Preview

Me Talk Pretty Response Essay Example

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1566 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Me Talk Pretty Response Essay Example
Reflective letter
In this paper, I wanted to discuss the short story called “Me Talk Pretty One Day” by David Sedaris. It was a story about his attempts to learn French when he moves to France, to attend school. He describes the frustrations of trying to learn a foreign language, as he is approached by a snarled, rude, non-understanding teacher. Davis Sedaris pushes through this course with drive and determination. This is a story I can relate to on so many different levels. It is about how even though he was scared. He was able to look past his fear to accomplish his goal of speaking French.
My audience for this paper would basically be anyone who has fears and doubts about situations they are going through. Here was someone who moved to a different country, trying to learn a new language. He thought he was all alone, in this crazy teacher’s world, when one day he came in to see everyone huddled together talking a language to each other. People who are attending or moving to different places could also relate to him. For they, would be the “New kid on the block.” If this group of people, would read this story they would learn how as long as you perservere, they can accomplish anything thrown at them.
In this short story, the part’s that stood out to me was in paragraph 22. Here he talks about how this class has affected his daily life. He could not go out in public for fear of being targeted out. So he kept his talking to a minimum. Then he goes on to paragraph 23 where he tells of not feeling alone. But in paragraph 26 is when he finally realizes that for the first time, he understood everything the teacher has said to him. He then replies back to her and says “you exhaust me with your foolishness and reward my efforts with nothing but pain, do you understand me?” That was his triumph!

02/13/2011
Me Talk Pretty One Day
Me Talk Pretty one day, is a story about David Sedaris a 41 year old guy that moved to France. He enrolled into a college and began

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Speak essay

    • 1307 Words
    • 4 Pages

    “I should probably tell someone, just tell someone. Get it over with. Let it out, blurt it out” (99). In the novel Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Melinda is a freshman in highschool who struggles to escape the traumatizing past of being raped by a popular senior, Andy Evans. Because of her painful memories Melinda would circumvent Andy all year, experiencing bullying, rejection, and social isolation along the way. The essence of this story illustrates Melinda's transformation from being silent and afraid to proving she's confident, brave, and determined, which shows moving on means overcoming fear and accepting the truth.…

    • 1307 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Sedaris underscores the diverse backgrounds of his classmates while maintaining the notion that everyone is struggling with the language. The author employs humor to help convey his message: that regardless of one’s background,…

    • 131 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The story “Me Talk Pretty One Day” by David Sedaris is a story about himself, a forty-one year old man who is returning to school in Paris. He went there with hopes of learning the language, but is seemed to have trouble around every turn. He finds himself struggling to even understand what the instructor is saying as she gives the first day instructions to the class. He took some French before leaving New York, but still feels lost as the teacher continues to spout out instruction. “Me Talk Pretty One Day” shows how hard it is to be a foreigner coming in trying to pick up on the language of the land and is a ridiculous argument because the language barrier is something people must overcome every day when they come to America. To show…

    • 713 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In this story, the main character Dave Sexton lives on a small farm with his mother and his father Luster Sexton. His family is relatively poor and as a result Dave has to balance both school and working on his father’s farm everyday. The story begins when Dave is on a field trip with his classmates. He and his friends end up accidentally destroying someone's property and as a result they have to pay for the damage. All of the students had enough money to pay the debt off except for Dave. Because of this, his teacher, Professor Herbert made him stay after school to work in order to pay the debt off in a different way. When Dave gets home and explains what happened to his father, Luster becomes very anger. Luster had never gone to school, but he did not want Dave to live as difficult of a life as he did. Luster believes that it is unfair for Dave to suffer an extra punishment just because he comes from a poor family. Luster then decides to go to school with Dave the next day to confront his teacher. Once he arrives, he angrily explains to Professor Herbert his opinion on the matter. Professor Herbert acknowledges his concerns and then begins to explain to him how school works and why it was helpful for the students to go on a field trip. By the end of the school day Luster and Professor Herbert become friends and Luster decides to stay with Dave after school to finish paying off the…

    • 1497 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sandra Cisneros’s essay, “Only Daughter” is an autobiography about being raised in a family of six brothers, and how she is desperate for her dad to accept her for whom she is, and what she has become, a writer. “When he was finally finished after what seemed like hours, my father looked up and asked: where can we get more copies of this for the relatives?”(114). In this quote, Cisneros’ dad really shows how proud he feels towards his daughter and how much he enjoyed her story, making Cisneros feel appreciated. In Amy Tan’s short story, “Mother Tongue” she writes about how she is passionate for all the different types of English that she is capable…

    • 1111 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    This is a perfect example as it proves he was not alone in his struggle. The class as a whole became their own support group in order to cope. It’s clear that the teacher set the stage for public humiliation. By doing so it made for a treacherous learning environment.…

