1. On the surface, this story centers around a snowstorm, and children playing in it. Underlying these events are the much darker issues of the narrator's mother, her drinking, and her treatment of her children. How exactly does the snowstorm focus Sedaris's investigation of his family's past?
2. The narrator, as a fifth-grader, thinks that having his sister get hit by a car would be "the perfect solution" to their problem. What do you believe the adult narrator thinks of this "solution"? Are there any other clues that the narrator feels differently now?
3. The humor turns a potentially sad story into a ridiculous one. Think about how this essay might have been written without the humor. Could it be as effective?
4. Although this story deals with intensely personal issues, the tone is quite ironic and detached. Given the tone, what do you make of the story's ending, with the children surrounding their mother "tightly on all sides," finally going back to their house?
Even though Sedaris's reflection was very ironic and detached, he sums up his feelings for his mother in the conclusion. They are still a family no matter what was happening at the time, and both he and his family will continue to look out for each other whenever they are in need. Sedaris and his mother still have a bond together--just not your "normal" bond. It is a love-hate relationship, and it probably continues in the cycle of loving and hating for years after this memory occurred.
ReplyDelete4. The tone of this story is very angry and sarcastic yet at the end you see the true feelings of the family. You see how even thought this family has many issues and anger towards eachother, when help is needed they put their feelings aside and help in anyway that they can. We see this when the mother finally comes outside to get the kids and is wearing a dress and missing a shoe the kids drop their anger and try to help their mother stay warm and find her shoe. The tone of this story gives you the idea that they have a love-hate relationship in this family.
ReplyDelete3. I believe that the humor in this reflection essay is what makes it a good piece of writing. Overall I think that the way he chooses to use humor to tell the story is what makes the story the way it is. If this story was written without humor, I don't think that it would have been the same mood, or tone. Also if this reflection essay wasn't written the way in which it was, the essay wouldn't be as effective, because the tone and mood both of the writer and the characters he was writing about would be different.
ReplyDeleteIn the essay “Let it Snow,” David Sedaris used lots of sarcastic humor. If this essay were written without using his humor the way he does then I think that the essay would take a very serious tone. Having the more serious tone would make the essay seem like he was mad about what his mom did to them, and it would make the reader think that he was serious about sacrificing one his sisters. By using humor it makes the reader think that David now looks back on the story and finds humor in it, so he wants his reader to think it’s a funny story too.
ReplyDeleteI believe the adult narrator thinks the solution of having his sister get hit by a car is not a perfect solution after all. The voice of this story is kind of sarcastic and sad at times. At one point in the story, the writer says “Poor Tiffany” to start off a paragraph. In this little phrase you can tell he is feeling bad about it now. The way he writes this story in a sarcastic way shows us readers that he thinks it was an ignorant thought.
ReplyDelete1.) I believe that the snow storm reveals a lot about Sedaris past. First of all he can look back and see how his family worked and it's dynamic. I feel because he was a Fifth grader at the time that he didnt really reconize that his mother was an alcholic or even find it odd that she locked them out of the house for several hours. I think he found it funny letting his sister Tifanny lay out on the street trying to get their moms attention. At the end you can see how they really did care about one another to help the mom out.
ReplyDeleteWithout the humor in this story, I don't think it would have been affective. The humor makes this story very light harted, making the events that occured not as much of a hateful thing. It helped the reader learn the dynamic of the family and helps the reader understand the families love/hate relationship. Without the humor, the events would have seemed very wrong. It would have made the end of the story not understandable because of the circumstances that had occured throughout the story.
ReplyDelete4. I think that at the begining David Sedaris tone is sacrastic and you feel a distant feeling between the children and their parents. The children are angry at their mother for locking them out. They even call her a bitch. Also they say they could call their dad but he probably wouldnt do anything anyway. From these lines i feel a distant realtionship. However at the end when they walk back with their mother tightly it shows a connection, that no matter what happened they still love their mother and are a family.
ReplyDelete1. The snowstorm focuses on Sedaris’s investigation into his family’s past by highlighting one particular day that shows many negative patterns starting to emerge. His mother kicking him and his siblings out of the house shows her own stress and neglect as a parent, with this, upon returning to the home the children find their mother drinking at an early hour, showing some alcoholic tendencies. Outside of their mother’s issues, the children have some frightening thought patterns emerging, shown by their willingness to have their sister hit by a car for their personal gain. All of these events illustrate a negative family dynamic that may not have been as clear on a regular basis.
ReplyDelete2. I think the author regrets thinking of this "perfect solution". As an adult he sees the danger he put his sister in that day. He comentated about the day within the essay and says "Poor Tiffany. She'd do just about anything in return for a little affection." With this statement you see the guilt he feels for allowing his sister to risk her life.
