B-day AP English III Students,
Please respond to the following question in a comment. Be sure to sign your name at the end of the comment to ensure you get credit.
Identify examples of informal language in this essay. Is it appropriate and effective to her purpose or is it distracting?
Be sure that as you craft your response you use appropriate and convincing examples and explanation. This response will count as a homework grade.
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31 comments:
Ericcson's use of informal language in her essay "The Ways We Lie" only works to distract the reader from his or her own connection to the piece. She uses personal anecdotes in hopes to further the idea that everyone is related and everyone is guilty of the same sin, but it only keeps the reader from finding individual conclusions or relating his or her own life to the content. Phrases such as, "When I put on a suit to go see a client," help Ericcson related to a certain audience - businessmen - but at the same time drags her away from other audiences, such as teenagers or homemakers. Later, she writes, "I recently realized that a former friend was a liar." This is a good use of language, because everyone has been in this situations, however she follows later with, "then I did some business with him and the time came for him to pay me." This extra anecdote ceases whatever connection had begun to grow between the author and the reader. Overall, while Ericcson does add some good context through examples in the essay, she fails to connect to all audiences because of too many personal anecdotes and too little time to allow the reader to add some of his or her own.
SarahBelle
Ericsson uses many informalities in her essay to influence and manipulate her audience, showing the reader that she is just like us and strengthening the assertion that the types of untruths she details are lies which everyone is guilty of, and that she is human and lies just like the rest of us.
Using “we” in place of strictly “I” or “one” as Ericsson does throughout her entire essay (other than during the insertion of personal anecdotes) is very effective in connecting the reader with the author because it gives the two a sense of oneness by making it appear that the author is the same as the audience, and that the writer is just as guilty of the mistakes she outlines as her readers are.
Ericsson uses the phrase “looks like hell” (121) when describing why one person might lie to another about their appearance. Though this might seem unimportant and meaningless at first glance, Ericsson employs informal language like this to further the connection to her reader. She wants to strengthen that bond so that the impression continues for the reader that she is not accusing them of wrongdoing but instead pointing out a flaw present in all human beings, or a human nature. She uses unpretentious language through most of the essay to maintain this likeness.
Another point in the essay in which Ericsson uses a similar technique is in the parenthesized statement, “though the UPS man knows better” (122). This tidbit is comical, personal, and extraneous to her point, but it seems like she is sharing a humorous little private fact of her life, which plays with the pathos of the reader and makes them feel more like she is an actual person, much like the two previous examples I have given. It could be argued that this information takes it a little far into the personal and irrelevant realm—that it serves little purpose and is distracting—but I would argue that it is little personal details like this, though largely trivial, that contribute extensively to her credibility and appeal to the ethos of the reader. It helps us believe the image she aims to present us with, that she is a normal person with funny and interesting experiences, just like her reader.
These uses of informal language convince the reader that Ericsson is not trying to accuse us of wrongdoing. In this way she prevents the audience from becoming defensive, because a guarded stance held by us the reader would be everything but productive to the message Ericsson attempts to convey.
Kriea Giffin-Dean
In "The Ways We Lie," informal language and inclusive pronouns help Stephanie Ericsson open up the essay by establishing ethos with the reader. Early in the essay, Ericsson shows that she struggles with lying just like us; when she tried to stop, "it was paralyzing" (159). By showing that she shares the same struggles with the readers, they feel like they can trust Ericsson and listen to her ideas. Though she contradicts herself and comes off as a hypocrite, the reader still follows her thought process because she can relate to the reader by using her ethos. Furthermore, continual use of the words "we" and "our," include the reader in her argument. At the end of her personal anecdotes, Ericsson uses these inclusive pronouns to relate to the reader throughout the essay and show that "we all," struggle with lies every single day( (159). During the entirety of her argument, Ericsson uses informal language and informal language to establish ethos and include the reader in her ideas.
