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Stephanie Ericsson The Ways We Lie Analysis

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Lying has not been formally considered morally wrong or right regardless of the severity. Although it’s near impossible to go through a whole day without even stretching the truth once and decide which types of lies are okay or not. Stephanie Ericsson uses strong metaphors and personal experiences in “The Ways We Lie” to justify the use of our everyday lying. This unbiased essay will help readers decide whether it’s okay to lie on a daily basis. Ericsson starts out with saying she told the bank that her deposit was in the mail even though she hadn't written out the check (495). This already has more than half of the readers feeling related to her on account of her use of ethos. It show her as a regular person who lies not because she intends to but …show more content…

Assuming these help the readers further understand how she stresses the truth of lying. It being something that we should realize more but although at the same time lying is a natural thing that happens everyday. She also includes various uses of loaded language to emphasize the most important aspects of lying. Towards the end of the essay she states “ Our acceptance of lies becomes a cultural cancer that eventually shrouds and reorders reality until moral garbage become as invisible to us as water is to fish.”(501) arguing that lying is a major problem that need fixed before everyone life just become one huge lie. This technique persuades the readers into agreeing, because she’s seen as a normal everyday person like the reader. Given these points, Ericsson concludes that lying is a natural habit all humans own. Do not beat yourself up if you can’t go one day without lying, because it’s is both good and bad depending on the case. Stephanie Ericsson justifies the habits of lying in “The Ways We Lie” using firsthand experiences and solid metaphors. Essentially, Take into consideration before you lie, because it could be at someone else's

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In the essay "The Way We Lie," Stephanie Ericsson explains a few of the many reasons why we lie, "We avoid confrontation, we spare people's feelings, we conveniently forget, we keep secrets" (1992, p. 159). We want to avoid a big argument or fight that might make matters worse. We lie to protect another from the truth because it might be unbearable. A lie can come out of our mouth without much thought.

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In “The Way We Lie”, author Stephanie Ericsson gives her readers a list of ten lie we sometime use it for a purpose and sometime we did not realize we did it. She starts out her story with four lie she used in the same morning as she is starting out her day. She explains these lie are intentionally use to minimize the complications and make the day goes much smoother. However, she questions whether these lie can actually make an impact on the person who carry out and the person who receive the lie.

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This quote says that lying happens frequently; no one can resist it. It also says lying is deadly, which is also shown in the Bible within the story of Adam and Eve, when the serpent lies to Eve, convincing her to consume the sacred fruit. In modern society, lying is a common practice. A person may lie protect themselves, or to gain something wanted. This may be due to religious diversity or the decay of respect in society.

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In the Ted Talk “How to Spot a Liar” By Pamela Meyer, She spoke about the tells of a liar and why people lie. Meyers had two truths, Truth #1 lying is a cooperative act. The lie has no power until the receiver believes the lie. Everyone who has been lied to has agreed to be lied too, for example when a lady asks her husband if she looks fat in a certain clothing item. Both he

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Ericsson cites several examples of different types of lies, such as “the little white lie”, “Group-Thinking”, and “Dismissal”. Through these examples, the author illustrates the different motives behind why people lie and the effects that it has on individuals and society. The author claims that society’s acceptance of lying has led to a lack of trust in personal relationships, institutions and even the government. Ericsson also argues that lying is not only a moral issue, but it is also a psychological issue as it can lead to guilt and fear of being caught. The author believes that the use of lies creates an environment where individuals are not able to rely on the truth, and it creates a culture of

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Rhetorical Analysis Most people tend to believe that lying is a way of life, that without it the whole world could crumble and fall. While some tend to believe that any form of lying is a sin and there should be consequences. One author, Stephanie Ericsson, wrote “The Ways We Lie” published in 1993 she talks about how we all lie, it has become an everyday chore to make life easier. She begins by trying to strengthen the bond between the reader and writer showing how they are one of the same. She does this by referencing past experiences, adding informed opinions, and using quotes from other well acknowledged authors, her argument is strong throughout the whole article that lying isn’t just evil, it can be used for good when used the right way.

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Stephanie Ericsson begins her explorative essay, “The Ways We Lie,” with a personal anecdote of all the lies she fabricated in one day. She told her bank that a deposit was in the mail when it was not, told a client that the traffic had been bad when she was late for other reasons, told her partner that her day was fine when it was really exhausting, and told her friend she was too busy for lunch when she just was not hungry, all in the course of a day. She shifts from talking about herself to talking about everyone, claiming that all people lie, exaggerate, minimize, keep secrets, and tell other lies. But, like herself, most still consider themselves honest people. She describes a week in which she tried to never tell a lie; it was debilitating, she claims.

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(Text.pg.116) Lies are morally wrong, for two reasons. First, lying corrupts the most important quality of being human: your ability to make free, rational choices is deprived of you the moment you tell a lie. Each lie you tell contradicts the part of you that gives you moral worth. Second, lies deprive others of their freedom to choose rationally. When your lie leads people to decide other than they would have had they known the truth, you have harmed their human dignity and autonomy.

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