Analysis Of Me Talk Pretty One Day Sedaris

"Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris is a hilariously written article about the author's experiences while living in Paris. He describes not so funny moments while he attended school and learned the French language. Sedaris (1999) describes in detail his first encounter with his French teacher. He recollects how his teacher belittled his classmates, and how she made everyone feel inadequate and less than sophisticated.

When I first read this article, I assumed that the author's main goal is to showcase the reasoning behind someone's teaching techniques. After further analyzing the text, I feel that Sedaris provides two main purposes. He shows that there is always a reason for someone’s actions. But he also demonstrates how people’s emotions

He humorously talks about what it was like to witness first hand her demanding and abusive behavior. When it was David's turn to introduce himself and give examples of things he liked and disliked, David knew immediately what he wanted to say. He loved looking through medical books that mostly were committed to dermatological conditions. He knew that he could not express his interest completely using the French language and he didn't want to bring attention to himself. He decided to share his interest in IBM typewriters and electric floor waxers instead. David however, managed to misinterpret the gender of both the typewriter and waxer. The teacher's reaction was not so pleasant. She used words that David did not understand and embarrassed him in front of his classmates. He felt that he had committed a crime by the teacher's response to his mistakes (Sedaris 1999). This clearly shows David’s emotional state, and how it affected his ability to fully commit to the task at

It has taken me analyzing the text to understand what the author is conveying. I learned that you can't always judge a book by its cover. You need to evaluate those people or situations and put your emotions aside. You will be able to assess the situation with more understanding and an open mind. I also realize that everyone interprets things differently and that it is ok. Not everyone will agree with your view, or your way of expressing yourself. If you are aware of these differences and know the proper steps to re-evaluate the situation, you will be