5-510pm: Settle in…. How’s your day?
510-530pm: What do you want to discuss about Sedaris? What ideas do you want to share with us?
530-550pm: Passages that made you FEEL something. What did they make you feel, think?
550-6pm: Close…. What’s on your page?
ASSIGNMENT: READ THE NEXT FOUR ESSAYS IN DIABETES WITH OWLS, THEN EMAIL ME A 2-PAGE TYPED REACTION BEFORE NEXT CLASS. PLEASE MAKE SURE THE REACTION IS DOUBLE-SPACED, 12-POINT FONT. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, TEXT ME AT 707-322-7289.
#professormikey 
Hello everyone,
hope you are doing very well. my day is been alright. I work in a hospital and I manage emergency codes. since I have working here I haven’t had 4 codes one after each one. yes I did forgot some of the things, but I managed it. Proud of myself, how’s everyone so far?
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Welcome!!!
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thank you . Mr. Mike just take it slow. Better time will come.
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What?
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I am doing good today! Just spent my time reading and doing some homework.Proud of you too! Managing emergency codes must be stressful.
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its stressful, but its more stressful when all of the sudden codes decide to come up each after another one.
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It is, thank you 🙂
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Totally, I bet!!
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Hi Paige!!!
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Hi Mr. M!! How are you today?
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Doing well!! Busy day, more than just productive but passionate and impassioned… loving the day. Lots of business being done in that part of my life, and lots of enlivening and promising projects close by.. I’m so alive right now I can barely f/cking stand it, honestly. ❤
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Hello! How is everything going? My day has been pretty good. Had math class this morning and have been studying since then.
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Hi Debora!!!
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That’s awesome! Being not only productive but passionate about what you’re doing as well is really fulfilling.
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I’m doing good today, I’ve been struggling to get stuff done despite all the free time I have specifically for school. Hopefully next week I’ll have better motivation to get things done
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Times are tough. Long as you keep moving….
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I completely understand! I have been trying my hardest to keep motivated! As long as you are trying your best!
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Hello everyone! great to see that we have another class ahead of us. Ive been working all day and got off a couple of hours ago.
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Hi Finn!! Welcome!!
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Whatup yalll…. I’m here!!!! Let’s LIGHT IT UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Only got an hour… show us what you got!!!
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My day was alright. I’ve been super tired since I woke up. I’ve just been doing schoolwork and attending classes, but I am excited because I’m going to the beach once class is over.
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Jelz…. What beach?
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Not sure yet. We’re going to go to Bodega Bay and drive by them all first. Schoolhouse is my favorite especially during the late fall and spring because a small waterfall forms in one of the coves on the beach so you get to sit next a secluded waterfall.
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Cheers. Drive safe, and please bring a journal!! Good writing by those sea sounds…. 🙂
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Sedaris is so relevant in these times, and so encouraging is his snarky sense…
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Hi friends. I missed the last class due to my stomach being a jerk, but I’m excited for today! 🙂
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Whatup Dominic. We missed you. Welcome back, my friend.
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Hey y’all who’s ready for that 3 day weekend
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Whatup Jake…. Thanks for coming.
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I’ve been working on homework and projects all day!! I got work this weekend so I dont have much time to work on it then so I’m trying to work on them as much as I can
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There she is!!!
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What kind of projects are they?
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Math and Physics
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Ick… lol
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Good Evening Everyone!!!!! I hope you all had a great day. My day was a good day, I spent the day working again! Looking forward to tonight!
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Whatup Shantel. Thanks for coming. How was your day?
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My day was great thanks for asking! I just finished my Viticulture class just before this class! How was your day?
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Do you want to be in the wine world? Asking because if so, I got you…. I am DEEP in the wine business. Just had someone come to my house to pick up some vino… let me know if I can help, in any way. 🙂
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Yes! I am very interested, I am hoping to one day own my own winery! Looking forward to talking with you more about it!
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Text me tomorrow… let me know when you can do a call. Cheers.
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I’m excited to talk about Sedaris! Reading his essays have kept me in a good mood today – it is good to have laugh.
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Learn anything from him? On writing, approaches to life, self, humor, happiness?
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I learned a lot on happiness when reading his stuff. I like his simplistic view, but also how he makes you appreciate the good things that you do have. The essay Easy Tiger really makes me think differently.
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While reading i have to say that my favorite section has to be easy tiger. I love how he explains everything that he went through and especially his thoughts about Germany and it’s language. “Lebensabschnittspartner,” has to be my favorite word from it and i love the meaning behind it. The person I am with today, not your lover or partner.
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Hey hope everyone is having a good day. I cleaned up my house today and had a Spanish class this morning.
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My day has been pretty mediocre. I’ve mostly been playing with my dog and i went for a walk at the park near my house which was nice. besides that i just went to my math class earlier.
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Hey everyone! I haven’t done much today other than homework
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Welcome, Giovanni! How’s your day?
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Pretty good and productive
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Hey Everybody! Hope ya’ll are enjoying your day 🙂 mine’s been cruising along alright
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Hi Paloma… Thanks for coming!