Stephanie Ericsson’s use of informal language in “The Ways We Lie” is beneficial by providing real life examples that connect the reader to her piece. Though the piece is rather simple and cuts down to the basics of each type of lie, the reader could possibly have a difficult time relating to the piece if examples weren’t provided. Her examples appeal to both the reader’s ethos and pathos because they show that Ericsson is a reliable source of information about lying and they help the reader see what exactly qualifies as each type of lie. Even though her examples don’t apply to all members of her audience, every reader can relate to them. Ericsson provides an example from her personal life where she describes a rough day in which her young daughter spread lipstick all over the couch (120). She “lied” to her husband when she told him she was doing fine, after she saw the look of distress from his day at work. Though many readers aren’t mothers and may not be married, a memory of a time when they told someone their day was going just fine, when it really felt like it was spiraling downhill, pops into every reader’s mind. Ericsson also makes her point that all human beings lie when she uses the pronoun “we” continuously throughout the text. It’s not explicitly defined who “we” is, but it is implied that “we” can be her whole entire audience or all people. Regardless, this simple pronoun unites all readers and helps stress Ericsson’s message that lying is a universal act. Informal language is necessary in this piece and provides a simple connection between examples experienced by the author and past actions of the readers.
Meg Dondero
Stephanie Ericsson use of informational language in "The Ways We Lie" helped establish her ethos and allowed the reader to relate to what she was saying on a deeper level. As Ericsson's essay progresses the reader feels like she is speaking directly to them. Although lying is something that anyone can admit to doing on a daily basis, while we read we begin to realize we are guilty of many types of lies. Ericsson uses many examples of delusion which we can all be held accountable for such "alcoholics who believe the problems in their lives are legitimate reasons to drink" (p128). Ericsson was showing her ethos and how she can relate to people who believe there is a reason to lie, to make yourself better. Ericssons language in this essay is so easy to relate to in the 21st century; other essays leave students confused and overwhelmed after reading. Ericssons informational language and writing styles reflect that of a normal American living the daily life. People usually prefer to read about subjects that effects their own personal lives, and Ericssons words add context and texture to her work that anybody could pick up this essay and begin reading. In conclusion, Ericsson's informational language helped the readers relate and get a deeper understanding for her work by establishing ethos as well as using modern examples and writing styles so it would be interesting for the readers of her essay.
The use of informal language in Stephanie Ericsson’s essay, “The Ways We Lie” is ultimately helpful in that it helps to create an overall connection with the reader. Throughout her essay, she talks casually, using a personal tone, and her examples then follow in a similar fashion. She makes uses of the first person (“we”), inviting the audience to get comfortable with her. By doing this, she is setting herself apart from other authors whose purpose is to inform readers without engaging them.
This personal tone is seen through the opening of Ericsson’s essay, where she tells readers that she lies, and that in the course of one day, she has lied several times. I feel that a traditional author wouldn’t open an informational essay about lies by discussing his or her own lies. But Ericsson does. In paragraph two, Ericsson goes as far as saying that she had told many lies in one day, but she did not feel guilty about any of them. This informal language helps to let the reader know that this is not going to be an essay accusing and blaming its readers for the lies they have told, and makes it easy for the readers to relate and connect to her. It also allows Ericsson, like Daniel Beamer said, to prove her ethos to her readers. She rightfully establishes her credibility on the subject by openly telling the readers that she has lied—that she has had experience with lies.
Ericsson also provides informal language through the phrases she adds on to her discussion of the different types of lies. As Kriea mentioned, Ericsson uses the phrase “looks like hell” in paragraph eight to connect with the reader by saying something that would actually be thought of in a circumstance when white lies are needed.
Through her examples, Ericsson provides just as much informal language. In paragraph twenty-two, Ericsson says, “I once admitted to a group of people that I had a mouth like a truck driver. Much to my surprise, a man stood up and said, ‘I’m a truck driver, and I never cuss.’” This example is unorthodox; instead of giving some vague example where the names are fake and such, Ericsson provides a real-life example of when she stereotyped a group of people, thus performing a lie. This approach helps Ericsson connect to the reader because it is re-affirming the fact that Ericsson is a trustworthy source who has lied just like the rest of us have. It backs up Ericsson’s goal of proving to readers that everyone lies in some shape or form, including the author herself.
