of movement and behavior arising from a disturbed mental state (typically schizophrenia). It may involve repetitive or purposeless overactivity, or catalepsy, resistance to passive movement, and negativism.