Flaws are common in the human race. Attempts to fix these flaws by both outside pressures and by internal forces provides the basis of many literary works. One of these stories, occurring when the central character was in the fifth grade, is entitled “Go Carolina” and chronicles David Sedaris’s attempts to thwart his speech therapy teacher as she endeavors to correct his lisp. The first person point of view in David Sedaris’s “Go Carolina” expresses the theme that pointing out a person 's problem may only cause furthered efforts to hide it through the plot, the thoughts of the central character, and the characterization of Miss Samson. Miss Samson is painted as an antagonist due to the first person point of view, which furthers the theme
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He describes her as “wearing a dung colored blazer over a red turtleneck, her heels sensibly low in case the suspect should attempt a quick getaway,” (Sedaris 1). She is immediately characterized as an agent sent specifically to apprehend him. Furthermore, she painted as a person who enjoys other people’s pain. David seems to think that “had her name contained no s’s, she probably would have bypassed a career in therapy and devoted herself to yanking out healthy molars or preforming unwanted clitori...omies on the school girls of Africa,” (3). Not only is she cruel to him by pressuring him to change, but she is simply a cruel person in David’s mind. According to David, if lisps didn’t cause her to annoy children, then some other perceived ailment would. This trait that the first person narrator gives Miss Samson is …show more content…
For example, we can tell why David stops using any word with the letter ‘s’ in it. He tells the reader expressly, saying, “at school, where every teacher was a potential spy, I tried to avoid an s sound whenever possible,” (3). The rising action, David’s boycott against s’s, is much more easily expressed through the first person point of view. This allows the reader to see the fact that because his lisp is seen as a problem to be corrected, he attempts to hide it even more. Moreover, the climax, the conversation with Miss Samson before they go on winter break, is shaped by the point of view. Seeing the events as he does allows the reader to also be confused when he says, “I thought she would continue trying to trip me up, but instead she talked about her own holiday plans,” (5). Later in the story, it can be seen that she is attempting to garner pity to get David to say “I’m thorry,” but the first person point of view from David’s perspective makes this moment more dramatic. This slip of David’s also supports the theme. Only when Miss Samson stops trying to fix his lisp does he stop trying to hide it. In this way, the plot is a strong proponent of the theme, both of which are heavily influenced by the first person point of
He describes her as “wearing a dung colored blazer over a red turtleneck, her heels sensibly low in case the suspect should attempt a quick getaway,” (Sedaris 1). She is immediately characterized as an agent sent specifically to apprehend him. Furthermore, she painted as a person who enjoys other people’s pain. David seems to think that “had her name contained no s’s, she probably would have bypassed a career in therapy and devoted herself to yanking out healthy molars or preforming unwanted clitori...omies on the school girls of Africa,” (3). Not only is she cruel to him by pressuring him to change, but she is simply a cruel person in David’s mind. According to David, if lisps didn’t cause her to annoy children, then some other perceived ailment would. This trait that the first person narrator gives Miss Samson is …show more content…
For example, we can tell why David stops using any word with the letter ‘s’ in it. He tells the reader expressly, saying, “at school, where every teacher was a potential spy, I tried to avoid an s sound whenever possible,” (3). The rising action, David’s boycott against s’s, is much more easily expressed through the first person point of view. This allows the reader to see the fact that because his lisp is seen as a problem to be corrected, he attempts to hide it even more. Moreover, the climax, the conversation with Miss Samson before they go on winter break, is shaped by the point of view. Seeing the events as he does allows the reader to also be confused when he says, “I thought she would continue trying to trip me up, but instead she talked about her own holiday plans,” (5). Later in the story, it can be seen that she is attempting to garner pity to get David to say “I’m thorry,” but the first person point of view from David’s perspective makes this moment more dramatic. This slip of David’s also supports the theme. Only when Miss Samson stops trying to fix his lisp does he stop trying to hide it. In this way, the plot is a strong proponent of the theme, both of which are heavily influenced by the first person point of