We Were Liars Book Report

Guns being shot off in the house, an alcoholic mom coming at her with a butcher knife, and two sexual assaults were all things Marry Karr had to endure as a child. Even though she went through all of that she did very well for herself by not following in her parents’ footsteps. Many times the children in an alcoholic family tend to fall in to the same pattern alcoholism as the parents because they know of nothing else and were not taught what normal looks like (cite). It is amazing that she turned out okay after seeing what she went through chapter after chapter with her mom drinking heavily and her dad off at the “Liars Club” being relatively absent. With all the traumatic experiences Mary and Lecia went through, it was shocking Mary was able

Lying has is a part of our culture, and it seems as if not a day goes by where you do not lie at all. Our world could not exist as it does, if we lived in a society in which lying did not exist. However as humans, we are prone to lying, because of our need to protect ourselves, or the ones close to us, that we turn to lying in order to either make our lives easier or to avoid problems. Humans have adapted over time into societies where lying is an evolutionary advantage, which has made it a part of our DNA. Even children, as soon as they can talk, are using deception as a way to get what they want, and these children have not even had a chance to learn to lie. Lying also continues throughout our entire lives, because it is not something that we can help, it is a part of who we are. When evaluating the argument Stephanie Ericsson makes in “The Ways We Lie”, regarding the reasons we chose to lie, however it is also important to consider extending the argument to include the idea that lying is not only a daily occurrence, it has also become imbedded into human nature.

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.

“I remember only this: I plunged down into this ocean, down to rocky rocky bottom, and I could see the base of Beechwood Island and my arms and legs felt numb but my fingers were cold. Slices of seaweed went past as I fell.” That is a quote that describes how the conflict was made in the book that I read this summer “We Were Liars” By E. Lockhart. This book was about a girl, Cadence Sinclair. The entire Sinclair Family always goes away to a private island off of Massachusetts every summer. Her and Johnny, Mirren and Gat made up a group called the Liars. Johnny and Mirren are her cousins and Gat is her friend that comes with Johnny every year. One day in summer 15, Cadence could not find any of the Liars to play with,

The setting of the book begins at a summer camp in Prescott, Arizona called Box Canyon Boys Camp. This setting is important and adds meaning to the story because if it did not take place at the summer camp none of the main characters would have met each other, and the book would take place somewhere else.

In Stephanie Ericsson’s essay, “The Ways We Lie”, she describes the many ways we create miscommunication individually and as a community. Lies that affect us individually are lies we commit between ourselves and a small group, like, “your hair looks great” to a friend, knowing you meant the opposite. Meanwhile, lies that affects society is on a more severe consequence scale – Adolf Hitler, world famous anarchist, persuaded his soldiers into believing obliterating the life of massive amount of Jewish believers had a good cause, when it actually disrupted society itself. Her main topic is how we are consumed by lies and deceptions abused by oneself and society. She categorizes each lie which she later elaborates the different consequences they

In “The Ways We Lie,” Stephanie Ericsson draws on her experience as a screenwriter and self-help author to examine the usage and effects of lies in modern society. Written during a time of presidential indiscretions and published in a magazine centered on cultural trends, the piece delineates lying into specific categories and describes each one’s prevalence. Ericsson makes use of a matter-of-fact and forthright tone which contributes to credibility and reflects her confidence in discussing such morally grey topics. Throughout the piece, she explicates the implications of lying by making use of personal anecdotes, supporting quotes, and rhetorical questions.

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,

Marry Karr’s The Liars Club is a haunting memoire, depicting a young Texan girls struggle to survive the trials of adolescence in home that finds stability in chaos and comfort in the abusive habits of her parents. Illustrating both fond and painful memoires from her past, Karr paints a complex image of the relationship she shared with her mother; giving readers everywhere the ability to relate and empathizes with the emotional complexity of their mother daughter relationship. This complexity of relationship can be explored in three main ways: the conflicting views Karr formed of her mother, In Karr’s

Honesty and deception both play valuable roles in all parts of personal lives and society. Richard Gunderman stated, “To tell the truth is to live authentically and responsibly, to really live.” Living honestly is a way to have less stress to your life, proven by Richard Gunderman in “Is lying bad for us?” However, dishonesty seems to at an all time high with the growth of communication as stated in “On Bullshit” by Harry Frankfurt. In addition, lying can provide incredible short-term benefits discussed by Stephanie Ericsson in “The Ways We Lie.” Gunderman’s claim on authenticity is valid because most cultures see honesty and trust as two of the more lauded values. Telling the truth relieves stress and adds trust. Yet, there is a seemingly

In “The Ways we Lie,” Stephanie Ericsson expresses her own life experience as an example to show, how difficult it is to balance the moral value of living a lie and the consequences of telling the truth in real life. Ericsson expresses her views thoroughly on how “we all lie” for different reasons and for different purposes. In “The Way We Lie,” informational essay, some of the words contradict each other, for example, she explains the impossibility and the consequences of telling the truth all the time, while she explains the consequences of telling a lie without taking a side. She used those statements to build a strong bond with readers by eliminating judgment and creating humble moments. Ericsson’s essay grasped my attention easily and intrigued me so much that, I couldn’t keep my eyes of the pages; the end of each paragraph brought me to have text-to-self connections.

In the novel “We Were Liars”, the setting takes place on an island called Beechwood Island in Massachusetts. Beechwood is a owned by Cadence Sinclair’s grandparents Harris Sinclair and Tipper Taft who unfortunately dies early on in the novel. Harris and Tipper have lots of money and were able to build four different buildings for each aunt to live in (along with their partners and children) and a staff building for their workers. All the families travel out to Beechwood every summer and the Liars, Cadence, Johnny, Gat, and Mirren, are all cousins and at the age of fifteen. They name their summers by their ages so for instance, the novel mainly takes place in summer seventeen with flashbacks to summer fifteen from Cadence. The setting is very important because Beechwood is where all the kids practically grow up and where conflicts take place. You would think that Beechwood island is a happy place where memories are made and where everyone has fun, but the island is not. It sets an eerie and unpleasant mood for the story because of all the secrets and rough family matters that occur during summer seventeen. Beechwood island is the setting of the novel that gives off an eerie mood that affects the Liar’s summers.

Why and how are both questions people love to have answered. Where do people get their information to answer the why? Most people will want to learn of the information from a source they trust, or multiple sources. In We Were Liars, by E.Lockhart, through the author's use of a first person limited narrative biased point of view, narrator has a head injury and is on medication, and the impulsiveness of the narrator, we have no reason to accept anything as truth in the book as there is one unreliable source.

The Liars, in We Were Liars by E. Lockhart, are the eldest grandchildren of the Sinclair family. The characterization of their group throughout the book can be described using the song, “Spectrum” by Florence + The Machine. As they grew up together every summer on their family’s private island they became very close. This relationship can be described using the lyrics, “We’ll be dressed up all in blue/With the ocean in our arms/Kiss your eyes and kiss your palms.” At first they were young and innocent and didn’t care about life’s problems.

WHO CAN CATCH A LIAR?’ , Ekman and O’Sullivan, 1991. What is the definition of lying or indeed deception? Well deception can be defined in many ways, but it was termed by Vrij (Vrij, 2000, p.6) as a successful or unsuccessful deliberate attempt, without forewarning, to create in another a belief, which the communicator considers to be untrue. Telling lies is a daily life event, which varies in quite complex ways depending on the situation the person is in and the person being lied to.