outside reading xii

Outside Reading XII-
an personal essay
by Demetri Martin
Who Am I?
February 19, 2011.

 

Who Am I? is an essay written by Demetri Martin, a comedian. His comic nature comes through quite obviously in this piece, as it is written in a very informal tone and there are jokes inserted in practically every other sentence. For this reason, I don't think it would be appropriate for an AP essay, but at least it was very entertaining for me to read. 

 

Martin uses language to establish his tone in this essay. For example, juxtaposition. He starts the essay in what could potentially be a formal and philosophical way: "Who am I? That is a simple question, yet it is one without a simple answer. I am many things—and I am one thing." A reader might be gearing himself up for an interesting article, but Martin's next sentence probably clues him into the humorous aspect of the essay- he states, "But I am not a thing that is just lying around somewhere, like a pen, or a toaster, or a housewife." I don't know about you, but i lol'd.

 

Another aspect of the humor in this piece comes from the elaborate amount of detail Martin utilizes. He creates such specificity that a reader can perfectly imagine what he is describing in his mind. For instance, Martin states that "I am someone who likes to go to the park. But I am not the guy with the Labrador retriever and the tennis ball and the tattered book under his arm, who is wearing fleece and is kind of tan. I am sick of that guy and all the women who talk to him." All those details present a very specific atmosphere that helps a reader picture and find humor in his situation.

Martin also certain syntactical methods to enhance his humor. He uses parallel structure a lot; the sentences are often short and choppy. He'll then throw in a funny twist at the end. For example, "I am bravery. I am courage. I am valor. I am daring. I am holding a thesaurus." The sentences are all similar stylistically, which makes the humorous one at the end seem more funny.

mmm the end