Midge's Relation to Irby Through the Use of Relatability

 

In the chapter of Midge’s book, “Conversations with My Lakota Mom”, she presents us with a unique format in which there is exclusively dialogue listed from various conversations between Midge and her mother. The part of this chapter I wish to hone in on is the second conversation, in which she describes a time where her mother drove her out to Costco for the free samples. Midge writes, “’Where’re we going?’ ‘I’m taking you to lunch – buckle your seat belt.’ ‘Where?’ ‘Old Country Buffet.’ ‘Harrumph.’ ‘What’s wrong?’ ‘You’re taking me to Costco’s for the free samples again.’ ‘No, I’m not!’ ‘Yes, you are, that’s where you took me last time. And then you tried to tell me the hot dog condiments was a salad bar.’” (Midge 109-110). This particular scene is extremely reminiscent of Irby in her use of the incongruity theory. The reader is set up to believe that one thing is going to happen (Midge and her mother having a nice lunch together at Old Country Buffet), while then having their expectations disappointed (finding out they will instead be hoarding all of Costco’s free samples). I believe another component that adds to the humor of this scene is that Midge is ready to tell the reader that this isn’t the first time her mother has pulled this trick, and while she initially denies it, her mother caves in and then begins defending herself. This use of the incongruity theory isn’t the only similarity we can see between Midge and Irby, either. For example, the component of relatability is something both authors take advantage of. We saw this before when Irby described what her typical dinner was like in comparison to that of a celebrity, and we are now seeing an almost exact replica of this format with Midge. I’m sure there has been a time we were all at Costco and found ourselves pulled in by one of the free samples or product demos scattered throughout the store, which only adds to the hilarity of this scene.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"Jesus Shaves" - Sedaris understanding of Humor

  Katie West  February 8, 2020  David Sedaris's collection,  The Best of Me,  creates, what I believe to be, a more common and neutral sense of humor (especially when in comparison to Ibry). Sedaris also uses many of the foundational philosophical elements of humor which we discussed last week within his writing. A perfect example that focuses on many aspects of humor is Sedaris’s essay, “Jesus Shaves”. This essay uses many tactics seen from philosophy; however, it is also on a very neutral level, it is appealing to everyone and is not too boring or too grotesque. David Sedaris opens this essay with a simple question, yet this question creates and builds into the description of a classroom setting. Sedaris immediately sets the tone for his mediocre care for French, and France, by stating that he will be “home and cleaning my oven” (69) on Bastille Day, the national French holiday to celebrate their country. He even later states that it was his “habit to tune out...
Read more

Sedaris' hyperbolism in "The incomplete Quad"

  When I began reading David Sedaris’ collection of essays in The Best of Me, I was turned off by the apparent smugness that came through the narrator. Even though it is apparent through his over-the-top hyperbolic style and tone, I left feeling unamused and a bit disgusted. Plainly, I felt as though the themes and motifs that Sedaris incorporates into these short anecdotes were muddled by the writer’s constant proclivity towards the antithetical virtues of a naive narrator. That being said, there is one particular essay that I did admire for its succinct message. In “The Incomplete Quad”, I was struck by the selfishness of the narrator and his inability to understand the nature of kindness. Sedaris weaves his narrative through his time at Kent State University where he took care of a paraplegic named Peg with Muscular Dystrophy. Throughout the short essay, Sedaris recalls the delinquent activities Peg and him engaged in from shoplifting to hitchhiking home to North Carolina from...
Read more

"Me (Never) Talk Pretty (In Italian) One Day"

      Sedaris' "Me Talk Pretty One Day" was not at all what I was expecting, yet I was pleasantly surprised. This chapter of the novel did not appear to be a humorous retell of Sedaris' time spent taking a french class. Rather, I had visions of it being a chapter dedicated to physical attractiveness. However, not only was this chapter unique and different from the usual memoir accounts I have read, but it was also extremely relatable. The fall of my junior year I spent the semester study abroad in Rome. While I could go on and tell you about the millions of stories I have about my travels, all the pasta I ate, and my prison-cell like apartment on the outskirts of Trastevere, Sedaris' account of his french class brings me back to my Italian class.       In short, my professor was horrid. She had very little tolerance for our class filled with American students who spoke not a lick of Italian. While my family is from Calabria and Modena, and my gran...
Read more