Taking-up the Personal Persuasive Essay, “Boys”, By Carly Lewis

Be formal, critical,and thorough in your responses toallof the questions provided!

Breaking Down the Essay:

1) What is the thesis of Lewis’ essay? Express this thesis in your ownwords.

  • “Let’s allow women to write about women for a little while. Maybe then we can swap the prevalent illusions of femininity for realistic portraits of women as complex human characters” (paragraph #4)
  • “I’m saying that something needs to change in the way literary profiles are written and the way the lives within them are handled, and that this would be a good step toward smoothing out what is currently an unbalanced gender structure in literary journalism” (paragraph #5)
  • “It is time to let women write about their own gender and contribute to the recording of their own literary history” (paragraph #16)
  • The thesis in your own words: Carly Lewis is arguing in favour of women writers being given the opportunity to write about women in order to prevent sexism in journalism, the objectification of women in the media, and the constant reduction of women’s strengths and talents in favour of a sensationalized account of their physical traits and sex appeal. She asserts that this change will be to the benefit of our future literary tradition.

2) Do you agree or disagree with Lewis’ thesis? Explain your reasoning by connecting directly to

Aristotle’s rhetorical triangle.

ETHOS:

  • The source of her credibility goes beyond the fact that she is a woman and a writer.
  • She presents effective concessions to the opposing side of her central argument many times throughout her essay – “I’m not saying that women are better writers than men, and I’m not saying all men lack the will to rise above stereotypes in their work (do you hear that, comment section?)” (paragraph #5), “But one can only place so much blame on Klosterman, Junod, and now Marche” (paragraph #7), and “When men (again, notallmen) write about men, they glorify. When they write about women, they minimize. When women (again, notallwomen) write about women, they empathize, identify, and render thorough conclusions, even if those conclusions are brutally critical, such as Lynn Hirschberg’s infamous2010 profile of M.I.A.inNew York Times Magazine. The writer may have disliked her subject, but she used 9,000 words to meticulously explain why” (paragraph 12)
  • Lewis refers to many well-known, credible literary publications in order to shape her arguments (Spin, New York Times, The New Yorker, Forbes, Esquire)
  • An aspect of Lewis’ writing that negatively impacts her credibility is her use of generalizations in her essay – “Girls can be catty or polite, but never both” (paragraph #7) and “It remains practically impossible for women to be profiled without being subjected to the male gaze,” (paragraph #8)AND her use of abusive language when she says, “They linger there like losers at last call” (paragraph #14)

PATHOS:

  • Lewis attempts to elicit empathy, and even outrage, in her reader over the blatantinjusticesand sex/gender discrepanciesin journalism that she highlights, so that the reader begins to care about the problem she is exploring, and so that they will ultimately agree with her proposed solution (let women write about women). Lewis uses poignant diction to communicate this sense of injustice when she says things like, “Women are usually better than men at writing about women, because women have felt the distinct stab in the soul that happens when their gender is pulverized through oppressive language” (paragraph #16)
  • She also asserts that “something needs to change” (paragraph #5) in connection with this problematic issue, which motivates the reader and makes them feel potentially inspired to enact this change.

LOGOS:

  • Lewis refers to many relevant examples of journalism in which talented women are misrepresented or sexualized rather than being written about in an objective, thoughtful and truthful manner. She compares Thomas B. Morgan’s 1960 Look profile on Brigitte Bardot to the 2013 Esquire profile on Megan Fox in order to highlight the fact that, although over fifty years have passed, little progress has been made in this area of journalism. Thus, Lewis underscores the importance of her essay/thesis. In addition, Lewis also incorporates examples of women writers who successfully represent their subjects without a warped focus on their physical appearance or level of flirtation (Lisa Robinson’s Vanity Fair profile on Lady Gaga, for example).

3) What is the tone of Lewis’ essay? Does it enhance her persuasiveness?

Here are some accurate tone descriptors for this essay:

  • Sarcastic – “How far we’ve come” (paragraph #3)
  • Disgusted/Frustrated – “What’s so hard about that?” (paragraph #9)
  • Determined/Passionate – “It is time to let women write about their own gender…” (paragraph #16)
  • Urgent/Motivational – “Something needs to change…” (paragraph #5)

4) Identify and analyze TWO internal strategies that Lewis uses in order to shape/develop

her thesis. Are these internal strategies used effectively (comment on their purpose and

effect)?

  • Comparison – Lewis compares Thomas B. Morgan’s 1960 Look profile on Brigitte Bardot to the 2013 Esquire profile on Megan Fox (paragraphs #1 and #2)
  • Contrast – Lewis’ discussion of the “deconstruction” of Lana Del Ray versus the representation of Jack White in the media (paragraph #9)
  • Example – Lewis presents many examples of positive and negative journalism in order to present her arguments and prove her thesis (paragraphs #13, #14, #15)
  • Cause and Effect/Process Analysis – “The real trouble happens when the writer goes away to record his judgments, then paraphrases and assumes and generalizes and simplifies and projects. Morgan cannot understand Bardot (or doesn’t want to), so he calls her a sassy kitten with an attitude problem. Del Rey—a confident, attractive female who is subservient in her lyrics—is confusing, so she’s labeled a brat” (paragraph #8)

5) Identify and analyze TWO rhetorical devices that Lewis uses in order to enhance her

thesis. Are these rhetorical devices used effectively (comment on their purpose and effect)?

  • Metaphor: “a screen saver on a teenage boy’s laptop”, “a middle-aged lawyer’s shower fantasy,” “a sexual prop used to sell movies and jeans”, “magpie hairdo”, “the sassy kitten” (paragraphs #1 and #2)…AND SO MANY MORE!
  • Allusion: Brigitte Bardot, Megan Fox, Brenda Lee, Adele, Florence and the Machine, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Kanye West, Justin Bieber, etc.…AND SO MANY MORE!
  • Rhetorical Question: “What’s so hard about that?” (paragraph #9)
  • Simile: “about as sexy as a polyp”, “treat women of all kinds like they’re zoo animals” (paragraphs #7 and #11)
  • Idiom: “lay in on thick”, “show their chops” (paragraphs #6 and #11)

Keep the Following Questions in Mind When Writing Your Analysis:

  1. Does this strategy/device make this essay more persuasive?
  2. Does this strategy/device effectively support the author’s thesis?
  3. What is the desired purpose of this strategy/device for the essay?
  4. What is the ultimate effect of this strategy/device on the essay?