Overall, Stephanie Ericsson’s informal language in her essay helps her to establish a connection with her readers by making them feel that they can relate with another real person, rather than some third-party bystander who comments on lies without saying he or she has taken part in them. By using this informal language, she quickly uppercuts a view by readers that she is making fun of people for their lies, and instead she is more informing people by incorporating her own real-life experiences.
Anna Dekle
Ericcson's use of informal language in "The Ways We Lie" makes the essay seem more like a definition than an actual essay. Using informal language helps it relate to everyone but makes it impersonal, which then makes it un-relatable. I read it more like a definition with examples included. It distracted me because I wasn’t able to connect to most of the examples. I have never been a sergeant in Vietnam who listed a soldier as missing instead of dead. I don’t think she has either so I am not making a connection even though I understand the example. This takes away from her ethos which makes the piece distracting to read since I doubt her credibility.
However I do think the use of “we” repeated multiple times throughout the piece (especially in the 3rd paragraph) strengthens her ethos because she is making the reader part of the essay. By saying “we”, she implies that both she and I have something in common. This shows that she knows I am guilty of lying but she is willing to take the blame too. This makes her relatable. This is confusing because first I saw her as unreliable and then I saw her as reliable. This complicates the essay and made it hard for me to follow, so I think overall the informal language was a distraction.
Allison Shaughnessy
Ericcson uses informal language in "The Ways We Lie" to relate to the readers and thus strengthen her overall argument on lying. By using personable words such as "We" when describing paragraphs she slides away from a formal style and incorporates an element relation to the reader. In connecting herself to the reader, she is able to capture the readers attention by manipulating their pathos and at the same time, she establishes her ethos by describing common events among us all. In the beginning of one of her description of Facades, she says, "I get up, get the kid off to school..." With this phrase, she has most likely obtained the agreement of the reader before she even provides her description. Ericcson provides phrases similar to this throughout the entire essay in order to maintain a constant attachment to the readers pathos, establishing the validity of her argument.
Chris Dellaero
Ericsson's use of informal language in "The Ways We Lie" does not connect the audience to the essay. She tries to appeal to her ethos when she says she lies, but she still thinks of herself as an honest person. In actuality it makes her less credible. Her examples are hard to relate to on a personal level. For instance when she is talking about the priest sexually abusing children she is appealing to our pathos, but it is hard to relate to unless you are Catholic are have been sexually abused (162). She also includes too many ideas from other sources and not enough of her own. She talks about Irving Janis’ and the textbook definition of groupthink and does not use hers (164).
It is hard to see her point of view in her essay and therefore it is hard to relate to. Although, some people may say she does connect with her audience. She definitely makes a good point in the fourth paragraph when she say that telling the truth all of the time is almost impossible, but she doesn't argue this point on a level in which everyone can relate; therefore the informal language in her essay is very distracting.
Gabrielle Rupprecht
The use of informal language in Ericsson’s essay is used as a bridge to connect her audience and herself. If she had written the piece using formal language, the reader would not receive the message well. No one wants to be told they’re a liar, but Ericsson’s language makes it a little easier to hear while giving her points a factor of universality.
Because of the personality Ericsson brings to the table, readers are able to let their guard down and allow her to uncover the ways they’re lying without reacting negatively to being called liars.”We lie. We all do...like most people, I indulge in falsehoods and still think of myself as an honest person,” (Ericsson, 159). By including herself, she does not put herself in a position of authority scolding a group of offenders, but rather a person simply articulating a thought. Because of that approach, readers are able to reflect both on Ericsson’s lies and on the lies they have told themselves.
As Ericsson explains the types of liars in her essay, she uses examples that are personal, but they are also examples that anyone reading can relate to. “When I answer the phone, the caller thinks I’m wearing a suit (though the UPS man knows better),” (Ericsson, 161). This example is something that many people can understand and is relaxed enough to make the reader feel like they’re reading something a friend had written.
