TOW #8: IRB Post

School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where David Sedaris graduated from and taught a writing workshop at.

http://www.artandeducation.net/announcement/school-of-the-art-institute-of-chicago’s-saic-call-for-applications/

The next three story-like chapters in David Sedaris's Me Talk Pretty One Day dealt primarily with Sedaris's early adulthood and the adjustments he did (or didn't) make. The purpose of the last two of the three chapters was primarily to show that change can be difficult by showing two (of his own) reactions to change: one in which he adapts and one in which he doesn't. Sedaris uses his own perspective to help him achieve his purpose. Had he written Me Talk Pretty One Day from anything perspective other than first person, he would not have been able to adequately demonstrate his reaction to, for example, the death of his beloved cat. Only he could make the audience understand his feelings. In addition, Sedaris makes blatant allusions in his appropriately-named chapter "The Learning Curve," in which he describes his attempt as a new teacher to teach a writing class through the show One Life to Live. Although I wasn't familiar with the show, his reference worked well enough since I understood at the very least that it wasn't related to writing. This part of Me Talk Pretty One Day was directed at readers who were either fresh out of college or entering into their first "real" job. In both cases, the audience has to be in the process of adjusting to some huge change. Although David Sedaris is in fact credible (as established in previous posts), his credibility as a teacher rather than an author falters in these chapters. He struggles to properly teach a college course on writing. This matters little overall, though, since Sedaris is previously proved to be credible. Sedaris definitely accomplished his purpose if only because I could relate to several of his experiences and feelings, such as his love for his cat. The main reason Sedaris was able to show that change is all about how you react and adjust to it is because he references and draws on so many familiar feelings and cultural aspects, such as the loss of a pet.