Stephanie Ericsson's Rhetorical Analysis: The Ways We Lie

n “The Ways We Lie,” author Stephanie Ericsson does a great job of explaining how and why everyone lies. Ericsson makes serval points that lying isn’t necessarily bad, however sometimes lies can have severer consequences. For this particular writing the audience is everybody, because she argues that everyone lies. Ericsson’s use of historical events provide logos or logical reasoning. She also apples to pathos by reaching to her audience emotions. Ericsson describes lies she encounters every day, by doing this she earns credibility. Also known as ethos. I consider Ericsson to successfully persuade her audience, readers have a clear understanding of the effects lies have on people.
James Porter a member of a catholic church in Massachusetts, who molested children. Instead of reliving him off his duties, church members …show more content…
For example when she say’s “providing him with fresh supply of unsuspecting families and innocent children to abuse.” When Ericsson referees children like “a fresh supply,” like children were material items. She takes a step further by blaming the church, on corrupting with Porter. By attacking the church, she sparks emotions from her audience. Readers can agree or disagree with Ericsson, by appealing to pathos readers bond with Ericsson. By bringing out emotions from her audience, it helps Ericsson prove her point. Her point being, lies have a true negative effects.
Telling a small lie once in a while, isn’t a bad thing according to Ericson. For example when she lies about her bank check being in the mail, so she isn’t penalized with a late fee. Then she follows this lie with another lie, by telling her partner she took care of it. By describing lies she encounters on a daily basis, she gains her audience trust. The lies she describes are so common with her readers, people believe her from the beginning. She show her readers, that not all lies are