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Considering a Woman’s Individual Identity: Lepucki’s Use of
Rhetorical Writing Strategies
Jane Dough
English Department
ENC 1101: English Composition I
Keiser University
August 20, 2025
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Considering a Woman’s Individual Identity: Lepucki’s Use of
Rhetorical Writing Strategies
In the essay “Our Mothers as We Never Saw Them” Lepucki (2017/2022) examines the
difference between children’s views of their mothers versus the women they actually are, or were. To highlight these differing perspectives, Lepucki (2017/2022) discusses a variety of photographs, that were gathered through a social media prompt, of women before they became mothers and suggests that children see their mothers as a series of events that happened to them in their lives before motherhood. However, these experiences don’t necessarily shape who these omen became later in life. Lepucki’s essay is effectively written using the description, narration, and compare and contrast rhetorical writing strategies to show that a woman’s life experiences do not change her individual identity.
The descriptive rhetorical writing strategy is a significant method writers use to help the
reader become more engaged in a work through the use of sensory appeal. Lepucki (2017/2022) uses descriptive passages to illustrate a variety of visual details about the women, who are now mothers, studied through the use of photographs of the women when they were young. For example, Lepucki (2017/2022) describes the women this way: “The young women in these pictures are beautiful, fierce, sassy, goofy, cool, sweet—sometimes all at once” (p. 987). These adjectives suggest some of the various traits of the women portrayed in the pictures. These descriptive words say more about the women’s attitudes, which are a part of their identities, than their physical appearance or past experiences. Similarly, Lepucki (2017/2022) observes that,
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“Sometimes, too, a photo deepens the mystery of a mother” (p. 987). This is in reference to a woman named Emma who only has a photograph and the memories of family members to learn about her own mother, who died when Emma was only eight years old. This suggests that the photograph provides Emma with a glimpse into her mother’s identity, but perhaps leaves her with more questions than answers.
Another useful rhetorical writing strategy is narration, which emphasizes storytelling as a way to convey a message to the audience. Lepucki (2017/2022) uses narration as the primary organizational strategy for the essay and weaves in stories to shed light on some of the experiences children might imagine their mothers having long before they were born. For instance, Lepucki (2017/2022) states, “Many of us find a breezy toughness in the bygone versions of our mothers, and we envy it. Before a kid or two tied her down, Mom was hitchhiking, or she was playing softball with guys… (p. 988). Lepucki (2017/2022) goes on to suggest that children “admire and celebrate” (p. 988) these qualities as being the “prerequisite for a properly executed womanhood” (p. 988). Again, these perceived traits say more about the women themselves, their identities, than their experiences throughout their lives.
Furthermore, the comparison and contrast rhetorical mode is useful for showing
similarities and/or differences between concepts to further enhance the reader’s understanding of an idea. For example, Lepucki (2017/2022) uses the compare and contrast strategy when she presents the reader with a variety of diametrically contrasting words to signify the complexity of the women’s identities, such as “nurturing or disapproving,” “pestering or supporting” (p. 989),
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“sexual and maternal, daring and responsible, innocent and wise” (p. 988). Even the explanation of the audience’s possible reaction to old photos of their own mothers when they were young represents the contrasting feelings they might have, such as calling them “both a chasm and a bridge” (Lepucki, 2017/2022, p. 988). This implies that the old photos might cause a break in the reader’s understanding of their mothers while, at the same time, coming to a more substantial comprehension of them.
Overall, Lepucki’s strategic use of the descriptive, narrative, and compare and contrast
rhetorical writing modes in the essay “Our Mothers as We Never Say Them” successfully sends the message that a woman’s identity goes way deeper than the sum of her experiences.
This concept is especially evident in the passage, “…time, aging and motherhood cannot take away a woman’s essential identity” Lepucki (2017/2022, p. 986). While children may think they know their mothers based on the photographs and the experiences that have heard about, these events highlight only certain aspects of their mothers’ lives. This misconception is understandable because children rely on their parents, other relatives, to share who their mothers were in their youth. It clear that a woman’s identity is not based on the experiences she has. Her identity is a part of who she is at her very core, regardless of what happened before, or after, her children came into this world.
