The Ways We Lie by Stephanie Ericsson Essay

Stephanie Ericsson, in her essay, "The Ways We Lie," does an excellent job of analyzing different ways we use lies to help and hurt our self in our everyday lives, as well as, effects American culture, even human development. Ericsson shows the way lies can, "Lubricate the daily machinery of living". She also writes, how we, as humans, use lies these ways and others so much that most of us may not realize it. Her audience is for everyone, as she states, "We lie. We all do." The Author uses personal anecdotes to establish a connection to the Audience, making the essay more personal, enabling the reader to distinguish between the types of lying through personal experiences. "A friend called and wanted to take me to lunch. I said I was busy." Ericsson uses Common Language, making lies more familiar for readers, by relating them to Everyday notions. "When I put on a suit to go see my client, I feel as though I am putting on another face, obeying the expectation that serious business people wear suits, rather than sweatpants." Ericsson successfully uses Allusions, as a Rhetorical Language to persuade her audience. She uses this Rhetorical Method to tell how dangerous some lies can be, as well as, give brief references to well-known people or events, in a way that her audience can relate with, without going too in depth.
Ericsson included each section with quotes to illustrate and summarize each type of lie, capturing the audience's attention from the beginning of each category. "The cruelest lies are often in silence." R.L Stevenson. She starts each category with a hypothetical situation or personal anecdote, to give an example of the lie, connecting to the reader. She uses Rhetorical Questions to make the audience question the reasoning of lying, as well as, induce a feeling of guilt. "How much do we tolerate before we become sick and tired of being sick and tired." Ericsson structures her essay by dividing different types of Lies people tell, making it easier to read. [-Delusion - We lie loudest, when we lie to ourselves. - Eric Hoffer. "I could write a book on this one. Delusion, a cousin of dismissal."] Ericsson includes an allusion that mentions Boston's first predator priest case. In the section of the essay titled, "Ignoring the Plain Facts," Ericsson reveals the serious consequences this type of lying can have. Father James Porter, sentenced to 18 to 20 years in prison, for sexually abusing close to 100 young boys with in the Catholic churches he ministered. The members of the Catholic Church ignored the plain fact of Father Porter's crime, and allowed him to continue preaching (and molesting boys) at many different churches, between the years 1960 and 1967. Including the reference to the Porter case, helps Ericsson appeal to her audience, and makes her stance clear, on this type of lying. Without this allusion, Ericsson would lose a prime example that obviously illustrates the consequences she is pointing out.