Blog 8 by Ruthie Heavrin

Mimes are scary. I'm really surprised Sedaris found such inspiration in one, but at least it fulfilled him for a time and introduced him to a world of tights and makeup. The best thing about this piece is humor Sedaris points at himself. By showing how ridiculous he was, the reader understands how ridiculous they can be as well. The drama bug became an obsession, but once Sedaris saw the drama culture for what it actually is, he learned not to worship or idolize something without seeing the full picture first. Dissapointment is a reality for everyone. Sedaris' mother felt disappointment in her son's choice of hobbies, Hamlet's imagined mother imaginarily felt disappointment in her son's career, and Sedaris felt disappointment in his dreams as they came stumbling and drunk onto stage or easily swooned into bed. Sedaris so proudly spoke in King James English to show how cultured he had become. He saw that same foolish pride in Hamlet. Instead of writing about this serious topic in a dredgerous tone, he instead uses humor to portray the rawness and foils of humanity. Satire is stronger than serious tones just as laughter is stronger than crying. Sedaris still utilizes ethos, but he leaves the reader smiling and thoughtful, not sappy and melancholy. This is a trait that we, as writers, should take into consideration. Using specific details, building unique characters, and paralleling themes with syntax together work as a full production to send the reader with a memorable story.