This morning in class, as models for your own literacy narratives, we will examine David Sedaris‘s “Me Talk Pretty One Day” and “The Day Language Came into My Life,” the first pages of Chapter Four of Helen Keller’s autobiography, The Story of My Life.
In groups of three or four, you and your classmates will collaboratively address the following questions:
- Which of Helen Keller’s paragraphs present scene, and which provide summary?
- Where does Davis Sedaris first shift from summary to scene?
- Where does Sedaris use figurative language?
- Where does he employ hyperbole?
- Bonus: Where does Keller include a biblical allusion?
The first two questions focus on scene and summary because they are important methods of treating time in narratives. Simply put, scene shows the reader what is taking place, while summary tells the reader what has happened over time.
The last three questions focus on details of language. Scene is to time what concrete details are to the senses. Such details allow readers to experience the story as if they are looking over the narrator’s shoulder.
Together, Sedaris’s essay and Keller’s chapter excerpt demonstrate two vastly different ways to present a literacy narrative. “Me Talk Pretty One Day” offers a quirky look at the challenges of learning French from a sarcastic, soul-crushing instructor. Keller’s story poignantly recounts learning to make meaning through the sign language of her teacher, Annie Sullivan, learning that certain finger positions mean “water” for those who cannot hear it, and for others, like her, who can neither see nor hear it.
Next Up
Wordplay Day! To prepare for class, look to the Dictionary and World Builder pages on the Scrabble website, and review the posts devoted to Scrabble tips.
Jane Lucas 