ReplyDeleteThe "solution" to the problem is not actually a solution at all. The narrator uses dark humor and irony when saying that the place for Gretchen to die would be a quiet place between two hills. When in reality, dying by getting run over by a car is not quiet. The narrator expresses that having Gretchen die would be the perfect solution to their mother not showing enough affection to them all. The narrator leads you to believe that Gretchen is not worth valuing but in the last paragraph, the audience is able to see that the narrator's family truly does stay together through thick and thin and it wouldn't be the same without everyone there.
ReplyDeleteThe tone in this story is ironic because Sedaris leads readers with a sad, sort of gloomy mood throught the story. An alcoholic mother kicks her kids out of her house in a snowstorm, her youngest child almost gets ran over, but in the end the kids cuddle with their mother all the way home. I think Sedaris does this to emphasize the "warm" feeling of family. The tone goes from negative to positive in an instant.
ReplyDeleteThe humor in this essay is vital to the interpretation of the tone and the story. The humor, in a way, is comic relief, drawing the attention away from his alcoholic and selfish mother, and toward his reflection on his childhood. Without this humor, the essay would not have been as effective. Sedaris’ sarcastic and child-like attitude can be seen in the conclusion, and if the essay had no humor; the reader would have found the conclusion difficult to believe.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the essay, David Sedaris describes dark events in his past involving his mother, like her drinking, which causes his father to not want to come home. Since his father is never there, him and the rest of the children in his family have to obey their mother. When she tells them to stay outside in the snow for almost a whole day it shows that she gets annoyed of her children. Although, when she hears from a neighbor that one of her kids is trying to get run over by a car so she will notice them, she decides to go out and let them inside. Unfortunately, when she was outside she lost one of her shoes. One of her children let her use her hat as a shoe and the rest of them huddled around her as they made their way home. This essay shows that no matter what happens you will always have unconditional love for your family. Whether they treat you well or not, they will be there for you.
ReplyDelete4. At the end of the story when the children surround their mother it shows their true family relationship despite the ironic tone at the beginning of the essay. Throughout the story the mother is portrayed as a selfish, short tempered parent who maybe drinks a bit too much. As well, the children obviously don't respect her. However, in the end there is almost a tone of "forgive and forget" because, after all, she is their mother no matter how they treat each other. It shows their family is strong and willing to forgive and forget.
ReplyDelete4. The ending shows the relationship between the family. Although the mother locks the kids out in the begining she still comes for them in the cold even though she has only a skirt and loafers on. It shows that the family dynamic is kind of like a love hate relationship. Even though the mother locked the kids out they still go back to her because she is their mother and she provides for them. They stick together through thick and thin.
ReplyDelete2. David Sedaris in “Let It Snow” probably thought his younger self was very inconsiderate. He thinks that this solution is not as good as he thought at the time. He now knows his sister and is more empathic towards human beings. He shows signs of this when he says “Poor Tiffany. She'd do just about anything in return for a little affection.”
ReplyDeleteThe adult narrator thinks the idea of his sister being run of by a car is a terrible mistake. He realizes now as an adult that if his sister had sat in the middle of the road and been hit by a car it would have been the most tragic experience of his life. I am sure that he feels horrible about the idea and he wants to take it back. There were clues in the story such as “ Poor Tiffany”, this just means that he feels horrible that Tiffany had been used by him and his other sisters.
ReplyDelete1. It explains how his childhood relates to a disaster. You can relate their families relationship to a snowstorm, in that when it hits, or when they fight its at it worse. Once its over, ecerything clears up and they go back to normal. Its a cycle that goes on and on but I think every family is like that.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to put my name. I posted the last one with the first sentence "it explains how his childhood relates to a disaster" -dominic williams
ReplyDeleteIn the reflective essay "Let it Snow" the writer, David Sedaris, is able to focus,his investigation of his families past during a snowstorm because it brought the family,except for the father, together at one point in time. It is at this point in time, the mother and children interact with each other in the hate part of a love/hate relationship, when their mother locks the young Sedaris and his sisters out of the house. During the "lock-out", is when Sedaris is able to describe the workings of his relationships with his sisters and his rebellion, against his self- centered,alcoholic mother, by wanting one of his sisters run-over by a car. Then, at the conclusion of the essay, the young Sedaris and his sisters huddle around their "pitiful" mother and proceed home, thus showing the love part of their love/hate relationship. This is what the neglected and cofused, young Sedaris and his sisters , thought was a "Normal" life.
ReplyDelete3.Yes this story could have been just as effective with out the humor. The story would have been just as effective with out the humor since the humor it did have was not very good or funny. I also believe that the story would have effective with out the humor since the humor was so dark it did nothing to change the story. It would have also been effective with out the humor since it would not have changed the mood of the story if he did not attempt to do humor.
ReplyDeleteJacob Gerding