Moriah Thompson
In "The Ways We Lie", Ericsson uses informal wording to write like she is speaking to the reader. through the use of abbreviation (hadn't, I'm, it'd...) she portrays a sense of casualness and makes it feel as though she thoroughly knows what she is talking about. In the third paragraph, Ericsson puts the reader and herself on the same ethical playing field with the use of the word "we". No one is innocent of telling a lie, "We lie. We all do."; not even Ericsson can keep from fibbing. Through this informal use of "we", the author is effective in drawing the reader into the piece and keeps the readers attention. In the first paragraph under the section "DEFLECTING", Ericsson switches from using "we" to using "I". During this section, Ericsson tears up the deflections made by liars. By using "I" to start this section, she is able to come across as analytical of the situation, rather than as aggressive and critical. This is effective in deflecting the readers attention away from her criticisms and focusing the reader on the facts she wishes to display. Throughout this piece, Ericsson effectively uses informal language to bring the reader closer to the story, to divert the readers attention away from criticisms, and to sound knowledgeable on the subject of lying.
Mario Heitman
Stephanie Ericsson’s use of informal language in her essay, “The Ways We Lie” is very appropriate because it helped her create a connection and an ethos between herself and the reader, and is ultimately successful in making her points easier to understand. The examples from her personal life are not distracting, rather they make the lies she describes relatable and causes the reader to realize that she is guilty of the same lies. Admitting her own faults gives the reader a reassertion that the author is in not someone superior to others, but, rather an imperfect human being like we all are. Ericsson does not single herself out or blame any one person for her lies or faults. By continuously using “we” when speaking of humanity as a whole, she is pushing her point that all people are capable of this sin of lying. It is a part of life that we must recognize and define or suffer. Her frequent use of the word “we” creates a connection with the reader as Ericsson puts herself into the same category as everyone else; there is no separation of people who lie, but there is a separation of the types of lies. It is not me, it is us.
When Ericsson quickly begins her argument with, “We lie. We all do.” (120) she continues describing her own categories or synonyms to the broad term of “lying”. These common synonyms, such as “conveniently forgetting” (120) are relatable themselves in that they inform the reader of types of lies they may have done but had not thought of as lying before. The reader may want to believe Ericsson is only referring to herself and her lies but then one would be missing the point. Maybe hiding from oneself. This was a way for her to connect to the reader even in her opening. These examples also engage the reader and leave them with a curiosity of her explanation to what she believes lying is and realize that she may be actually talking about the reader. Pulling the reader into her life and lies.
Throughout the essay, Ericsson is constantly admitting her own faults through the use of informal language that could relate to any human being. When she tells of her incident of insulting a truck driver with the common phrase “mouth like a truck driver” (125) she is appealing to embarrassing and humbling moments of others, while also explaining that stating a typical stereotype can also be considered a lie and that lie cannot sustain itself. This example is very relatable, but most of the time is not considered lying. Her example is intended to create a connection to moments many people have had where they haphazardly misuse a cliche or stereotype and it hurts another just like lies do.
For every category of lying she listed, Ericsson also included an example from her own life to support her argument. By her use of informal language continuously throughout the essay, the message become more obvious and the reader can better relate to her stories while also gaining an understanding of what a lie means to those who hear it.
Carter Chambliss
Stephanie Ericcson's use of informal language in her essay "The Ways We Lie" appeals to the readers ethos instantaneously. In the first paragraph, she clearly lies, which makes the reader feel that she isn't judging anyone else, but that she is a liar, too (120). As Kriea said, Ericcson continuously uses the word "we" to show that everyone lies, and that she is no exception. When explaining the "white lie", she says "It is an act of subtle arrogance for anyone to decide what is best for someone else"(121). When put into that perspective, she connects to the reader. It makes us think twice about telling someone they look fine when in reality, they don't.
When describing the facade lie, she says "though the UPS man knows better" (122). I feel that saying this connects me even more to her because I know when I go out in public, I wear different clothes than I would at school. It's two different scenes, and she can relate to that.
Her use of informal language is necessary to get her point across and connect the reader to realize that what she is saying is real.