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Hi everyone, I’m doing good. Had a day off today so I really just stayed in bed and watch a documentary. Went to play basketball today and happy that the air is really air and not smoke and ash.
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Hi all! I’ve been catching up on school work and enjoying this wonderful weather! Finally able to go outside again without all the smoke! Just in time for the predicted 90-100 degree weather this weekend haha
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I know… gotta have that water, or in my case white wine on-tap, lol….
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What was everyones favorite essay they read ?
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Good question!!! Colleagues????…….
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I like think differenter, how about you?
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I like that one. But what about the most recent ones we read?
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My favorite essay so hard either been attaboy or easy tiger!
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Why…. build a position/argument…
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I really enjoyed If I Ruled the World it was full of satire through and through and the entire time I was picturing a morbidly obese man with a farmers tan, buck teeth and a MAGA hat on was talking to me.
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I liked the first two, but all the others I have not enjoyed.
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Well, aside from enjoyment, do the pieces function? Are they composed? Do they work and make sense?
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why is that?
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The essays function well and his style flows really works. That part is good. For me what he’s doing makes sense, but what he is saying does not make as much sense. I just keep thinking, why would someone say something like that.
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Do you know why you haven’t liked them?
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I don’t like the way he talks. There’s a difference between being blunt, and being rude. The negativity about others is not my vibe.
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Well… look further into it. We all talk about being accepting. Myself, especially. I agree, at times Sedaris is a f/cking dick. But, he may be trying to show us something, or being sarcastic. If I’m to teach you anything this semester, LOOK FURTHER INTO THE TEXT. 🙂
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I kinda liked a friend in the ghetto but the rest didn’t grab my attention
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I agree with you that there is a difference in being blunt and being rude! I had a friend for a while that thought her rudeness was her being blunt haha. I think that Sedaris is blunt about his cynical view of things though.
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I like The Differenter how about you ?
Im still working, doing my best on been here .
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What did you like about it? How did the essay work, in your opinion? Why was it strong, or effective?
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I liked Joggerheads because it was it was interesting and sweet. Some parts really interesting lol
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The lil turtles ;(
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lol
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What was sweet about it?
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my favorite one is If I ruled the world. I laugh so hard on this essay. The way he talks about Jesus and trying ban all the people who are not christians. Although it is sad because I know some people who act like that.
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Hello everybody! Today was quite the stressful day at work lol but I just switched from full time to part time. So I hope this makes my transition into “college life” much easier! I look forward to dedicating more time into Sedaris and sharing my thoughts with the rest of you!
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Evelyn, I thought that think differenter was very interesting!
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A note for your notes….. If you don’t like a piece, or do, it’s not as important as you think. What’s crucial and useful for the sake of this class is if a piece functions. If it has a clear message…. Be subject but also objective in your reading. PLEASE HAVE THIS IN YOUR NOTES FOR TONIGHT. You opinion should be incorporated, but moderated. ❤
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sorry I’m super late! I hope everyone is doing well. My day has been very busy because of work. Hopefully it turns around.
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It’s okay. You’re here now. LIGHT IT UP!!!!!!
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Hello everyone
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What do you want to discuss about Sedaris? What ideas do you want to share with us? … FOLLOW THE TIMES, Y’ALL!!!!!!!
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I think these last three essays I read were easier for me to read just because I have figured out his writing style. So I am really looking forward to reading the rest.
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A note for your notes….. The opposite of happiness accentuates the value of happiness. Sedaris shows us this in EVERY essay.
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What I notice about Sedaris is that he is very honest with the reader. He’s really giving us every detail for every story and you can tell he is not ashamed of his past and tell it how it is. I can appreciate this because he telling a lot of stuff most people won’t tell in their lifetime just for us to learn a lesson or something valuable to take from his essays
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Examples?
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I liked A Friend in the Ghetto especially the beginning with the salesman over the phone, which I found pretty funny
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Nice!! Any quotes you want to share?
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The one at the beginning where salesman says that he can use the phone to call his friends and he responds with “I don’t have any friends”
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I really liked the author´s note (a weird thing to notice I know). “They’re the pieces in which I am a woman, a father, and a sixteen-year-old girl with a fake British accent.” It reminded me of the Prince lyrics, “I’m not a woman/ I’m not a man/ I am something that you’ll never understand.”
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Sedaris brings me the sensation that he does not have any concerns about the things he writes. He doesn’t have the second thought like ”oh no I shouldn’t say that, or that wouldn’t sound nice” it is like talking to a kid that doesn’t know what they should say or not. Today when I was reading I felt so into the book that almost make me feel that I was having a conversation with him and he was just telling me all of those stories.
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So. Very. TRUE.
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From what I see I think Sedaris tries to write multiple essays that appeal to different groups of people. Like I enjoyed the first few but kinda lost interest with the recent essays. I can’t wait to see how he grabs my attention again with later chapters.
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he has the ability to reach across to everyone, yet stay true to himself and what’s on his mind
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SPECIFICALLY, why did he “lose your interest”??
