Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Favorite Piece of Literature
The pieces of literature we discussed this year ranged from a wide variety, including the shooting of an elephant, to suggesting we eat babies. However, my favorite piece of literature we have discussed this year was "The Ways We Lie" by Stephanie Ericsson. This ethical piece was written in the 1990s, which unlike the other pieces of literature, appealed to me more because of the modern language. Most of the other pieces were difficult to understand due to the heavy language and the depth of analyzing involved. However, "The Ways We Lie" was straight to the point, and discussed an idea that applies to most people today. The other pieces were about subjects which took place at a time far before we were born, which made it difficult to understand. Although there were many different points she discussed, Ericsson used examples to clarify her thoughts, and used humor to grab the audiences' focus. Also, her piece was my favorite because of the ethical values it encompassed. The other stories were either speeches, autobiographies/memoirs, or persuasive. Ethics urges the reader not only to think about the general morals and values of people, but also about their own selves. While the reading the story, I would try and see if any of the ten lies were involved throughout my life on a day-to-day basis. It became personal, which appealed to me more than the other stories.
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This piece of literature was one of my favorites also because it made me realize how much I personally lie every single day, even if none of them hurt others. The ten examples she gave were in some ways connected to my daily life. For example, two days ago my dance partner asked, "how are you?" Even though I had a stressful day, i still told him that i was fine. This is one of the types of lies Ericsson mentioned in her writing. It did not hurt him in any way, but it was still a lie because clearly i did not tell him the truth. However, i was always told that i should not lie at all, but this piece made me realize that at some point it is impossible to never lie.
ReplyDeleteConnecting to a story is very important. One must relate to the story they read to really understand it and enjoy it. This piece relates to the majority of man kind. All people have used at least one of the categorized lies once in their lives. For such a serious ethical problem to be addressed in society through a story is truly wonderful!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you about the language aspect of the essay. If a story is difficult to read, people usually get bored and do not enjoy the story. Many of the other stories we read were hard to understand and I, just like you, had a hard time understanding. Also, the fact that the story relates to me makes it fun to read. Connecting the story to my life while I was reading made me understand the essay better.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the fact that "The Ways We Lie" uses modern language. It made it easy for all the students to grasp the main points of the piece. Also, it taught us all the kinds of lies. It showed us that people lie on a daily basis without realizing. This related with ethics by showing us that lying is not morally correct. By portraying examples throughout the piece, Ericsson shows us the meaning of each one. "The Ways We Lie" is another amazing piece of literature, which stood out to me.
ReplyDeleteVivian, I agree with your choice as well. "The Ways We Lie" was one of my favorite essays we read this semester. It was easy to relate to since we all lie. Having ten points of evidence as lies was enough to convince me that we do and could lie for anything. Unlike most of the essays we read this semester, this essay was different because it was not boring nor was it specifically about her life. It was meant for people to read and realize how much we actually lie, which is what I admired.
ReplyDelete"The Ways We Lie" had to be one of the best short we read. Even though the whole essay consisted of title then definition then description, it was not dull. the author managed to make the essay enjoyable because of the interesting examples she gave. The author was able to connect the reader to what she was saying by talking about something people do every day without realizing it; lying. The essay was honest and did not include any "glittering generalities" because the point of the essay was to make people realize what types of wrongful actions they do on a daily basis.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite piece of literature was the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, but you present a valid point of the differences in language between several stories, essays, and novels we have read. "The Ways We Lie," was an essay that I easily comprehended and it did have a great connection with issues that people face today. It is relevant to every day life and the author developed the point of the essay quickly and simply. The reason that it was not my choice, as a favorite, was the lack of a plot. "The Ways We Lie," is a magnificent piece of literature, but the plot of To Kill a Mockingbird was much more intriguing and it drew me towards the novel.
ReplyDeleteI could not agree more with your decision. Your reasoning behind why you chose this specific piece of literature out of the many that we covered today were spot on. It can be seen that the clarity of the essay as well as the relation to modern society has truly made an impact on the opinion of the readers.Even though the essay was quite basic in structure and lacked a professional context, it was still very interesting to read.
ReplyDeleteI too agree, that this piece of literature was interesting and the way the author wrote it made it more appealing to the readers. However, I feel that her way of listing the different types of lies,, was a little boring for me, and I would have liked to see a bit more enthusiasm in her writing. But, it is how she intended to write the piece I guess that made it your favorite. In some ways I can see why it would be your favorite piece of literature.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I chose a different piece of literature as my favorite than yours, you made me rethink my decision. However, I am sure that students could relate to both my choice, "Graduation" by Maya Angelou, and "The Ways We Lie". They are both pieces of literature that can be related to, except "The Ways We Lie" is connected to our daily lives. It was indeed straight to the point, but a little difficult to understand considering numerous lies had explanations that seemed similar.
ReplyDelete"The Ways We Lie" was also my favorite piece of literature this year due to the same reasons you listed above. This specific piece was easy to understand unlike other pieces that we have read and I think that is why it was more enjoyable to read. It touched the surface of subjects that are familiar to all readers and their daily lives. Connecting to the essay resulted in a better connection especially when it sent a message about ethics. As you can see, I also enjoyed reading this piece because it taught the reader that we lie without even noticing.
ReplyDeleteAlthough this piece of literature was not my favorite, I still enjoyed reading it. It provided some form of entertainment unlike the other autobiographies and memoirs we read. While those autobiographies and memoirs were mostly based on the author's experiences, this essay alluded to everyone and can be related to all of our everyday lives. I was informed of these types of lies but never knew the names of them, or that they each qualified to a specific type. Lying is a major factor in one's life and I am glad we got to read something taken from all of our lives.
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