TOW #4- Me Talk Pretty One Day

In school, having a mean teacher can make learning much harder. What would be even worse, is if that teacher spoke a different language than her students. This is exactly what happened to David Sedaris in Me talk Pretty One Day. Sedaris moved to France to study at university while he learned to speak French. Sedaris felt awkward at school even though he thought because he was an adult he should be past that feeling. His French teacher was horrible and harsh to all of the students in the class, causing them to band together. Sedaris is an American author and humorist, nominated for three Grammy Awards. Me Talk Pretty One Day was written in order for Sedaris to explain that everyone can always feels awkward, no matter what age. He wrote this for other adults who can relate to his problem, but it is still relatable to a younger audience and his humor can reach anyone. To achieve his purpose, Sedaris used metaphors. He explains how he feels next to all of the other students, “As an added discomfort, they were all young, attractive, and well dressed, causing me to feel not unlike Pa Kettle trapped backstage after a fashion show...At my age, a reasonable person should have completed his sentence in the prison of the nervous and the insecure--isn't that the great promise of adulthood?” (Sedaris). These two metaphors are used to show his feelings around the other students. He feels uncomfortable around them and then compares that feeling to being in prison. This explains how he stills feels awkward even his adulthood, He also asks the audience questions.  How often are you asked what you love in this world? More important, how often are you asked and then publicly ridiculed for your answer?” (Sedaris).  Questioning helps the audience feel more connected to what the author is saying, Sedaris uses the audience's connection to help his purpose. I believe his purpose was achieved. I related to his feelings of awkwardness in teenage years and I now do not look forward to more of those feelings in adulthood.