Good morning students. Below are links to two essays written by David Sedaris. The first is titled "Six to Eight Black Men" and the second is titled "Chicken in the Henhouse." Please note that when you go to the cite linked to you will have several options of which version to listen to. With the first essay, listen to the Live at Carnegie Hall version which has three parts. The second essay has five parts, and it is only important that you listen to each segment (the version doesn't matter). Most likely the hyperlinks will not work, and you will need to copy and paste the link into your browser. I am confident that you can figure it out. Once you have listened to the essays, please post a response in the comments section below.
http://grooveshark.com/#!/search?q=six+to+eight+black+men
http://grooveshark.com/#!/search?q=sedaris+chicken+in+the+henhouse
I think that David Sedraris's essay was hilarious. He used many things to politics, folk tales, and stories. It made die in laughter when talked about Santa beating the man with switch and stuffing him into a canvas sack. He raises a question on how Santa comes into people's house with six to eight black men even if they don't have a chimney they will find a way in. He makes Santa seem worse than what most people make him seem, which is the true meaning of comedy. The "Chicken in the Henhouse" was a complete change. I expected another comedy but no. He talked about homosexuals, the pope, pedophiles, and other subjects. This essay was more descriptive. He pointed out that people always want some else to blame when they can't find the answer to there problems. He talks about how people develop fears and maybe their hatred for other people.
ReplyDeleteThe comical, yet disturbing man in the "Chicken in the Henhouse" captures the listeners with his strange and disturbing actions. Because of his unordinary character, he immediately stands out of the crowd. In "Six to Eight Black Men", Sedaris still preserves that same humor but in a more comfortable atmosphere by poking fun at Christmas and the Pope.
ReplyDeleteI found "Six to Eight Black Men" extremely hilarious.David Sedaris mentions how its okay to use guns in some parts of the world, which is true. He then starts speaking upon Santa and how he lived in Spain but couldn't speak Spanish. This essay was comical and I listened to it about three times just because I fell in love with humorous ideas. Sedaris says he never understood the whole six to eight black men because it was either number but no one has seemed to get it right. The part that made me laugh the hardest was when he said slaves weren't known to be slaves anymore, they were called good friends. I think the purpose of this essay was to make fun of Santa and the six to eight black men, and it worked.
ReplyDeleteI think the first essay "Six to Eight Black Men" was really funny. At the beginning I thought it was going to be boring and that it was going to be hard to understand, but it was the total opposite. The part that made me laugh the most it was when he said that he was amazed that they would let blind people go hunting in Texas and Michigan. He also talked about how Santa would go with six to eight black people beating kids with a small branch and fake that they were kicking them. In the other hand, "Sedaris chicken in the hen house" was a little bit boring and it was hard for me to pay attention to it, but I notice that this essay is much more descriptive than the first one. Personally, I enjoyed the first one a lot more that the second one.
ReplyDeleteHonestly i listened to both story two times and i don't understand the whole story he is saying. I find it really boring listening to monotones for "Chicken the Henhouse". In "Six to Eight Black Men" I agree that there are things he says that is hilarious, such as blind people being legal to go hunting without assistance being on the side, and Santa breaking into peoples house with six to eight black men as elves. Those made me laugh but after laughing i feel lost because i laugh at parts of the story but i don't get it. I kind of realized that when he ask questions, he doesn't ask straight to the point or even mention it directly. For example, he was asking question about guns but he didn't say it directly. Same goes for waiting for the phone when he was waiting for the person to pick up. I just find it kind of common that he does that.
ReplyDeleteDavid Sedaris has a different type of humor that I do not find much of interest. Both of his essays feel completely different. Sandaris makes "Six to Eight Black Men" very humorous and just makes his audience. But in the essay "Chicken the Henhouse," the tone changes completely as he starts to talk about serious topics.
