1-7 Assignment - \"me talk pretty one day\" PDF

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"me talk pretty one day"...

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1. What article did you select for your term-long critical analysis project? List the title and author here. "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris (1999) 2. An author's purpose or goal is their reason for writing a work. Based on a literal reading of your selected article, what do you believe is the author's purpose? How did you arrive at that decision? The author's purpose for telling this story is to describe a French class he took in Paris. How his semi abusive teacher though unorthodox, teaches him to understand the language better than ever before. It was his account of learning the French language in France. I arrived at this conclusion after reading the article in full and understanding the entire story. In the last paragraph, The Author says, "And it struck me that, for the first time since arriving in France, I could understand every word that someone was saying." That sentence tied the entire story together of what his purpose was when writing this article. 3. Key points* are pieces of evidence that support the author's purpose. In your selected article, what are three key points that support the author's purpose that you identified in Question 2? How do those key points support it? Point one: In the first two paragraphs of this story, the author recounts how he moved to Paris and enrolled in school to learn French. Stating, "I am returning to school" and "I have moved to Paris in order to learn the language" This supports the overall purpose of the story, which is the author's account of learning French in Paris. Point two: The second point is identified in the middle section of the story. He describes the Teachers' unorthodox teaching method and how everyone in Paris was in on this joke. He recalled the first day in class when the teacher called out students and relentlessly insulted them in the language they only wished to understand. The author says, "I absorbed as much of her abuse as I could understand." describing how he could only understand part of what the teacher was screaming at him. He wrote about how "Learning French is a lot like joining a gang in that it involves a long and intensive period of hazing." Even encounters with his butcher and the concierge at his building were "brutal." Point three: The third and most crucial piece of evidence lies within the final paragraph. The author says how one day, while receiving his daily dose of verbal abuse in class, he realized he understood every detail of what was being said. He understood every demeaning comment and insult she hurled at him. Saying, "for the first time since arriving in France, I could understand

every word that someone was saying." He knew he did not suddenly speak French but took a baby step in understanding the language. Hebas k edi nhi s t r i umphs ay i ng,“ Is et t l edback ,bat hi ngi nt hes ubt l ebeaut yofeac hnewc ur s eand i ns ul t . ”

4. An author's audience is the group or groups of people who are being addressed in the reading. What audience do you believe the author is writing for in your selected article? What potential challenges does the author face when addressing their purpose with this audience? I believe this article's audience is learning a new language or learning a new skill in general. It is a lighthearted read about the struggles of learning something new. It describes how sometimes the most unorthodox method of teaching makes the most significant impact on someone. The potential challenges this author might face is a small audience and being unrelatable to the majority. Most people don't have time to learn a new language at 41 years old and can't relate to moving to Paris to continue their academia. However, in a broader sense of the story, more people can relate to the part about learning something new and feeling left out when they don't understand....