There are many forms of cruelty. One form that many can relate to is bullying. Whether you were bullied or bullied others, those cruel memories can be seared into your heart forever. In “White Lies,” Erin Murphy, states that while bullying is wrong, trying to justify bad actions forever is equally cruel. Using rhetorical and tonal elements, Murphy elicits emotion with pathos, “maybe” with logos, and vivid imagery with diction. Murphy expresses how cruel it is to justify bad actions forever, first arousing the reader's emotions on the topic of bullying with pathos. In “White Lies,” Murphy shares a childhood memory that brings readers to a pitiful classroom environment with Arpi, a Lebanese girl, and the arrival of Connie, the new girl. Murphy describes how Arpi was teased for the way she spoke and her name: "a Lebanese girl who pronounced ask like axe...had a name that sounded too close to Alpo, a brand of dog food... " (382). For Connie, being albino made her different and alone from everyone else around her “Connie was albino, exceptionally white even by Ultra-Caucasian standards…Connie, by comparison, was alone in her difference” (382). Murphy tries to get readers to relate to and pity the girls, who were bullied because they were different. The author also pushes readers to dislike bullies and their fifth grade teacher. Murphy shares some of the hurtful comments Connie has faced, such as “Casper, chalk face, Q-Tip…What did you do bathing in bleach? Who's your boyfriend, Frosty the Snowman?" (382). Reading the cruel words can immediately help you recall a personal memory of an offensive comment said to them and conclude a negative opinion of the bullies. The same goes for the fifth grade teacher...... middle of paper ...... and personal story showing the pitiful characters of Arpi and Connie being bullied at school Then ends the story with a "maybe" image of Connie and his mother at the 7-Eleven carrying readers from a classroom of bullied kids in front of a distracted teacher to a sad image in front of a store window. Considering the future, Murphy encourages the reader to evaluate their position on cruelty and to make this difference and not treat themselves to story differently. Murphy through rhetorical and tonal elements of pathos, logos, and diction expresses that cruelty in any form is wrong, no matter how you try to justify it. Hurting forever is never right. Works Cited Murphy, Erin. “White lies”. Templates for Writers: Short Essays for Composition.Ed. Alfred Rosa and Paul Eschholz Boston: Bedford St. Martin's, 2012. 381-383. Press.