Alyssa Whicker
As I read Ericsson's essay, "The Ways We Lie," I did not find the informality of her writing to be distracting. In fact, her use of slang and her use of informal sentence structures gave the piece a more conversational tone, and I felt like I could connect with her, like talking to a friend.
For example, when she says things like, "cut-and-dried" (121) instead of "obvious" or "self-evident," "bucks" (122) instead of "dollars," or when she talks about "good-ole-boy cohesiveness" (126), she sounds like a person I would be able to understand and relate to. That, in turn, makes it easier for me to follow her reasoning.
She often speaks directly to me, like we're sitting together at a lunch table. She asks me direct questions like, "Who hasn't tried something like that?" (124), and she says things like "If you've ever worked on a committee or in a corporation, you've encountered groupthink" (125). I find the style of her speech relatable, and it helps me better understand the point she's making.
Her sentences are so conversational they are sometimes grammatically incorrect. An example of this is starting sentences with a conjunction, like when she says, "But I'm a writer" (122), or a full sentence fragment, like, "Or are lied to." (128). I have always been taught fragments are not allowed. I can understand how someone expecting formal writing might be distracted when they see a writer do things that we have been specifically been taught not to do. As I read this essay, however, I found the author's casual style made it easy to read and more engaging.
Sarah Chesser
Ericsson's use of informal language effectively emphasizes her intention of implying that everyone, even the author, lies. Her informal personal references serve to establish her ethos as a liar, which is exactly what an author does not want to do in an informative essay. "The Ways We Lie" is the perfect example of an author taking personal references too far. Ericsson's statement, "I set a precedent of being up-front about intimate issues, but I never bring up the things I truly want to hide; I just let people assume I'm revealing everything," (123) seems, on the surface, to be related solely to her personal life, but it also suggests that she may be lying in this essay, just the way Nick has established his unreliable ethos in "The Great Gatsby". It is ironic that Ericsson's only personal admission of lying is in the section titled "Deflecting" because this article could very well have been used as a way to deflect attention away from another piece of her work that may have been receiving negative feedback. Based on this essay, it is safe to assume that Stephanie Ericsson is not always the most honest person she could be. She probably even lied once or twice in this mostly fact-based article. On page 126, her example for an out-and-out lie was her five-year-old nephew lying about who broke the fence. I would be willing to bet that she does not even have a five-year-old nephew, if I were a betting man. Her informal personal references allow her to make up her own stories in order to make the essay more interesting and attractive for the reader. After all, writing essays such as "The Ways We Lie" is how Ericsson supports herself, and the more copies she sells, the more money she makes.
Ericsson tries to relate to and gain the trust of her audience in “The Ways We Lie” by using informal language to make the reader believe her. She sequences her day in a familiar a structure for the working class, saying that she “gets up, gets the kid off the school...” and works (176). This informal and almost anonymous sequence makes it seem like this could be anyone and integrates in the reader into her story. Ericsson is deliberately informal to put the reader in her shoes for a while; she wants them to follow her to understanding the consequences of lying. At the same time, this sequence distracts from Ericsson’s point because she makes it seem like lying is a normal, necessary occurrence since she has described a normal day. Also throughout the selection, Ericsson’s use of the pronoun “we” and other phrases such as “like most people” (174), she is working to maintain a relationship with the audience. Even in the title she includes the word “we”. It makes it seem like because everyone lies on a regular basis, it is almost just to do so. Ericsson has included herself in the majority and is a liar; the reader cannot trust her. This contradicts the point she is trying to make about the consequences of lying. Overall, her uses of informalities are ineffective and distracting to her point because they contribute to Ericsson’s hypocrisy.
