Women and Honor: Some Notes on Lying by Adrienne Rich

The essay Women and Honor: Some Notes on Lying, by Adrienne Rich, investigates the relationship women have with lying and the author encourages women to let go of their dependence on lying for a more fulfilling life. Rich is a well-known poet and feminist of the 20th century; she has won numerous prizes for her writing. She wrote this piece in 1977, which was soon after she had publicly come out as a lesbian and began a relationship with the novelist Michelle Cliff, which lasted until her death. She has therefore had the writing and personal experiences to allow her to write such an emotional and effective argument against lying. In this essay, Rich points out the destructiveness of a need for manipulation and deceit in relationships, and urges the reader to leave behind the compulsion to lie in order to protect themselves and their emotions. She directs her words at women who lie to others because they have been taught to do so, or because they are not expected to tell the truth. Her use of devices like parallelism (she repeats "It is important to do this" thrice when endorsing truth-telling (414)) and stating contradictory aphorisms to emphasize the struggle involved in breaking the habit of lying, helps solidify in the reader's mind that Rich is passionate and believes in her argument.

I found this essay to be very compelling. The author paints a picture of sisterhood between women while simultaneously laying out the dangers of lying: "The liar lives in fear of losing control...to be vulnerable to another person means for her the loss of control" (413). And following the guilt she induces in liars, she sings the praises of being truthful: "It is important to do this because in so doing we do justice to our own complexity" (414). Very strong emotions are present in this essay, and they work in tandem to encourage the reader to be truthful to herself and to others.

Rich's argument in defense of the truth
source: http://www.rugusavay.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Adrienne-Rich-Quotes-2.jpg

Putting Daddy On by Tom Wolfe

This essay, Putting Daddy On, by Tom Wolfe, describes a father whose son, Ben, has dropped out of a prestigious university to live in the slums and, in the father's eyes, waste his life and his potential. The author was described by Kurt Vonnegut as "a genius who will do anything to get attention." Wolfe also influenced a movement in journalism in which literary devices are used to present objective stories, and this essay falls under that technique. The characters in this essay demonstrate a father's desire to stay relevant and fit in with his own social crowd, while still wanting to be relevant to his own son; however, his son is beginning to find his own life and doesn't want to be tied down by his father. The time period reflects these changes and revolutions in their relationships. It was written in 1964, the beginning of the "cultural decade" of The Sixties, which was the start of civil rights and gay rights movements, as well as a revolution in music.

The author introduces a character who uses rhetorical devices in his own speech, who uses a lot of "ironic metonymy and metaphor" (280). The essay ends on a metaphor, when Parker says, "I couldn't say anything to him...I couldn't make anything skip across the pond" (287). It instills the sense of a large distance between father and son, one which cannot be crossed easily or reliably. The audience of this essay is the people who are of the same demographic as the main character, Parker. They are getting older and having difficulty coping with the rapid changes in society and those around them. Parker understands everything, but doesn't want to accept the motives behind why his son is breaking off from him.

I think that Tom Wolfe did a good job of creating relatable characters to express the desire to connect during a time when your own and your loved ones' interests are changing. The father's exasperation and the son's embarrassment are elements that exist in nearly all familial relationships. Anyone can learn from and appreciate the message of this essay.

Skipping stones across a pond requires more precision and intuitive understanding than Ben and his father have in their relationship.
source: http://www.alanbray.com/images/SkippingStones.jpg

Corn-Pone Opinions by Mark Twain

The essay Corn-Pone Opinions, by Mark Twain, describes to the reader his theory about where and why people get their opinions. He believes that people hold opinions that allow them to approve of themselves, and that often, the way people judge their own worth is whether others approve of them. This essay was written in 1901, but it starts with an anecdote from Twain's memory that he dates to about 1850. The terminology in the title is outdated; corn-pone is what we would call cornbread now. Although he uses examples (like hoopskirts) that are irrelevant to us now, they were very pertinent examples to his target audience: early 20th century America, to whom Twain was trying to reveal the way that they choose their opinions. Once they understand, they can be more aware of others' viewpoints and more open to changing their opinion when shown evidence. To emphasize this understanding, Twain provides a list of religions and political viewpoints using parallel construction: "Mohammedans are Mohammedans because they are born and reared among that sect...we know why Catholics are Catholics; why Presbyterians are Presbyterians..." (4).

Mark Twain is a celebrated author (he wrote The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn), and he is well-known for his humor. Although this essay isn't humorous, I think his past writings substantiate his claims, since humorists work to see true human nature (and then turn around and make fun of it). I don't think his purpose was to change anything, or make people choose opinions based on cold, hard facts instead of self-approval. He says, "We all do no end of feeling, and we mistake it for thinking. And out of it we get an aggregation which we consider a boon. Its name is Public Opinion...Some think it is the Voice of God" (5). He includes himself in the "we", showing that he does it; everyone does it. But he warns against taking it as gospel, or insisting that an opinion is correct when it's merely popular. I don't think that his purpose was achieved, but through no fault of his own. There still exist people who would like to believe that their opinions are theirs alone and/or absolutely correct. It is difficult to escape these thoughts, and just a few people reading an essay will not change all of society.

Mark Twain's Opinion on Opinions
source: http://universalfreepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Mark-Twain-1.jpg