Great Example Rhetorical Analysis Ways We Lie

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Mrs. Christensen 12/10/07 Rhetorical Analysis In today's society, people are lying and being lied to every single day. Bill Clinton's presidency was no exception when people started to question his honesty on various issues. At the same time, a U.S. Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas was accused of sexually harassing a woman named Anita Hill. His denial of the allegations proved that someone was lying. Along with the chaos of liars and dishonest people came Stephanie Ericsson's essa)"The Ways We Lie." Published in the January 1993 issue of the Utne Reader, Ericsson'~trives to inform readers o~various lies and the affects they have on the people who are lied to. Ericsson's style and structure and her appeal to logos, pathos and ethos, exemplifies to readers that although lies are told on numerous occasions, whether it's a publicized, national event or just an ordinary occasion in everyday life, lies are not justified and often result in negative consequences. Ericsson's description of historical events provides logical reasoning fer t:fls...feagefs to understand her views on lying. In~"Ignoring the Plain F~ct;;' -em Qf~ec~03aY. she discusses . i\'\ 6'° Father James Porter of the Oltholic Church molestfiig-little children. She explains that the authorities "simply moved him from one parish to another" instead of "relieving him of his duties." Ericsson goes on to say that church officials lying for James Porter paved the way for mor.e children to be sexually ~~lested. In this section of the essa~ she provides dates such as 1960 and 1967 and true facts about this particular publicized event. She even starts this section off with a real quote from a Massachusetts priest regarding the Porter situation. Her use of this event and her specific facts, make the story believable and prove

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