Alex Johnson
Although Ericsson clearly states her ethos in her essay, “The Ways We Lie”, her use of informalities distracts the reader from considering her piece to be a legitimate essay, and not just a personal anecdote. In the phrase, “I discovered that telling the truth was almost impossible”, she establishes her ethos by implying that she has gone through many experiences of lying in order to come to this conclusion, but her use of informalities makes the reader think that this piece is simply a personal revelation in which she consistently contradicts herself. She provides a hypocritical example of this when she says, “I indulge in small falsehoods and I still consider myself to be an honest person”; for she cannot both tell lies and be honest at the same time. Her use of informalities distracts the reader because formality is the backbone of what is thought of as a “good essay”. Her use of “I” and “we” give up the universality of an essay and instead focus it in on her own personal experiences and revelations, making it seem as though it is a private piece, instead of one for the public.
-Sarah Mitchell
The use of informal language in Ericsson's essay proves to be effective. Through this she is able to connect to the audience and get her points across my fluidly. By providing real life examples that the readers can relate to like "telling a friend he looks great when he looks like hell," which is an easily identifiable situation that most have been, she appeals to ethos because she herself has had that happen. Instead of using dense words that would have to cause the reader to over think something, she uses more common language and by doing this also appeals to logos because after each experience she describes, she later explains very simply, but thoroughly, how it is a lie. Because some of the different types of lying are very complex and aren't as cut-to-the-chase as the White Lie, for example, using basic and informal language provides the audience with a better understanding and conception of the point she is trying to get across; it also helps the readers feel what she is trying to get them to feel because it is language we are familiar with and not language that we have to think too deeply about. Since she does not overdo her diction and keeps her words clear, she limits the amount of confusion amongst the readers and thus can have a better connection because they know what she is trying to tell them and the understand it as well.
Kristena Armwood
Although Stephanie Ericsson's point was not to accuse, the informal rhetoric she uses distracts the reader from the purpose of her essay when she assumes everyone reading her essay is exactly like her. She says, "we lie. We all do." which has an accusatory tone (159). By using the word "we" she puts herself on the readers level. She knows that she lies, but how can she know that every single person on earth lies daily as well. In this example, she is trying to relate to the reader by making a generalization about everyone including herself. An attempt to break the ice is seen. She tries to eliminate judgement, however she cannot speak for everyone. It leaves the reader feeling unjustly accused. By saying everyone lies, she is accusing people she has never met before that they lie all the time. Her point of this example is to not lie to herself and others; she is coming clean stating that everyone does it. But because she does this informally and in an accusing manner, her point is not seen; instead she comes off as incriminating. Since she comes off as incriminating there is a disconnect between Ericsson and the reader, which in turn distances the reader from her point. More disconnects are seen when she uses examples from her life that do not relate to every member of her audience: "some Catholic feminists introduced me to a view of Lilith.."(162). Not everyone in her audience is a Catholic feminist therefore are lost with this example of omission. The informality of her essay distracts and weakens the relationship Ericsson is trying to have with the reader. She is trying to open up and admit to her own faults but when she does this she generalizes and accuses-drawing away from her point and increasing the gap between her and the audience.
In Stephanie Ericsson’s essay “The Ways We Lie” her use of informal language is appropriate and effective to her purpose. She writes, “We lie. We all do.” She uses this statement to tell us what she knows to be true but she also backs it up with the words, “Like most people, I indulge in small falsehoods and still think of myself as an honest person.” She uses this statement to draw the reader into the essay by using her ethos as the author of the essay, telling the reader that even she the author lies sometimes and that she is open to self evaluation. This in turn causes the reader to feel less critized and causes them to be more open to self evaluation; now Ericsson has related to them, showing that not even she is a completely truthful person.
Ericsson’s use of the word “I” and the accounts of her first hand experience help the reader to connect with the essay through similar experiences or realizations that they might have had while reading the piece. In almost all of the lies that she explains, Ericsson provides an example of a time where she either used or was told such a lie. For example, as she explains how deflecting is a lie she says, “I’ve discovered that I can keep anyone from seeing the true me by being selectively blatant. I set a precedent of being up-front about intimate issues, but never bring up the things I truly want to hide;” This helps the reader connect to the author because they see that not even the author is perfect. The first hand accounts of the author give the reader a tangible thought to visualize as they continue to read about how deflection is a lie. The readers are able to make a connection between the work and the first hand account, which allows them to relate to what they have discovered back to their own expierence. The noncritical approach that the first hand accounts provide, appeal to the reader because they do not feel judged. When a person is judged, their first inclination is to close themselves off and shut down. It is a natural defense mechanism that is there to protect against the cruel judgements of others. Since Ericsson has removed the criticisms from her work, people natural open up and are more receptive to what she has to say.
