Me Talk Pretty One Day

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Me Talk Pretty One Day Although language is one the basic ways human beings interact and communicate, the process of learning a new non-native language can be difficult and exhausting. In this process, the teacher has a vital role, which is why it is essential that the teacher have an appropriate attitude towards his or her students. How influential is a teacher? The short story “Me Talk Pretty One Day”, written by David Sedaris, is an excellent example of this. David Sedaris wrote “Me Talk Pretty One Day” in 2005. The point of departure in the story is the 41-year old student David, who moves to Paris, France in the hope of learning French. David’s process of learning French is throughout the story being complicated by his teacher. I will unravel this short story by analysing the writer’s tone and attitude in relation to learning French. I will also provide an account of the narrative technique used in this story. Furthermore, I will give a characterization of the important characters in this story, David and his teacher. “Me Talk Pretty One Day” deals with a 41-year old student, David, who attend French classes in order to learn French. David is by far the oldest student among his classmates, who all are talented French-speakers: “everyone spoke in what sounded to me like excellent French”. The different students attending the French class have different nationalities, creating a diverse and interesting environment: “we learned that Carlos, the Argentine bandonion player, loved wine, music, and, in his own words, making sex with the womens off the world”. The teacher of the class has a rough and straightforward way of teaching, not afraid of shaming a student in front of the class. At times, the teacher is unpredictable and abusive: “(…) to spend time in the presence of a wild animal (…) we soon learned to dodge chalk and protect our heads and stomachs
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