TOW #2 - Women and Honor: Some Notes on Lying

My second TOW is from The Best American Essays of the Century. I read the essay "Women and Honor: Some Notes on Lying" by Adrienne Rich. Rich has been credited "one of the most widely read and influential poets of the second half of the 20th century". Her essay shows just this. As a lesbian and feminist at a time where women's rights were tested, Rich writes about the effects oppression on women have on our relationships, both men to women and women to women. She logically explains why when women grow trusts in others, they are often let down and feel out of sorts when this trust is broken.
One way Rich persuades her audience of women to take an interest in her ideas is by repetition. In explaining the process of forming an "honorable" relationship, Rich says,"It is important to do this because it breaks down human self-delusion. It is important to do this because in so doing we do justice to our own complexity. It is important to do this because we can count on so few people to go that hard way with us" (414). By repeating the opening line for each of these statements, the readers are more alert to what proceeds after. Rich uses repetition to isolate significant points and gain the readers attention to her issue at hand. In doing this, the authors purpose becomes more valid: to prove that women lie out of habit as a cause of our patriarchal society.
I thought this essay was very persuasive and mind-opening. Rich's purpose serves universally. Although this piece was written in 1977, I was able to still find truth in her words about women's position in society today. As a female in a place where men typically have the power, it is empowering to me to take from Rich's example and to identify myself as more than just a stereotype.