-justin mitchell
Although mistaken as informal rhetoric, Stephanie Ericsson utilizes paradigms with simple and relatable messages in her convincing article, “The Ways We Lie,” to weave together her fundamental ideal; all people are liars. In each of her definitions of style of dishonesty, Ericsson develops a different basic reference by highlighting socioeconomic, occupational, educational, religious, political, sport and health issues that captivate the reader and tie each person in to the all-encompassing main idea. Through her first reference, a personal description of her daily life as a frenzied working mother, Ericsson describes the ‘way[s] in which [she] lies,’ showing that not even the author is absent from the umbrella of deceit she describes. Through this reference and ten others of the sort, Stephanie Ericsson develops credibility with her reader by finding flaw in herself and countless other examples. Though her models may be uncomplicated in form and nature, they are not informal or casual. Each reference serves the formal and methodical purpose to exemplify ever type of potential reader. With simplistic examples like a military officer’s response to a father’s fatality in the Vietnam war and Clarence Thomas’s “explosion” over racism in the Senate, Ericsson draws in the martial individual and politician (123). With a reference to the Catholic Father John Porter and his decades of history of pedophilia and an example of a possible miss telling of the biblical story of the Garden of Eden, the author grasps the attention of the religious intellectual. Stephanie Ericsson purposefully uses clear-cut language and examples to keep from isolating any person in her potential audience. Her writing is straightforward, not informal, and exceedingly effective in proving that all people are liars.
-Carrie Nowell
There's a certain informality in how Stephanie Ericsson addresses the audience in "The Ways We Lie". Using words such as "we" and "I" tells the reader that not only is everyone guilty of the exemplified lies, but her as well. By referring to us directly in her piece, Ericsson tears down the wall of self-defense that we put up in denial of such actions. However, after destroying this denial, Ericsson rebuilds a wall of self-esteem through these informalities by reminding us that we are not the only ones committing the lies. She in successful in using a casual language that places both her and the readers at an equal level. After all, "We all put up facades to one degree or another".
-Julianne Vance
In Ericsson’s essay, “The Ways We Lie”, she makes an effort to relate with her audience by using informal language in certain passages when she is talking about herself. She emphasizes her own experiences and arguments with personal anecdotes such as “we” and “you” creating a familiarity between her and the reader. The casual tone Ericsson uses helps draw in/ gain the attention of the reader, allowing him/her to feel comfortable with the topic in which Ericsson is addressing. She also finishes off a lot of her sentences with “for an example” or “for an instance” making it clear that she is trying to present her personal experiences in attempt for the reader to formulate a connection with her. In addition, this helps add credibility to her piece, establishing ethos by explaining past experiences of her's. For me, this type of informal language is what really makes a story intriguing and interesting to read. When she establishes her ethos while trying to connect with the reader, it creates a tone in the essay making it sound like she is talking directly to me in a conversation. Although I understand where this informality could throw some audience off due to the distractions presented through sharing her personal experiences, for me it really adds to the significance and uniqueness of this piece, making it a more enjoyable read.
-Charles Herst
Ericsson’s use of informal language adds to her essay by allowing the audience to relate more easily to her argument and how we all lie whether it’s for better for or worse. She uses the words “I” and “we” to relate to the reader and make them feel as though they are living through the text. She also explains different types of lies such as, the white lie, facades, ignoring the plain facts, deflecting, omission, stereotypes and clichés, groupthink, out-and-out lies, dismissal, and delusion. These all apply to a vast group of people and allow her message about lying to relate to more readers. The way she breaks up these lies into different categories adds to her informal affect because she’s not addressing it in a formal essay. She approaches it like a guide to liars and how they lie. She uses informal language to bring the audience together at different points in the essay to prove that everyone lies. “We lie. We all do.” This personal reference creates a truth in the lies that people tell. We all lie and we all should truthfully admit it. Ericson’s personal language helps people come to the realization that they all lie and in many different ways. She poses as a friend rather than and unrelatable critic by using friendly language and adding personal examples from her life to give the reader an inside look at how lies are constantly in our lives and how often we don’t even realize it. “Four lies in the course of a day”. Once she admits to being a liar it allows the readers to admit to themselves that they lie as well. The informal language allows the reader to step back and Assess what kind of liar they are and how it can affect or better their everyday lives.
