Me Talk College Writing One Day

At first glance “Me Talk Pretty One Day” by David Sedaris and The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing by Michael Harvey seem completely different. One is a humorous narrative chocked full of dialogue and characterization; one is short book describing the proper way to use punctuation, paragraphs, and personalization. However, on closer inspection it becomes apparent that some of the basic guidelines for college writing, outlined in The Nuts and Bolts are apparent in “Me Talk Pretty.”

While Sedaris follows Harvey’s advice for most of his essay (actually an excerpt from his book, Me Talk Pretty One Day), he falls sort within the first few sentences of his essay.  The second sentence of the first paragraph is very long-winded and goes against the main point of Harvey’s first chapter: Concision. Sedaris demonstrates the opposite with this sentence:

“After paying my tuition, I was issued a student ID, which allows me a discounted entry fee at movie theaters, puppet shows, and Festyland, a far-flung amusement park that advertises with billboards picturing a cartoon stegosaurus sitting in a canoe and eating what appears to be a ham sandwich."

This shows snippets of Sedaris’ student life in Paris, but it’s so long and rambling that the reader can get confused. Following Harvey’s advice, simplifying sentences makes them shorter and stronger, resulting in a more concise message. On page six Harvey states “…adverbs add nothing to the already strong verbs. They are just races of the pompous style in otherwise good sentences.” With Sedaris’ depiction of Festyland, it is easy to get lost in the linking verbs and passive descriptions.

            However, for the most part Sedaris does an excellent job carrying out the guidelines of Nuts and Bolts, particularly with chapter three’s topic: Flow.

On page twenty-three Harvey says, “…good essays should unfold like stores…showing characters doing things or being described,” This is one of Sedaris’ strengths. The action in his essay revolves around interactions with his teacher. Whether through direct dialogue or describing the interactions unfolding before him, Sedaris treats it as a story. Following Harvey’s advice, he controls how the reader moves from character to character by handing off passages with new dialogue. On page twelve Sedaris begins with the two Polish Annas, then moving to the teacher’s direct dialogue with them. From there he starts the next paragraph with a recollection of the first Anna’s reaction, followed by the second Anna’s failure, and brief summary of their bewilderment. This flow of character interaction hands the reader to a new character for each paragraph. In addition to using consistent flesh-and-blood characters, Sedaris also uses abstract characters - ideas or fact: the confusion of the individual students, the challenges of the language, or his own discomfort in the situation (as demonstrated in the second and third paragraphs of page fourteen).

“My fear and discomfort crept beyond the borders of the classroom . . . “

“My only comfort was the knowledge I was not alone,”

In accordance with Harvey’s guidelines, there is a key word/phrase used to transition between paragraphs. In this case they are comfort and discomfort.

Tackling his uncomfortable experience from several different angles, for the most part Sedaris utilizes the advice given in The Nuts and Bolts of Collage Writing, creating a clear and effective essay.