David Sedaris 'Commencement Speeches What I Learned'

The importance of attending an institute of higher learning continues to grow as the job market becomes more competitive, and a diploma is essentially required to compete in it. However, with the growing demand for college and university successful students the concept of education has become clouded. In two commencement speeches, one by David Sedaris and the other by David Wallace, this concept of what education means and how it is viewed by the individual student is discussed as well as the process of thinking. David Seders, in his speech What I Learned, writes in a satirical format based on how education is being viewed. David Wallace in his commencement speech addresses the process of thinking and being self-aware with a college education.

However the satirical format of David Sedaris brings a comical theme to a serious light. Sedaris writes the way he does to show how attending an institution of higher learning nowadays is viewed as solely attaining a diploma and a job, whereas he believes, as does Wallace, that it is the process of thinking that needs to be sought after.
Sedaris argues that the most important thing you get out of college isn't tangible and never will be.

Its the education itself and how your idea of thinking changes, ultimately that is most valuable asset once you leave college. Sedaris writes how “The alchemy majors wanted to know how much money they'd be making after graduation.” Sedaris considers this a a very narrow minded view of your present self as your only worry is the unknowing success of your future. Also he would claim that it is a very limited view of your life and your future, because your not compelled to learn for your sake but rather for your future money’s sake. Wallace would coincide with Sedaris’ statement stating how “If you worship money you will never have enough of it”(34) Wallace claims that the money and rich that people strive for is inferior to the education and knowledge that can be achieved. Both Sedaris and Wallace value education higher then job security or money completely overlooking the reason for attending college; to learn how to

think.
Sedaris seeks to amuse with the satirical way of writing his speech in order to
argue on how education is associated with growth but also corruption.

Sedaris throughout his speech writes in a humorous form, if it’s from claiming he went to school before jesus, to studying patricide and matricide. Sedaris writes how he “Enjoyed pillaging and astrology”(2) to reveal the absurdity of classes that had nothing to do with his real major. He says that these classes show how modern education requires students to take unreasonable classes only to never have them be relevant in their lives again. He also uses satire to describe parents, arguing how parents of college students are naive when it comes to their children studies. Sedaris’ own parents said “You’re going to study literature and get a job doing what? Literaturizing?”(Sedaris) Sedaris would claim how parents force feed their children a way of thinking. However attending an institute of higher learning requires one to think for themselves, be self aware as Wallace would say. Wallace would respond to Sedaris’ father by proclaiming that a parent should have no say when it comes to the self awareness of a student arguing how judging a student about his thoughts and beliefs is corrupting to his self awareness. These satirical remarks that sedaris uses publishes the role of parents taking away the education from their children. Both authors would agree that the students who have decisions made by their parents are going to college for the wrong reason and that instead it should be for selfish

matters. Students should go to to college to become more self aware and build on their thinking as sedaris satire confesses.
Wallace would argue that the transition of satirical to seriousness in Sedaris’ essay is a result of him deciding what has meaning to him and what doesn’t have meaning to him. Sedaris uses satire in his speech until his graduation from college where a serious undertone sets in; “In time my father stopped wearing his Princeton gear. My mother stopped talking about my potential, and she and my dad got themselves a brown-and-white puppy.”(3) This change of tone from satire to seriousness shows the transition of Sedaris and his own process of thought. Wallace would point out that this transition is a matter of Sedaris choosing what has meaning to him. Wallace would respond to Sedaris saying “If you cannot not exercise this kind of choice in adult life you will be totally hosed.”(33) Sedaris had not figured out what has meaning to him and what he valued. This changes as Sedaris comes full circle and decides what has meaning to him and not. Princeton, he found superficial though their modesty, however he saw the meaning of the university, his parents, and what he learned there; “What had started as…out me through Princeton.”(Sedaris 4)