22. On Self Respect

Joan Didion discusses self-respect. She begins by explaining that innocence ends when self-respect is lost. Didion exemplifies this by telling the reader of the time when she was not admitted to Phi Beta Kappa. At that moment, Didion's innocence ended when she lost her self-respect, because she realized that she is not able to do everything in life. To obtain real self-respect, the author realized over time that there is one condition, which is that self-respect does not have to be measured by other's approval. However, Didion does warn that to live without self-respect is excruciating, because without confidence people cannot move forward. Self-respect is not all about being careful and protective, but more about creating a peace for oneself. Upon committing a mistake, those with self-respect do not try to run away and hide from it. Instead, they stand up and accept responsibility; they have character. Self-respect is also a discipline by which people weigh the benefits gained when they make certain decisions and what will come of consequence if they do not. This means that people recognize that anything that has value has a price. They take chances, sacrifice some things, but end up winning. Therefore, having self-respect is to know to value, to love, to discriminate, or to remain indifferent. To have no self-respect is called "alienation from self", because one worries more about how others will view him than what really matters, what is really worth doing, and what one really values.

The author of "On Self-Respect" has an issue of exaggeration when writing; she does write beautifully, but at times it is overdone. Didion's use of vocabulary and sentence structure is incredible and beyond average. However, since her vocabulary is beyond average, the average person may or may not understand all that her article says. At times, her writing is complicated and may confuse a common reader. This might limit who her audience is specifically. The author also utilizes various analogies and metaphors throughout the text. For instance, to illustrate her loss of self-respect after not being admitted to Phi Bet Kappa, she describes herself as "someone who has come across a vampire and has no crucifix at hand." Additionally, in order to explain her concepts, Didion uses stories from her personal life and references of characters from history or books as examples, such as Napoleon and Jordan Baker from The Great Gatsby. Many examples and many varied types of examples are used in the article. Although they can be helpful sometimes, they are used excessively. Too many may confuse the reader, because the large amount of examples may distract him from the main point being discussed. Additionally, not every reader may understand all the references to books and history, leading to a higher degree of confusion.

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