David Sedaris Us And Them Summary

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1. David Sedaris Titles his essay “Us and Them.” Whom does this title refer to? Whom are we meant to sympathize with- “us” or “them”? How do you know? David Sedaris title “Us and Them,” “us” meaning David seeing a normal society, and “them” referring to the Tomkeys. In the beginning were clearly supposed to emphasize with the Tomkeys because we find that the Tomkeys do not believe in television. Which from the outside looks different and foreign. Then David starts constantly thinking about how they live, what do they do, and the fact that they can’t recognize faces of famous cartoon characters. David realizes he can’t grasp the idea of the way they live, so he comes to the conclusion that they are unnatural. Towards the end you see that “us” is who we start to emphasize with David (normal society) because he starts to find the Tomekys …show more content…

Sedaris describes two handwritten signs from Halloween night. The first is attached to a “coffee can full of gumdrops” telling trick or treater “Don’t be Greedy.” The second graces young Sedaris’s bag of candy. “My Candy. Keep out.” What significance do these two signs have in the story? What do they tell us about Sedaris? The two handwritten signs from Halloween night showed irony. Even though David thinks the Tomkeys are weird and pathetic, he had failed to realize that since the Tomkeys are away, they still were able to leave out some sort of treat (gumdrops) with a sign that says; “Don’t be greedy,” to make sure every trick- or-treaters enjoy a piece. The irony is where Sedaris writes on his bag, “My candy.Keep out.”His unwilling to share with people who are willing to share with everyone else is where the irony come into play. He even started eating the candy, even though it makes him sick. It is portrayed that Sedaris is somewhat biased and unwelcoming to people who are different from him. 4. How would you characterize Sedaris’s stance? What specific passages indicate his attitude about the events he

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