The passage from "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris is a comical, nuanced look at one man's decision to return to school in his 40's, only to find that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Thrust back into the classroom environment, Sedaris is reminded of his angst-filled teen years, full of doubt and crippling insecurity, and exacerbated by a sadistic instructor who seems to take the utmost delight in terrorizing her students. Through hard work, and perseverance, and the luck of not being fluent in French, he ultimately realizes his goal, and triumphs despite his teacher's best efforts.
The goal has not changed. Sedaris's aim is still set upon conveying the fears, frustrations, and small triumphs of returning to school …show more content…
I suppose I could have gotten by with less, but I was determined to create some sort of an identity for myself. We'd have one of those "complete the sentence" exercises, and I'd fool with the thing for hours, invariably settling on something like, "A quick run around the lake? I'd love to.
Just give me a minute to strap on my wooden leg." The teacher, through word and action, conveyed the message that, if this was my idea of an identity, she wanted nothing to do with it." (Sedaris 86)
Essentially, it's a fight or flight response, and Sedaris has chosen to rise to the challenge. He moved to France for a reason, and even if he doesn't get it quite right every time, at least he's really trying.
Eventually, through humour and hard work, he finds his way to a deeper understanding of the
French language, and of himself.
"Over time, it became impossible to believe that any of us would ever improve. Fall arrived, and it rained every day. It was mid-October when the teacher singled me out, saying, "Every day spent with you is like having a cesarean section." And it struck me that, for the first time since arriving in France, I could understand every word that someone was
The goal has not changed. Sedaris's aim is still set upon conveying the fears, frustrations, and small triumphs of returning to school …show more content…
I suppose I could have gotten by with less, but I was determined to create some sort of an identity for myself. We'd have one of those "complete the sentence" exercises, and I'd fool with the thing for hours, invariably settling on something like, "A quick run around the lake? I'd love to.
Just give me a minute to strap on my wooden leg." The teacher, through word and action, conveyed the message that, if this was my idea of an identity, she wanted nothing to do with it." (Sedaris 86)
Essentially, it's a fight or flight response, and Sedaris has chosen to rise to the challenge. He moved to France for a reason, and even if he doesn't get it quite right every time, at least he's really trying.
Eventually, through humour and hard work, he finds his way to a deeper understanding of the
French language, and of himself.
"Over time, it became impossible to believe that any of us would ever improve. Fall arrived, and it rained every day. It was mid-October when the teacher singled me out, saying, "Every day spent with you is like having a cesarean section." And it struck me that, for the first time since arriving in France, I could understand every word that someone was