The Perfect Lie

“It will be for the best, don’t you know how abominable the situation is in Iraq” my dad replied with an angry tone. “We have no other choice at this point. We either leave now or we risk getting injured or killed here.”

“Okay. It's a date,” she said as she leaned over and kissed me on the cheek.

Stephanie Ericsson, through personal anecdotes in her essay “The Ways We Lie,” reveals that no matter how big or how small, a lie is a lie. Throughout the essay, she defines the different ways people lie and explains to the reader the significance of the lies they tell. At the same time, she gives examples in which she lies because she believes that “we lie. We all do.” This keeps the readers from thinking she is criticizing everyone, but herself. As she sees it, we need to take in consideration the consequences of the lies we tell before telling the bank “my deposit is in the mail” when it isn’t. Such use of personal anecdotes support the theme and strengthen the essay because they establish pathos which move the audience to realize the impact

According to Dr. Stephen Greenspan, a psychiatry at the University of Colorado and also one of Madoff's victims, the temptation of Madoff promised for 10% returned or more is both "small, but steady returns, high enough to be attractive but not so high as to arouse suspicious." had personally lead many to be naive enough to believed that their investment is "safe." However, the most mysterious factor that contributed to the growing of Madoff's operation was

In 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology, Stephanie Ericsson’s essay “The Ways We Lie” focuses on the many ways society lies today. “We exaggerate, we minimize, we avoid confrontation, we spare people’s feelings, we conveniently forget, we keep secrets, we justify lying to the big-guy institutions” (159). It is common for many people to think of lying exactly how it is on the surface, not telling the truth. Ericsson’s essay forces you to second guess this stereotype and begin to realize that lying is even more prevalent in today’s society than most people might imagine. Looking around today with this mindset would help us make more informed political decisions, better decisions on friends, and better “next-step” positions. Our lives are not horrible places, but better steps for these areas of our lives could improve our lives dramatically.

We are told from a very young that we should tell the truth, and that lying is wrong; an immoral action which we should not engage in. Yet lying is a large part of daily life, whether it be our lying to others or others lying to us, around us, or lying in ways that affect our lives. Oftentimes, the lies we tell are for social gain; for the purposes of esteem, affection, or respect. We lie as a way to manage others impressions of us. Studies have found that women are generally more intimate in their interactions, which would suggest that they lie less. However, might women lie more to benefit others, as opposed to self-centered lies? A study by DePaul et al. (1996) set out to answers questions about the frequency of lying, types of lies told,

heard the footsteps walk across the room. Then a scraping noise and other noises as

“That’s a lot of cash, you can not expect me to get that much in a week”

“Hey, you,” I said, leaning down to snuggle up to her. I buried my face into her chest, smelled her musty fur.

I turned from the computer to my dad. He proceeded to give me the same speech that he had given me so many times in middle school. But this time, I wasn't phased at all. Instead of defending myself, I respectfully listened. When he was done talking, I told him that living comfortably didn’t matter to me and that I wanted to work in a field that I truly loved and enjoyed. He was stunned. Later that week, I was working on homework one evening when he knocked on my bedroom door.

I slowly opened the door and stepped inside hearing a gasp from the other room.

“Okay dad. You got it. We’re only ten minutes away, anyway. So, you’ll never guess who I ran into last week. George Hingman, remember him? That skinny kid from the project that used to stick to you like glue when we were kids? Well, he happened to see Jim and I in the mall a couple of weeks ago. George stopped us to say hi and asked me how you were. About all I said is that you were out in California now, which seemed to disappoint him a lot. It was important to him that I get word to you that he owns a construction business now and has nine guys working for him. All the stuff you taught him came in big time handy. It seems valuable to him that you are proud. Oh, and guess what else?—” She was still updating her dad with everything new that

Hi! No worries, this is my favorite genre so I have a few recs up in my sleeves. Most of these books have an ensemble of cast who find camaraderie and familiarity with each other.

“No … get the money… just…” Dad caught my eye, and gave me a look that made me turn around again.

What are lies? A lie is defined as follows: To make a statement that one knows to be false, especially with the intent to deceive. There are several ways that lies are told for instance, there are white lies, lies of omission, bold faced lies, and lies of exaggeration. No matter what type of lie that one chooses to tell many people believe that lies do more harm than good.