Telling It Like It Is Essay - 3702 Words

Telling It Like It Is â€Å"My country, right or wrong,† is a thing that no patriot would think of saying except in a desperate case. It is like saying, â€Å"My mother, drunk or sober.†Ã¢â‚¬â€G. K. Chesterton, The Defendant These are indeed desperate times. On September 11, 2001, America witnessed the worst act of terrorism in U.S. history. Grief-stricken, angry, and shocked, people from all over America came together in the face of tragedy and solidly affirmed their pride in the U.S.A. The outpouring of patriotism that resulted from this tragedy was astonishing. Our country came together: specific agendas were swept aside in favor of partisanship and overwhelming support for our leaders, for our institutions, for our democracy.†¦show more content†¦For example: in the immediate wake of September 11th, White House press secretary Ari Fleischer requested that the press limit its details on Presidential security and U.S. intelligence. He asked the media to refrain from printing â€Å"advance notice of the president’s schedule†¦and†¦ how U.S. intelligence gets its info, like saying it came from phone intercepts or satellites.† He also asked that they not take any pictures of White House security. The media largely agreed, in part because the request seemed reasonable, and in part because of the patriotic fever sweeping the nation. One news journalist, justifying the sensibility in restricting information, commented â€Å"Nobody wants to see the president hurt.†1 Historically, First Amendment rights have been highly disputed in cases of national security. In 1971, the right to publish disputed information was affirmed in the landmark Pentagon Papers case. A former Defense Department employee, Daniel Ellsberg, stole a copy of a document entitled â€Å"History of U.S. Decision Making Process on Vietnam Policy,† better known as the Pentagon Papers. The documents â€Å"contained evidence on the military’s bungled handling of the Vietnam War†. Ellsberg leaked the copy to the New York Times and the Washington Post, and the Times began printing articles referring to the papers. The Nixon administration quickly ordered the Times to cease printing, arguing that publishingShow MoreRelatedThe Open Window Short Story1045 Words   |  5 Pagesteaches people that telling lies is a lot easier than telling the truth, especially when those lies seem to be insignificant. The short stories, â€Å"Like the Sun† and â€Å"The Op en Window† exemplify situations in which the truth is detrimental to others’ feelings, and a situation in which lying is damaging to one’s life. Although both telling the truth and telling lies can be harmful to one’s life or feelings to a certain degree, lying causes more damage than telling the truth. Sekhar from, â€Å"Like the Sun† andRead MoreThe Importance of Truth-Telling851 Words   |  4 PagesTRUTH-TELLING 2 The Importance of Truth-Telling Telling the truth is something that comes up for the majority of us in childhood. It is considered impolite to lie and when a lie was told, or you were untruthful, it was often considered a reflection of your parents’ moral attitudes. Unfortunately, we all seem to have been taught differently the exact nature of a truth or lie and the right or wrong way to use that information. In To Lie or Not to Lie? – The Doctor’s DilemmaRead MoreEssay on Duty-Based Person660 Words   |  3 Pageslying to him or her, you cannot be trusted. When you start out lying about something you have to keep on lying to cover up the first lye you started out with. Most people that lye are scared of getting in to trouble. Other peoples that lye just like telling stories. Some people can look you right in the face and they will be lying to you. You can make things worse if you lie for someone, for them and for yourself. They can wound up getting in to trouble for lying. The person for whom they are lyingRead MoreWhy Lying Is A Common Behavior850 Words   |  4 PagesReasons for lying Lying is a common behavior in today’s society. But ever since we were young we were shunned away from telling lies and were taught that we should be truthful. Why is it that lying was immoral, but then as we grow up we drift away from that lesson? Many can say that we are cowards who hide behind our lies. Today there exists a white lie which states that you are telling a lie to help someone. Why do we teach our kids that lying is bad when adults lie all the time? In the quote Nancy FarmerRead MoreThe Truth Always Set You Free?867 Words   |  4 Pagesis create a gateway for a web of lies. Lying is a like an addiction. One may tell a lie to save him/herself, and once they see that lie worked or was believable they continue to lie. And once you tell one lie you have to tell another to cover for that lie and then is spins out until you’ve made your web of lies. Lies are words that are deceitful, they are meant to deceive, whether that deceit is in good or bad intentions . If a friend ask do you like their sweater and you lie and tell them yes; you’veRead MoreThe Mystery Of Liars By Nancy Farmer872 Words   |  4 PagesEver since we were young we were shunned away from telling lies and were taught that it was wrong. Why is it that lying was immoral, but then as we grow up we drift away from that lesson? Many can say that we are cowards who hide behind our lies. Today there exist a white lie which states that you are telling a lie to help someone. Why do we teach our kids that lying is bad when adults lie all the time? In the quote Nancy Farmer compares the liars to rats who are cowards that hides and runs aroundRead MoreR.K. Narayans Like the Sun Essay example835 Words   |  4 Pageshis story â€Å"Like The Sun.† By using dramatic irony, figurative language, and situational irony, Narayan shows that the truth can have consequences. One of the ways Narayan shows that the truth can have consequences is by using dramatic irony. One example where Narayan uses dramatic irony is when Sekhar is eating his wifes meal. Sekhar seems hesitant and she questions him saying, â€Å"Why, isnt it good?† (Narayan, 191). The reader knows that he will have to tell her the truth and that telling her the truthRead MoreAnalysis Of Beowulf : A New Telling747 Words   |  3 PagesBeowulf: A New Telling, written by Robert Nye is a book for adventurers who want to be put in a time of good and evil. Beowulf came from an Anglo Saxon Poet around 700 AD in the medieval time period. It was formed from an old English heroic epic poem. It was told in around 600 AD. Beowulf: A New Telling shows, if you know your strengths and your weaknesses, you will be able to conquer anything. Beowulf has good and evil characters. There is Beowulf, Hrothgar, Wealhtheow, Scyld Scefing, the coastRead MoreThe And Critique Of The Theory Of Utilitarianism1706 Words   |  7 PagesIn this paper I am going to argue that telling a small lie that would cause no great harm to a friend in order to spare their feelings is an acceptable thing to do. I am going to examine this issue through the perspective of important philosophers Jeremy Bentham(Utilitarian), then through Immanuel Kant(Deontology). After talking about this issue through both of their perspectives, I will argue which person has a more defensible belief. Then I will talk about and critique Kant’s belief to tell theRead More##rtance Of Language In The Handmaids Tale And Nineteen Eighty-Four1315 Words   |  6 Pagesnovels The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood and Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell is a fight for power and control – not of land, or political position – but of language. Lan guage is seen within both of these novels as being central to the telling of one’s own story – without the control of power and language, it is not possible to convey the intricacies, thoughts, feelings and ideas behind these stories. Whether this story is conveyed through a diary, or through cassette tapes, or even scratched