Joan Didion On Morality Summary

826 Words2 Pages

In our lifetimes, we meet many people. And, hopefully, with each of them we follow a certain protocol when we first meet them. When one is greeted sweetly, or even sourly, the receiver is expected to graciously accept it and return the favor politely. In other countries, children are taught to show their respect towards elders at all times. Young ones in the Philippines are conditioned to grab an elder’s hand and bring it up to their forehead in a bowing motion, this practice is known as “blessing”. However, no one has ever given a more in depth answer for the reason of these practices other than, “Because you should.” Chivalrous, gentleman, classy- all these words are given as labels to people through the same pattern of delicate and thoughtful movements. Those labels state that a person was not loud, was not unhygienic, was distinguished. There was never a point when boisterous, larger-than-life people were given such a title. They were distinguished, but not refined. Terms relating the epitome of social behavior follow a very thin line. A person only has to behave a certain way to obtain these labels. Being genuine may receive praise from a rigid society that demands so much from everyone, but it isn’t always associated with class. One person’s …show more content…

Attempting to recreate her style was actually very complex. She refers to a lot of historical examples and personal experiences in a very cohesive way that you don’t think of them as points she pulled out of thin air, but points she purposely thought of, described, and executed. I referenced cultural examples, utilized repetition, a metaphor, and an idiom. Didion’s text intrigued me mainly for the topic. She stripped the away all the “noble” qualities of a very basic idea and defined the base of the whole concept. Interestingly, she solidifies her authenticity as a rider through her ethos, but she’ll point out the flaws others may see on her approach of

Open Document