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It might have to do with work getting me in a bad mood lol. But I just feel the first 4 chapters actually grabbed my attention and with the last three, I just wasn’t as into them. It could be the stories, the way he told them, or it could just be me in a funk
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Also, I didn’t realize this book would be separate monologue pieces! I was expecting a traditional chapter book so this is a cool change of pace.
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Good to be open and accepting of different style and lives in literature.
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Yes, I also like Friend in the ghetto because it shows us how he wants to talk to people and especially people who have entirely different upbringing than him,
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Sedaris isn’t the worst author ive ever read a novel from however i stand by my statement that the comedy he tells in his Essays dont work in this format and what really turned me onto that was in the story about the turtles and how The Sedaris’s character walked in on 2 men having sex in a library as a small child and it felt underwhelming. If i heard that out loud i believe it would be leagues and miles better than written. Shock based comedy like that doesn’t work in a novel generally since there is no real emphasis on how Sedaris felt at that moment to help us. just that he wanted a coke. He did premiere on a talk show and with that context i can see where his style of comedy comes from it just doesn’t translate to paper and ink very well.
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Then make a critical post from your assessment of Sedaris. I will maintain my position in that if you like or don’t like his writing doesn’t matter. Form an argument…. why it fails or functions as a piece of writing.
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“I wasn’t broken, just resting, readying myself for the next big thing.”
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🙂
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I would say when reading Sedaris I have to really remind myself of his edgy style. In particular If I Ruled the World was one that I had to read and then read again. I enjoy the pieces where he is open and honest about his opinion, however the switch from occasional satire to FULL satire was a confusing jump for me. Overall though I think his honesty is refreshing. I like that he doesn’t try to sugar coat the tough subjects and it makes it even more enjoyable, when he writes chronologically, to see his personal growth. He doesn’t try to lie to the reader about who he is which creates almost a safe space. Granted, as the reader you may not agree with all of his points of view, but it makes them more tolerable. There are certain parts of his essays, like in A Friend in the Ghetto where he discusses his mom’s take on befriending those less fortunate, that definitely rubbed me the wrong way. Ultimately though, the essays were well written and even if they upset me, the structure and the composition again made them easier to ingest.
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Love this post. Thank you. Colleagues, please take note….
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I think Sedaris is just completely himself and doesn’t really give a crap about trying to appease others.
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As he should
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I agree with you. It is like he writes everything that comes to his mind.
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Mr. Mike for the most recent one I like is Standing Still. Because as I was reading it, when it says ” The situation got weirder still when I notice the baseball bat lying across the backseat of the car. It make me remember a lot of things that are happening at this time. wont go into detail but I was thinking to write a book about my life LOL Just Kidding
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Thank you!! And, please call me MIKE. 🙂
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alright, Mike
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A Friend in the Ghetto and Loggerheads are both phenomenal in my opinion. They both were packed with so much. Friend in the Ghetto is so honest and exposes realities that are uncomfortably true. Loggerheads made me laugh. So hard. For it to also reveal some of Sedaris’ journey to unraveling his identity is very interesting. I’m curious to know if there is symbolism tied into this chapter regarding the turtles.
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I find that reading his essays have me entranced until the very end wanting to know more about what’s going to happen next. His honesty to the reader is admirable along with his commitment to having strong personality characters.
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“Listen, I’m not a parent myself, but I think the best solution at this point is to slap the child right across the face.” This was one of my favorite lines because I can relate so much to this especially at my job when there are parents who let their kids scream and run around the place. This one goes out to y’all
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Quote from A Friend in Ghetto”Someone who lives in a mansion spun of golden floss, forget it, but someone who lives in an old refrigerator beside a drainage ditch—by all means, call me! Collect, even.
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“Oh, hoe exhausting it was to let someone adore you” pg 50. I felt that. Grandparents do that so much and you take advantage of it but when it’s gone, you’ll regret it. Grandparents are so pure and cute! They just want someone to talk to most of the time. But I did understand what he meant I agree
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Focus on that connection… That you have with him.
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A note for your notes….. When reading an author’s words, and this includes your own, be removed. Be objective. Yes, I have stresses your opinions and personal place in the text. BUT, I have always found it advantageous to take a step or ten BACK.
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Sedaris is aggressive with his approach to writing, he doesn’t hold back and he dives into uncomfortable topics. For example in If I Ruled The World he speaks of woman who have been raped and their access to abortion from a conservatives point of view in which they believe a woman should keep the child. I feel we shouldn’t be able to control what a woman does with her own body it objectifies them. Which in a sense is what he is conveying since the passage is complete satire.
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I love sedaris because the way that he understands perspective and opinion. He knows that everyone has a right to an opinion though knows that there are thoughts that a lot of us have that are similar. I think he was able to translate this into his writing because that’s what makes him unique is his way to describe things in his life with such utter plain ness. He can put himself into someone elses mind and tries to bring in his experiences and the way he thought through them to bring light to our experiences that could have been the same situation or a similar one.
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A note for your notes….. Life actuates truth from humor.
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A note for your notes…. Inventory your thinking.
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Passages that made you FEEL something…. WHAT DID YOU FEEL???
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