22. On Self-Respect

In her article, Joan Didion writes about self-respect and the misconceptions of the innocent mind in regard to ones own appearance. She begins by narrating the incident which would drasticallychange her perspective on life and of herself, ripping from her the innocence of ignorance. From a single incident, not being elected as Phi Beta Kappa, she loses the faith she once had in herself; the idolization she once held for herself which made her "invincible," would shatter when exposed to reality. Nevertheless, she acknowledges that this step was crucial for her own understanding of self-respect. She continues by stating that gaining the approval of others, even through deceit, cannot help one accept their own actions or beliefs. She continues by stating that without self-respect a person becomes critical of oneself, looking inward for flaws in one's own character. She further attacks the misconception that a person who has self-respect is immune to the dangers, both physical and emotional, which present themselves on a daily basis. She states that self-respect is not an immunity, but rather an ability to reconcile with oneself. She continues by making reference to Jordan Baker in The Great Gatsby, a woman with an improbable sense of self-respect which she attained after she "took her own measures, made her own peace, avoided threats to that peace." She states that people who have self-respect "have the courage of their mistakes," and have character which allows them to take responsibility for their own actions. Moreover, she begins to explain that this sense of self-respect had been ingrained within the generation of our grandparents, who were taught that the way to move up in society demands work, even though this work requires on to put away fear and doubt. Like these disciplines taught to our grandparents, people with self-respect take chances and invest themselves but they are also aware of the consequences. This discipline, furthermore, is learned and developed over time. She concludes by stating that one cannot look for oneself through the approval of others. The lack of self-respect leads them to try to escape from there flaws only to find that without they cannot find anyone within their own person without finding their flaws.                           

This article, although well argued, is not easily followed due both to a lack of fluidity but also to the use of a complex sentence structure. Although it was well argued, the author had difficulty putting her ideas together in a clear and fluid manner. She entangled her logic in references which lost the reader, further damaging her logic as she did not pursue an explanation for her references. The lack of clear transitions between her ideas prevented the audience from fully grasping the message as a whole. Nevertheless, she clearly stated her purpose and did not stray far from it throughout her article. Her appeal to logos and her ability to play off of the reader's own experiences, entice the reader and emphasized her purpose to argue that self-respect is not dependent on self-image but rather self-confidence and an awareness of consequences. Although she was not as convincing as she could be, her references to well known books or characters helped build credibility for her argument, even though it fell short of supporting her ideas efficiently. Her language was strong and utilized various forms of imagery and rhetoric which added emphasis to several of her main ideas. The several metaphors and references she made helped build a basis for her description while also appealed to the reader's emotions. Nevertheless, she was not capable of transmitting her message with the effect she could have created for it was overall confusing and choppy.