Corrie Butterfield
In her essay, “The Ways We Lie”, Ericsson proves to be effective with her use of informal language. She clearly tries to relate with and to gain the trust of readers by using informal language to make it sound as if she has experience with lying and can sympathize with why "we all lie". She states and uses ethos throughout her essay to show she is knowledgable on the subject of lying while also letting readers know she is a notable figure in the field of lying. She also tries to gain the attention of the reader by allowing him or her to feel more comfortable with the topic of lying, thus making a connection to the audience and getting her points across more fluidly. Her use of language is what makes the piece more interesting to read while at the same time drawing the audience farther into the reading. Near the beginning of the essay she includes a personal description of her daily life as a hard working mother. The ways in which she describes how she lies she shows the readers that she herself is still flawed in her ways. As she opens up to the audience in this portion of her essay, She places herself, the author, on the same level as the readers. When an author is able to create a feeling of equality between her and the readers it really helps create an effective argument that is interesting while keeping to the point at the same time. This, for me, provides a more enjoyable experience in reading and helps make the essay more attractive and memorable to the reader.
Grey Meyer
Throughout "The Ways We Lie," Stephanie Ericsson uses informal language to get her audience to empathize with her and create a communal sense of guilt. Even the title "The Ways We Lie," establishes the communal guilt by grouping the entire audience and the author into one big lying group. She also uses informal language to level herself with her audience, and make truly honest statements stand out. When talking about façades, Ericsson uses informal language to draw the reader in and then uses a personal anecdote to tell how she feels. This way, the audience listens to what she has to say because she is making a comment about what everyone does.
Overall, Ericsson’s use of informal language adds to the essay. By creating a personal, one-on-one feel to the essay, Ericsson is able to implant her message farther in the audience’s minds than if she wrote as a far-off author criticizing her audience. This really serves to strengthen her argument and reinforce the practical application of the essay.
~Andrew Kelly
Stephanie Ericsson is able to build common ground between her and the reader through the use of informal language. By using informal language she further emphasizes her point of how casually people lie. Throughout "The Ways We Lie", Stephanie Ericsson tries to relate to the reader through personal experiences. In order to get down on the reader's level she uses informal language to make it even more relatable for those who read it. By asking questions to the reader she is using informal language to engage the reader in her writing. When Ericsson first uses informal language, during the first paragraph she makes a joke about her baby doing "aerobics on her lungs" (Ericsson 174). Right off she is using informal language to try to draw the reader in before she goes into further explanation of her point.
Ericsson adds strength to the essay by using informal language. It strengthens the essay because she has made it much more relatable for the reader and it creates a more personal sense to the writing. Ericsson proves her point about how casually we lie and how it is part of our everyday life by using informal language to address it.
The argument can be made that the use of informal language in literature can be either distracting or beneficial to the reader. In this case I believe such rhetorical devices are useful simply in virtue of the empathetic connection Stephanie Ericsson develops with the reader; we all can relate to justifying small little white in our life and as a result the piece of literature in enhanced. As Andrew pointed out, the title is “The Ways We Lie”. Not only does Ericsson call each of her readers a liar, but also includes herself in that group. Appealing to the reader’s pathos, she narrates situations in which both she and the audience have experienced – situations in which they have lied. Using the word ‘we’ makes the audience think about their own actions; it makes them retrospect on the lies they have told. The application of informal language more easily allows Ericsson to share personal or historical examples of each of the ten types of lying; this helps the reader get an idea of what each lie really entails.
Amar
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