Rhetorical Analysis Of Me Talk Pretty One Day Sedaris

Cece Sammon
Mr. Mohn
AP Comp and Lang
23 February 2023 Education Rhetorical Analysis One of the most well-known humorists, David Sedaris discusses and pokes fun at his experience in a classroom setting, learning the French language in Paris. In his essay, “Me Talk Pretty One Day”, he is surrounded by classmates of all backgrounds. They speak different languages and have different cultures, but they all experience the same ridiculousness together. The antagonist in Sedaris’ essay is the French teacher herself— a snarky, wild woman who always seems to cross the line during her teaching. In describing his experience in French class, Sedaris uses his natural sense of humor and a highly descriptive tone to depict the familiarity of being disoriented in a classroom, as well as the shared terror of being in the presence of his French teacher. In his second paragraph, Sedaris introduces the scene and also describes the discomfort he experiences in the classroom among the other students. He says, “As an added discomfort, they were all young, attractive, and well dressed, causing me to feel not unlike Pa Kettle trapped backstage after a

Sedaris’ ability to do this is refreshing, as his style of humor is not at the expense of others. Instead, he pokes fun at the shared experiences between the students and the humiliating fact that they were all horrible at French. One example of Sedaris utilizing this ability is the following: “My only comfort was the knowledge that I was not alone. Huddled in the hallways and making the most of our pathetic French, my fellow students and I engaged in the sort of conversation commonly overheard in refugee camps.” By not only making fun of the other students but also being self-deprecating, Sedaris builds trust with his audience as he does not seem elitist or put himself above the other