Writerly Choices
A writely choice is something the author puts in the story to make the readers feel a certain way.
In "Standing By" by David Sedaris, there are a lot of writerly choices for the readers to come across. I think most of these choices are trying to provoke a certain emotion from the readers. For example, Sedaris uses a lot of humor in his story in many different ways. One of the ways that stands out the most to me was when he was making fun of the kid in front of him, Sedaris could have just summed up the kid by saying he was a poorly dressed teenager with a baby. Instead he decided to go more into detail and explain why he was making fun of the kid by saying, "Then, too, Stevie Wonder didn't have acne on his neck, and wear baggy denim shorts that fell midway between his knees and his ankles. Topping it off was the kid's T-shit. I couldn't see the front of it, but printed in large letters across the back were the words "Freaky Mothafocka"...." (276). By going off on such a rant, Sedaris adds a lot of humor to the text and makes it feel more realistic to the reader. I think if he didn't incorporate humor, the whole story could have been offensive to the reader.
Sedaris had a lot of controversial statements in the story. He referenced Hitler, made fun of the people he saw and even told the readers his political views. These choices relate directly to his humor. He used the humor to cover up all of these topics. He wanted these topics to be known and heard, but he didn't want to lose readers because of it. I think he used the humor to keep the readers attention and cover up the offensive things he talked about. "I imagined a man picking up the receiver, his voice made soft by surprise and the possibility of bad news. "Yes, hello, this is Adolf Hitler." Thinking of it made me laugh, and that brought me back to the present,and the fellow behind me in the khaki shorts. "Isn't it amazing how quickly one man can completely screw up a country," he was saying. "You got that right," Mr. Mustache agreed." (277). Sedaris could have just called the man Adolf Hitler and left it at that but he used humor in such a way that it wasn't as offensive to the reader but it still managed to get his point across. The choices Sedaris mad in the story were carefully chosen and each played an important role in the story. Most of these choices were particular situations or words he used to make the reader feel the emotions Sedaris wants them to.
I think the reason Sedaris went into such detail about all of the situations he found himself in was to put the reader in his spot. This is an extremely important choice he made because this allowed Sedaris to have the power to persuade the readers into feeling the emotions he was throwing out. "Hell, I should have punched her is what I should have done!" (276). Instead of just stating that he was listening to an old man ramble about how angry he was with the flight attendant, Sedaris quoted what the man was actually saying. If Sedaris didn't do this, the story would be very dry and the point would be lost. This is not the only time Sedaris used this choice, he actually used it all through the story, beginning, middle and end. Every time he introduced a new person to the readers, he went into detail describing them and showing their personality through the things they say. I think if Sedaris didn't tell us these things, the whole point of the story would be lost.
To me, the purpose of the whole story was to challenge people. I honestly think Sedaris wants people to realize how they act, whether it's good or bad. A lot of the things Sedaris does in the story relate directly to human nature. Throughout the whole story, Sedaris is judging people and whining. Everyone does these things. We all judge people even if we aren't trying to and we all complain about something every now and then. It's just how people work, human nature, something we can't control. Everything he puts in the story is there for a reason, so people think about how they would react in the particular situation. "We're forever blaming the airline industry for turning us into monsters: it's the fault of the ticket agents, the baggage handlers, the slowpoke at the newsstands and the fast-food restaurants. But what if this is who we truly are, and the airport's just a forum that allows us to be our real selves, not just hateful but gloriously so?" (277). This is at the end of the story, right before Sedaris wraps it up. I think it's placed at the end so it sticks in our heads. That is his challenge to everyone, it makes one question the way they think and act. It makes you wonder, "Am I really this person or is it from the situation I'm in?". I think that the challenge is extremely twisted and is really weird to think about but I think that small little part of the story, was the whole purpose.
Sedaris had a lot of controversial statements in the story. He referenced Hitler, made fun of the people he saw and even told the readers his political views. These choices relate directly to his humor. He used the humor to cover up all of these topics. He wanted these topics to be known and heard, but he didn't want to lose readers because of it. I think he used the humor to keep the readers attention and cover up the offensive things he talked about. "I imagined a man picking up the receiver, his voice made soft by surprise and the possibility of bad news. "Yes, hello, this is Adolf Hitler." Thinking of it made me laugh, and that brought me back to the present,and the fellow behind me in the khaki shorts. "Isn't it amazing how quickly one man can completely screw up a country," he was saying. "You got that right," Mr. Mustache agreed." (277). Sedaris could have just called the man Adolf Hitler and left it at that but he used humor in such a way that it wasn't as offensive to the reader but it still managed to get his point across. The choices Sedaris mad in the story were carefully chosen and each played an important role in the story. Most of these choices were particular situations or words he used to make the reader feel the emotions Sedaris wants them to.
I think the reason Sedaris went into such detail about all of the situations he found himself in was to put the reader in his spot. This is an extremely important choice he made because this allowed Sedaris to have the power to persuade the readers into feeling the emotions he was throwing out. "Hell, I should have punched her is what I should have done!" (276). Instead of just stating that he was listening to an old man ramble about how angry he was with the flight attendant, Sedaris quoted what the man was actually saying. If Sedaris didn't do this, the story would be very dry and the point would be lost. This is not the only time Sedaris used this choice, he actually used it all through the story, beginning, middle and end. Every time he introduced a new person to the readers, he went into detail describing them and showing their personality through the things they say. I think if Sedaris didn't tell us these things, the whole point of the story would be lost.
To me, the purpose of the whole story was to challenge people. I honestly think Sedaris wants people to realize how they act, whether it's good or bad. A lot of the things Sedaris does in the story relate directly to human nature. Throughout the whole story, Sedaris is judging people and whining. Everyone does these things. We all judge people even if we aren't trying to and we all complain about something every now and then. It's just how people work, human nature, something we can't control. Everything he puts in the story is there for a reason, so people think about how they would react in the particular situation. "We're forever blaming the airline industry for turning us into monsters: it's the fault of the ticket agents, the baggage handlers, the slowpoke at the newsstands and the fast-food restaurants. But what if this is who we truly are, and the airport's just a forum that allows us to be our real selves, not just hateful but gloriously so?" (277). This is at the end of the story, right before Sedaris wraps it up. I think it's placed at the end so it sticks in our heads. That is his challenge to everyone, it makes one question the way they think and act. It makes you wonder, "Am I really this person or is it from the situation I'm in?". I think that the challenge is extremely twisted and is really weird to think about but I think that small little part of the story, was the whole purpose.
This sounds like it could reallllly help you put an essay together!
ReplyDeleteTwo comments:
1. Where is your voice? Talk more about your experience as a reader! What did effect did these choices have on you as you were reading? Do you have an opinion about things? I see it at the very end, but not as much in the humor discussion.
2. Is there a way to connect the humor with the challenge? You try to do this a bit, but it would be beneficial for your reader if you could help them see how the two work together (or don't work together).