Journal Entry #2: Rhetorical Analysis of "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

Journal Entry #2

               Ethos, defined as an appeal to ethics or credibility, is the most evidently used in this section of Sedaris’s memoir, which outlines the author’s experience with taking a class on how to speak French in France. For instance, he starts off his piece by stating, "I’ve moved to Paris with hopes of learning the language. My school is an easy ten-minute walk from my apartment, and on the first day of class I arrived early, watching as the returning students greeted one another in the school lobby" (Sedaris). For the majority of the excerpt, Sedaris tells his horrible experience in class struggling with the language and explains how harsh the teacher is, as she used intimidation as her primary tactic to teach her students. For example, he behavior is shown when he mentions, "The teacher proceeded to belittle everyone from German Eva, who hated laziness, to Japanese Yukari, who loved paintbrushes and soap" (Sedaris). Although going through the class was difficult for Sedaris, by the end, he realizes that he can finally understand the language. This didn’t mean that he could speak the language fully, however, Sedaris, for the first time, was able to understand a full sentence, even if what was being said to him was unpleasant. This rhetorical technique is the most obviously used in the context of Sedaris’ experience mainly because “Me Talk Pretty One Day” is based on the author’s actual life events, included in a book consisting of a series of autobiographical essays. This specific story is a recollection of his time in France when he happened to be learning a new language. Since Sedaris is trying to convince his intended audience that they should take on a challenge no matter how difficult it seems, and that although this task may seem difficult, the outcome may turn out positive and beneficial, providing this personal experience convinces his audience that he is intelligent, can be trusted, and is knowledgeable about the topic at hand. For example, in the end of the excerpt, Sedaris explains that, even though it was difficult to learn a foreign language, achieving was possible and that it felt great to be able to understand. Thus, seeing that Sedaris has gone through and experienced what he is trying to convince them of, his audience is more inclined to agree with his argument.

               Another rhetorical strategy that Sedaris uses in his writing is his appeal to emotion, more commonly known as an appeal to Pathos, but, more specifically, the utilization of comical exaggeration while describing his experiences to his audience. Though hard to believe, humor is in fact one of the most emotionally appealing aspects of essays and writing pieces. Evidently, Sedaris employs the use of humor in many instances throughout most of his essay. For example, early on in the essay, Sedaris describes how well dressed his fellow students are when he states, “As an added discomfort, they were all young, attractive, and well-dressed, causing me to feel not unlike Pa Kettle trapped backstage after a fashion show.” (Sedaris). He’s comparing himself to the rest of the other students by implying that he’s no different from Pa Kettle, who is someone who is simple or unsophisticated. This self deprecating, which is being modest about or critical of oneself, especially humorously so, appeal to humor is considered an appeal to emotion. Another example can be found in many parts of the piece, in which Sedris uses a bunch of random letters and gibberish in place of real words that he doesn’t know. For example, near the middle of the story, Sedaris recalls his teacher saying, “If you have not meimslsxp or lgpdmurct by this time, then you should not be in this room. Has everyone apzkiubjxow? Everyone? Good, we shall begin” (Sedaris). By inserting those words in place of real words he didn’t know, Sedaris takes a humorous approach to implying the readers that he only understood a portion of what the teacher was saying. A last example can be found when the author’s intimidating French teacher accuses a Yugoslavian student of “masterminding a program of genocide” (Sedaris) when the student claimed that she loved everything life had to offer. It seems to be an exaggeration, but it’s the mere excessiveness that makes the piece more appealing to the audience. The use of humor, especially comical exaggeration, can lead to the piece of writing seem more appealing and the audience will remember it more, as it will stand out to them.

             I think it’s safe to say that I can fully relate to what Sedaris was going through at this time, as I myself have faced the difficulty of learning a new language (which is something that I still struggle with on a daily basis) in addition to having a teacher who has similar teaching methods to that of the French teacher in this story. Likewise to Sedaris during this time, I struggled with learning a new language, which, in my case, is Spanish. While reading this, I could completely relate the horrible feeling of knowing that you’ll have to go to class the next day and probably have to say something out loud. As someone who is extremely shy and is terrible in speaking Spanish, this did not sit well with me. However, I also agree that no matter how difficult the challenge you’re facing is, you should always persevere and strive to succeed, as the outcome may be positive and beneficial to you.