ReplyDeleteDavid Sedaris uses satire to make the point that Americans other countries differently. Saying that America is truly the best place to live. Compares the Christmas that other countries have and the figures that represent it for example the US believe in Santa Clause a “jolly obese American” and others in St. Nicholas a look alike of the “pope that travels with six to eight black men”. He says that if the US were to have St. Nick white people would barricade themselves instead. The Black men are seen as slaves, but are viewed as good friend. Sedaris mentions an ironic point that Blind people in Texas and Michigan are allowed to have a gun and also hunt. They are not able to see they would end up hurting people. He proves that people that see and do such things sometime are blind and so not understand what they are doing. The Chicken in the Henhouse by David Sedaris mentions the idea of “Homo sextualpedafilia”. The way that society viewed homosexuals as if they were pedophiles, people with very conservative ideals. They excluded them to the “basement” where no one would see them. People judge them for crimes they have not committed. The belief that they normally felt guilty and deserved to live in a basement room. The sense of not being able to live in peace because everything they did had consequences of them doing them with bad intentions. The purpose of Sedaris is to show society that not everything is flawless and that America judges others harshly.
ReplyDelete"Six to Eight Black Men" was interesting because he talked about the different ways other people celebrated Christmas. the kind of traditions other nationalities have for Christmas and how they celebrate it. he is very sarcastic about what he says like the different noises animals make depending on where they are from. I didn't understand "chicken in the henhouse" at all. I listened to it more than once and I still did not know what he was saying.
ReplyDeleteI thought "Six or Eight Black Men" was hilarious. The whole time Sedaris comapares U.S laws and culture with those of the Netherlands. He focuses on Santa Clause, something that is world known, which I did not know had different stories, and the difference between how we grow up thinking of Santa and how Dutch children do. He also talks about gun laws which now is an extremely serious topic but he puts a spin on it that has you laughing. "Chicken in the Henhouse", however, was strange. It felt awkward to listen to and some parts were disturbing, like when he mentions touching a baby and that people would not perceive it as innocent. He builds his journey up to where you start to think that something is going to happen but in the end it doesn't. People don't see him how he thinks they do.
ReplyDeleteDavid Sedaris is a very comical writer. The story “6 to 8 Black men” he is very sarcastic and he talks about other countries view of Christmas and Saint Nick. He talks about the Dutch story in where the Dutch says Mr. Nick comes with 6 to 8 men and he makes a joke saying that after 200 years they still don’t have an accurate head count. He makes fun of situations by being so calm and sarcastic. The other story was him as a homosexual man who is considered a pedophile. It was like we were in this man’s mind as he had an urge to touch this boy’s head. His second essay was on a lot more serious topic.
ReplyDelete"The Chicken in the Henhouse" was one of the oddest things i've ever listened to. I didn't enjoy it at all I found it disturbing and strange to listen to mostly the part where he mentions having the thought of touching a baby because before this he mentions that his thoughts become actions which makes him a sort of a pedophile. On the other hand I enjoyed listening to David Sedaris. He is very funny and made me realize the different types of theory's that may be known depending on the different place you live in. Also I enjoyed his sarcasm. And the way he spoke on gun laws and makes it so comical when today it's such a delicate issue.
ReplyDeleteDavid Sedaris is very Comical. I laughed almost through the whole essay. When he talks about how other countries celebrated christmas and the gun laws he was very funny. I also thought the different voices he makes was very hilarious. I actually liked the essay and it was interesting.
ReplyDelete"The Chicken in the henhouse" was kind of different. I mean he talked about things like homosexuals,pope, and things like that. But it was a way different turn from "Six to Eight Black Men."
ReplyDeleteI thought both stories were interesting. But they were like totally opposites. For instance in six to eight blackmen he talks about santa. I found that the funniest when he talk about santa breaking in to houses. The chicken in the hen house I found boring talking about popes and homosexuals
ReplyDelete"The Chicken in the henhouse" is very interesting because well it made me ask myself "is this author really saying this?" because what he says is pretty weird and very detailed. Its kind of weird how he tells his essay and it seems like he is trying to make his point about homosexuality.
ReplyDeleteIn six to eight black men is more of a comedy but still with a message. He mentions how things that are very different in each country and to each other every other way is wrong. This one is very interesting and funny because it is making fun of various beliefs of people.