Sedaris then uses exaggeration to reinforce the threat of failure by describing the need to "... dodge chalk and protect our heads and stomachs whenever she approached us with a question."
The literal image is, of course, exaggerated for humor, but the fear of inevitable failure in the eyes of an authority figure who probably prefers our failures to our successes because of the opportunity they represent to chastise us is identifiable to most readers. Likewise, despite the exaggerated imagery, Sedaris also reminds us of the connection between anxiety from the fear of failure (particularly in front of an audience) and abdominal discomfort.
Sedaris continues in that direction, culminating in his description of the teacher's accidentally stabbing the shy Korean student in the eye with a "freshly sharpened pencil," also adding the humor in the sarcasm of the author's observation "in fairness" that the pencil attack was at least unintentional.
One of the author's best uses of humorous description and comedic exaggeration to remind the reader of identifiable fears and frustrations comes in the paragraph where the author describes his growing self-perception of being completely unable to express himself in a foreign language and the fear of public embarrassment with which most readers can...
David Sedaris The Unconfronted Reality and Social Mores in "Big Boy" by David Sedaris In the collection of short stories "Me talk pretty one day," author David Sedaris presented his experiences as an individual who was gradually growing in an environment that seemed hostile to what he has become: a homosexual with a lisp, though tremendously knowledgeable with words and talented with composition. This is the first impression that the reader gets
In “Jesus Shaves,” David Sedaris writes about the comical but complex losses of translation when trying to explain a religious festival in a second language. All the students in the class are learning French as a second language, but come from different backgrounds. The author is American, but classmates are from Poland, Morocco, and Italy. In fact, the Moroccan student is the one that triggers the theme of cultural relativism
Nobody Mean More to Me than You and the Future Life of Willie Jordan," June Jordan writes about the need to pay attention to Black English and to learn how important it is for African-American cultural identity. In David Sedaris's "Me Talk Pretty One Day," the author writes about how hard it is to learn a new language: French, in particular. Although both authors write about language diversity, Jordan
We can assume that by the twentieth century, times would have changed. The typical family in 2075 will look radically different than it does today. Families will be looked upon units rather than families and their significance will be greatly diminished due to logic, reason, and the absence of bonding. The family will be more like a contribution to society - a cog in the wheel, if you will -
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