Sister Lucy Analysis

Sister Lucy Reflection
A few days ago, we were joined by Sister Lucy, a nun from India, where she works to help suffering women and children by housing them and helping them become independent. I can’t begin to explain to you how much I admire her and her work. When she speaks, she speaks with very much authenticity, which helps the appeal of ethos, the means of convincing someone of the character of the speaker.
First of all, she shows authenticity by exposing a vulnerable side of herself. She spoke about the time a woman came to her and begged for shelter and safety. She said her husband was going to hurt her because he was in love with another woman and she was afraid for her safety. Sister Lucy told her that she couldn't take her in and later, she discovered that not long after she turned her away, her husband found her and set her on fire. She went on to speak about how mad at

herself she was for not being able to help her. Charles Taylor says that authenticity builds on the "individualism of disengaged rationality” as in, emotionally detached logic, but I can’t help but disagree. I think authenticity, seeming like a genuine and trustworthy person, means being able to be emotional because that’s showing a more exposed part of yourself and letting your audience see you as a human as well which Sister Lucy does perfectly.
Secondly, she shows her authenticity by showing her kindness. Besides all of the amazing work she does in general, she shows so much kindness in so many more simple things. First of all, she refuses to hit. There’s a rule of no hitting when it involves the women and children she’s taken in. This seems like a simple concept, but when someone makes that rule prominent, it stands out positively. Also, she mentions the importance of patience in her homes. She says that under no circumstance all she kick someone out. Along with those, she gives homes to people with mental disabilities and gives them as much food as they want. All of these reasons seem like very common and basic ways to treat someone, but it’s a profoundly different situation in shelters. Many shelters simply take someone in and give them a house and some food, but still hurt them and don’t give them any room for mistakes, kicking them out at the drop of a dime. Sister Lucy goes out of her way to ensure that Maher is not that.
Lastly, she demonstrates her authenticity by continuously working to make people’s lives better.

She could just simply take them in and give them a place to live and some food. However, she goes on to do so much more. For example, she helps people in her homes become independent. This is so important because many homes just give their residents a roof and food, but not any assistance beyond that. It’s essential that there is support given to these people without actual homes and incomes and they’re taught to be independent because if not, they’ll remain in those shelters for their whole lives or until they’re kicked out and they’d be back at square one. In addition, she campaigns to help stop violence against women and works to get everyone education. Not only does she take in women, she takes time out of her already busy day to campaign for women’s rights to feel safe and secure. In my opinion, community and campaign work like these I’ve spoken about help build someone’s character and authenticity because it shows humanity. To me, humanity is absolutely key in someone’s

authenticity.
In conclusion, I believe that Sister Lucy is a very authentic speaker and person. She demonstrates authenticity by exposing a vulnerable side of herself, showing kindness, and continuously working to make people’s lives better, even outside of Maher. To me, someone who’s kind and generous and isn’t afraid to expose themself to them is the definition of authentic because they’re someone that’s not afraid to be themself.