The Death Of Honesty By William Damon Literature Assignment

THE DEATH OF HONESTY BY WILLIAM DAMON
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A Rhetorical Analysis of “The Death of Honesty” By William Damon.
Honesty is an important virtue and vital for human existence and social order, but it has continually lost its value in the society. In an article published by the Hoover Institute in 2012 in an online volume, the author, William Damon, describes dishonesty in detail highlighting the key reasons it has continually become deep-rooted in the society and compromised the value of honesty. The article titled ‘The Death of Honesty’ is pegged on the premise fronted by the author that honesty is losing its relevance, value, and importance and it is heading to its downfall, and it will have a damaging effect on democracy and key pillars supporting it. The author admits that lying is increasing becoming acceptable and it has infiltrated the justice system, journalism, politics, education, business among other professions. He observes that dishonesty in the contemporary society is expected, hailed an accepted thus making it harder to root out. In the latter parts of the article, the author focuses on the damaging effects dishonesty has on the education system where it is being condoned by stakeholders. This essay describes how the author uses rhetorical devices to convey his message in a compelling manner that makes an ethical appeal to readers of the importance of honesty to the society.
The author uses logos to allure the audience to take his stance and perception of the damaging effects of dishonesty. Logos as a rhetorical tool is used for coherence and cohesion CITATION Vik13 \l 1033 (Kocsis, 2013). The author acknowledges that lying is to some degree acceptable and undeniable especially if it is done for the best interest of the society. He cites the acceptable and heroic acts of those who ‘misinformed storm troopers’ (para. 1, 4) to save the lives of families during the Nazi reign in Europe. Such acts are hailed as heroic and courageous albeit being deceptive and undermining honesty. He, however, cites that no civilization can tolerate ‘dishonesty without falling apart’ (para. 5, 1) and that each society is bound by the mutual trust that each individual is honest in their intentions. He continues to build his case by citing historical references that strongly support the role played by honesty in the society. He cites old testament biblical teachings (para. 6, 2), Confucius, Roman cultural beliefs in Veritas ‘mother of virtue’(para. 6.2) among others to support his claim. He also cites two former US president, Abraham Lincoln, and George Washington, who were revered for their honesty (para. 6,3). He notes the society has continually delved further away from honesty as evidenced by politics, journalism, business and education who have downplayed its value. He cites further evidence that the education system has been riddled with cases of cheating that has undermined its value and significance to the society. Damon cites several statistics and documented cases of cheating in the education sector while showing the adverse effects it has had on the sector. He asserts that cheating in schools has evolved over time and span its application whi...