Jamie Goering
AP English
Mrs. Getchell
1/23/11, 2nd hour
Classification Essay
There is no denying that we live in a dishonest society. But is this a bad thing in
every circumstance? This question is explored in “Lies, Lies, Lies” by Paul Gray. Gray
uses classification, humorous language, many examples, and a clear structure to
effectively convey his views about the three different types of lying and which ones may
or may not be acceptable today.
The three different types of lies, according to Gray, are “Lies to protect others,”
“Lies in the interest of the liar,” and “Lies that cause harm.” Out of these three categories,
he concludes, only “Lies to protect others” are appropriate, and even then, in extreme
cases such as national security matters, the motives behind this kind of lie can be suspect.
These categories are in a numbered list in the essay, making them easy to recognize and
distinguish. They make up the middle section of the piece.
The essay is organized into three distinct sections. The first section is Gray’s
definition of lying, namely “that which is done with an intention to mislead,” (Paragraph
9). He then goes on to give examples of lying in different situations, in order to show the
incredible range of situations where people might be dishonest. This section also asks
questions of the reader, like “At what point does ‘a little [lie]’ become ‘too much’?”
(Paragraph 3). These questions provoke the reader to ponder the morality of lying and
entice the reader to be more receptive to Gray’s theory, revealed in the second section of
the essay, that only certain lies uttered to protect others are moral. The middle section, as
explained above, is the classification portion of the piece. It is where Gray categorizes the
three different varieties of lying, and gives examples of each. He classifies them
according to “motive and context” (Paragraph 12) and emphasizes that the only
acceptable motive is the protection of others. The final section of the piece is the shortest,
and its purpose is to give potential reasons why lying is so prevalent in society today. It
raises the issue of politics and the increasing lies and exaggerations in political ads, and
asks the reader what implications the dishonesty of our leaders has for citizens, and
where they are supposed to learn about honesty if even government leaders cannot be
trusted to tell the truth.
The three part structure and organization of this essay effectively contributes
toward Gray’s purpose of exploring and categorizing the morality of different types of
lies, because the reader first realizes the necessity of such a categorization, then sees it in
a list format, then after finishing the piece is left wondering how lying got to be such a
large part of our culture after all.
Gray uses many examples of different types of lies to make the essay more
engaging and clear to the reader. Examples are the main form of support for his points,
and he uses them to illustrate the countless situations in which lying is present in culture
today. Consider, he says, the many reasons people give for leaving a party early. Instead
of telling the host the party is boring, which would, theoretically if all lies were bad, be
the right thing to do, most people will say “It is too late and I have to leave,” or “The kids
are at home with the babysitter and we need to get back to them.” Gray uses this example
to clearly show that some lies can protect relationships and the feelings of other people.
He also cites specific situations where lying is unacceptable. The real-world example of
the Watergate Scandal is used to show how out of hand a situation can get if many people
lie to attempt to clear their own names. Showing the different types of lies by using
examples helps the reader relate their prior knowledge of lies to the essay and apply that
knowledge to enhance Gray’s theory that very few lies are moral.
Humor is also employed by Gray as a tool for supporting his points. Some
hypothetical situations he creates are ridiculous and are clearly provided for emphasis
rather than serious consideration. His example of a man revealing a mistress to his wife in
the interest of telling the entire truth whenever any question is asked (paragraph 10) is
extreme, but it provides a vivid example with an obvious argument for Gray’s main point
that at some times, lying may be moral and acceptable. These humorous situations draw
the reader in with their exaggerated language, and by making it easy for them to see the
distinctions between right and wrong.
Paul Gray’s use of organization and a classification structure, as well as his
examples, language, and humor, effectively convey his views on the extremely limited
morality of lying. By the end of this essay, the reader has extensive support for Gray’s
proposition of lies for the protection of others being the only acceptable form of
dishonesty, and they are also more insightful of lying as a whole and the morality of our
culture today.