Craft Analysis of "Me Talk Pretty One Day" - David Sedaris

Me Talk Pretty One Day. The title alone reels you in as you want to read the text to find out what the meaning behind the title is. That is the reason that I chose this passage to read. Sedaris' tone throughout the essay is kind of a depressed tone, it sounds like he is depressed and put down by the instructor of his french course. He is really into the fact that he wants to learn french. He moves to France and goes to a school there, as to learn the language better than he could in America. Sedaris is not alone in being belittled by his instructor for she didn't just pick on him but the rest of the class. But he still went home every night and studied everything so that he could go to class the next day and know just a little more so the teacher wouldn't pick on him as much. The tone of the time during class was a depressed tone, that everyone wanted to be there but at the same time didn't want to be there. The teacher rode on a high horse because she didn't speak only fluent french but 4 other languages too, including English, which she shows to Sedaris by saying in English "I hate you, I really hate you." (found on page 3, last paragraph) Now why in her right mind does the teacher feel the need to put everyone down, and to say something of this nature stating that she hates him. Why is that, is it because she herself has troubles in her life and she feels in her time of power of being the professor of a french course and the only one that can speak it fluently, that she can emasculate everyone in the class. But through all of that all of the students including Sedaris, go home every night and study their french for hours on end, an example of it is stated on page 14, 1st paragraph. "I took to spending 4 hours a night on my homework, putting in even more time when we were assigned an essay." Because of that the tone suddenly switches from a depressed tone to an upbeat tone right towards the end of the essay when Sedaris states, "Understanding doesn't mean that you can suddenly speak the language. Far from it. It's a small step, nothing more, yet it's rewards are intoxicating and deceptive. The teacher continued her diatribe and I settled back, bathing in the subtle beauty of each new curse and insult." From that moment the professor goes on to belittle Sedaris but this time he isn't hurt or insulted by it. He takes from it and with confidence replies to her insults with, "I know the thing that you speak exact now. Talk me more, you, plus, please, plus. Leaving you with a feeling of happiness and joy knowing that Sedaris gained his confidence back. From the tone of the essay it makes everything feel a lot better in the end.