    • 751 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Miss Brill and Miss Emily

    • 835 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Samantha McPherson R.Bishop English 1312 Comp II Online 6 Oct. 2011 Miss Brill & Miss Emily Emily Grierson from “A Rose for Emily” and Miss Brill from the story “Miss Brill” are two women that are trying to relive their past in the present time. In these stories, you are taken into the lives of two elderly women living very different lives, yet sharing many characteristics. You wouldn’t think to compare these two characters, but if you do, they are strikingly similar in many ways. In addition to being significantly alike, they also have their obvious differences. From the very beginning of both stories, we can tell that the women are lonely.…

    • 835 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The morning my alarm went off for my EDHE class my mind instantly went to skipping. Even though my dorm is not even a minute away from the Kinard building, where class was being held this particular morning, the monstrous hill that I had to climb to get there made it a breathtaking five minute walk. I finally found the courage to roll out of bed and began my journey to class to hear about that day's lesson, which is a lesson that will stick with me for the rest of my life.…

    • 293 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Planning a Response

    • 1893 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Writing in Context provides you with the opportunity to explore a variety of writing styles. In approaching the task, you are to write in an expository, persuasive and imaginative style. Within each style of writing there is a wide range of forms. This page explains the three different styles and different forms of writing (each with explanatory links).…

    • 1893 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Speak Essay

    • 554 Words
    • 3 Pages

    High school is supposed to be a fun, new, and exciting experience. The novel Speak is about a social outcast named Melinda and her struggles to fit in in high school. She doesn’t have any true friends because no one stays around long enough to hear her story. The book is written by Laurie Halse Anderson. Throughout the novel Melinda shows her emotional discomfort through actions instead of speaking out. In the end she speaks up for herself and she finds a happier state of being.…

    • 554 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Symbolic Complex

    • 676 Words
    • 3 Pages

    An epiphany: a sudden realization of great truth. No piece of writing has affected me at a level even remotely close to what this essay has. In the Loss of the Creature by Walker Percy, so many fallacies of modern day society are exposed for what they truly are. I discovered that I, along with the majority of society have been letting myself be swayed hopelessly by the perceptions and expectations of others. A perfect example of this was my first thoughts of this class. All I could think about was what I would need to do to secure a high grade in the class, at whatever the cost. I came to the conclusion after reading this essay that it is not the grade, the simple one letter answer, which is valuable; it is the knowledge that I take from the class that holds the true value. For the first time in my life I am working not for the recognition of passing from all of my teachers and peers, but the recognition of learning from myself.…

    • 676 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    During my tenth grade year my English class always flowed smoothly. As a class we were never really required to do much more than babysit ourselves. There were countless days we sat in class and did simple worksheets on the book Night by Elie Wiesel which I had read in the eighth grade. Not realizing this was an English class it felt like kindergarten all over again. I had even considered it to be the best class period through my first two years of high school. It was chill, easy, and, comfortable. That comfortableness had not only crippled me but was what played a key part in my eleventh grade misery. That’s when it had all started.…

    • 673 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The government are intervening for a couple of different reasons. Business contributes to the economic wealth of a nation with jobs and taxes (Crane and Matten, 2010) but the costs of healthcare to deal with the impacts of poor nutrition are borne by the government on behalf of the taxpayer. Business also has a moral obligation to repay society for the public resources it utilizes for its ' success and with the goals of opposing parties sometimes coming into conflict, it is the role of the government to intervene and act as an arbitrator to mediate between these competing parties. (Ryan, Parker & Brown, 2003)…

    • 982 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Speak Essay

    • 1119 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The novel Speak is about a girl named Melinda. She is very shy and timid throughout the story but that is only because she had gotten raped at a party over the summer. She called the cops because of what had happened so for calling the cops everyone hated her and wouldn’t talk to her, even her best friends. A main part or motif of the story is mirrors. Every time Melinda looks in a mirror or a reflective object it reflects on how she is feeling about herself that part of the story. The images of herself that she sees progress through the story along with Melinda’s attitude.…

    • 1119 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The time between the end of nursery and that first day of primary school, flew by faster than the speed of light. However it was only until the end of the summer that it dawned upon me that school was fast approaching. I dreaded leaving the comfort of nursery and entering the new world of primary school. It seems silly now but it was the most frightening day of my childhood. However no matter how much I dreaded that day I never used any excuses to get out of it. Maybe because I was also a bit excited. All I could think about was what my class was going to be like and who my teacher was. Trying on school cloths in the shop made me more nervous. I thought, of course I was going to get picked on looking like this, but never thought that everyone else would look the same and was properly thinking the same. I got the school blazer and new shoes from Clarks, also a pencil case and everything to go in it. I was fully prepared in one sense. However I was not prepared emotionally.…

    • 1081 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays