David Sedaris’s “The Learning Curve”Pages 486-493

What is a learning curve?

• A learning curve is a graphical representation of the increase of learning (vertical axis) with experience (horizontal axis).

So How Does the Learning Curve fit this piece?

Don’t forget

•When writing about an essay, make sure you include the title in quotation marks.

• “The Learning Curve”

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• Types of essays

• Would you classify the essay as narrative, expository, or argumentative? Explain. Is the classification clear? If not, why?

• Narrative- it tells the story of his first semester of teaching at the School of Art Institute of Chicago.

• Continue on next slide

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• Is the essay narrative, expository, or persuasive?

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• Is the essay narrative, expository, or persuasive?

• It is very clear that it is narrative. The reader can see each element of the plot.

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• Exposition- a year after graduating, he was offered a job teaching because the previous professor found a better paying job as a pizza delivery man. Teaching was something he hadn’t prepared for and felt inadequate for the position.

• Rising Action-• Passed out the name tags similar to his 4th grade teacher

• Had them write a brief essay on the theme of profound disappointment.

• Allowed smoking in class, which was against the rules, because famous authors always smoked, and a student pointed out that there were famous authors that didn’t smoke. This pointed out is limited knowledge about literature.

• Wants to be an authority in the classroom. Tries to look the part by tie, briefcase, and opening and closing doors.

• Had students write an letter to their mother in prison. This was a creative assignment. Sadly, one student had a father and uncle in prison, and the essay assignment was too real.

• Started discussions- Celebrity Corner, Feedbag Forum, and Pillow Talk. Pillow talk didn’t go so well. He started having them watch daily soap operas. One student complained.

• Started having the students write “fiction” which was really stories about their lives.

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• Climax- a returning student, someone returning to education late in their life, didn’t like his comments on the ending of her paper. The student asked the teacher “’who in the hell are you to tell me that my story has no ending?’” (492).

• Falling Action-

• Teacher was faced with his fears. What authority did he have in this classroom? His response was “’I am the only one who is paid to be in this room’” (492).

• Teacher was asked then “how much [was] the school paying” him (492). He answered honestly which wasn’t very much money.

• Resolution- the room laughed. The room came together as one.

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• Language, Style, and Structure

• In general, is the essay formal or informal?

• How so? What are some examples?

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• Language, Style, and Structure

• In general, is the essay formal or informal?

• How so? What are some examples?

• Informal

• Lighthearted

• Simple language, conversational

Humor

• To what extent does you won experience as a writing student help you appreciate the plight of the teacher and students?

Humor

• To what extent does you won experience as a writing student help you appreciate the plight of the teacher and students?

• What events did you think were especially funny? What made them humorous?

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• Language, Style, and Structure

• How would you describe the writer’s voice? Do you find the author believable? Why?

•

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• Language, Style, and Structure

• How would you describe the writer’s voice? Do you find the author believable? Why?

• in the beginning, he is doubtful and fearful. At the end of the essay, Sedaris is confident. He is also honest & sincere about his experience.

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• Language, Style, and Structure

•Was the voice of the author effective in conveying the essay’s meaning? Why?

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• Language, Style, and Structure

•Was the voice of the author effective in conveying the essay’s meaning? Why?

• Yes. Since the author is so genuine, it makes the reader believe him and sympathize with him.

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• Language, Style, and Structure

• Is the language formal or informal? What does the nature of the language tell you about the essay?

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• Language, Style, and Structure

• Is the language formal or informal? What does the nature of the language tell you about the essay?

• The author must be informal in order to speak to the everyday person. Also, since the story is about being a faker and inexperienced, having a simply written essay is best to convey Sedaris’s message.

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• Language, Style, and Structure

• Are there many instances of imagery and figurative language (simile, metaphor)? If so, how do they connect to or support the essay?

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• Language, Style, and Structure

• Are there many instances of imagery and figurative language (simile, metaphor)? If so, how do they connect to or support the essay?

• Simile- “like branding steers or embalming the dead, teaching was a profession I had never seriously considered” (487). This simile is used to show how little thought he had given to the profession of teaching. He is also showing that teaching was ranked at the bottom with branding steer and embalming the dead.

• Note: Make sure you are not just identifying the figurative language, but that you are discussing why the author used each.

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• Language, Style, and Structure

• Are there many instances of imagery and figurative language (simile, metaphor)? If so, how do they connect to or support the essay?

Checklist page 149

• Language, Style, and Structure

• Are there many instances of imagery and figurative language (simile, metaphor)? If so, how do they connect to or support the essay?

• Irony- “A terrible silence overtook the room, and seeing no other option, I instructed my students to pull out their notebooks and write a brief essay related to the theme of profound disappointment.” This is ironic because he had such high hopes for his own for this experience.

• Note: Make sure you are not just identifying the figurative language, but that you are discussing why the author used each.

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• Theme

• What is the intention of the essay? Is it trying to inform us of something? To prove or convince us of something? To share an insight?

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• Theme

• What is the intention of the essay? Is it trying to inform us of something? To prove or convince us of something? To share an insight?

• The story is meant to speak to anyone who feels like faker or inadequate. This is natural. Sedaris is trying to tell us that it is okay.

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• Theme

• What is the theme?

•

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• Theme

• What is the theme?

• We all find ourselves faking it (or feel like we are faking it) at one point or another. This is okay. We do not become experts immediately because we have no experience. We must all start out somewhere and work our way to knowing what we are doing. This is how life works.

Outline

• Intro

• Attention grabber

• Thesis

• Body Paragraph x3

• Topic Sentence

• Support with textual evidence (paraphrase, summarize, quote)

• Concluding sentence

• Conclusion

• Restate thesis

• Readdress main points of body paragraphs

Topics for body paragraphsGeneral

• Type of essay• Narrative

• Expository

• Argumentative

• Formal or Informal

• Voice & Tone

• Irony

• Word Choice & Figurative Language

• Satire

• Theme

The Learning Curve

Topics for body paragraphsGeneral

• Type of essay• Narrative

• Expository

• Argumentative

• Formal or Informal

• Voice & Tone

• Irony

• Word Choice & Figurative Language

• Satire

• Theme

The Learning Curve

• Type of essay- Narrative

• Informal

• Tone

• Irony

• Figurative Language

• Theme

1) Analyze the essay2) Pick 3 topics that you could

discuss in your essay. One for each body paragraph