TOW #14- Me Talk Pretty One Day (essay)

The worst situation I can imagine is being harshly judged for not understanding what someone is saying. This is exactly what David Sedaris had to go through in his short essay Me Talk Pretty One Day. At 41 years old Sedaris went to school in France in hopes of learning the language. He was timid because all of the students were under 25 and amazing at French. Just to make things worse, he was thrown into a class with a professor who had mistaken her job for making the students lives a living hell. Almost every day the students were scolded for their mistakes, in French, which Sedaris understood in bits and pieces. He successfully uses exaggeration and pathos to convey a comedic tone to his essay. This comedic tone contributes to his purpose, which is simply that something good comes out of everything. Exaggeration is used discretely. At first, I thought this was serious but then realized it was for comedic purposes. For example, the students did not really have to worry about the teacher punching anyone, or throwing chalk. Also, I highly doubt the teacher actually “masterminding a program of genocide,” but the hyperbolized claim makes the situation comedic. These claims contribute to the fear and unpredictability of the class. Also, Sedaris pokes fun at not only the students, but also himself. He described how he himself felt “not unlike Pa Kettle trapped backstage after a fashion show.” The fact that he can make fun of himself adds humor to the essay. It comes across as witty but not pretentious, clever but not conceited. It adds a feeling of trust for the author’s humor not to be too rude. Overall, this essays meaning came through clear and concise using humor in exaggeration and pathos.