Assignment 3

Assignment 3
 

I really enjoyed this short story by David Sedaris. His unique approach on the whole flying experience was very amusing. This story definitely exceeded my expectations and reminded me of all the times I have gone flying or the times wherein I was in a similar situation as him. The comment he made to the elderly woman in line was really funny. It wasn't so much what he said that was funny, but the nature of the situation that was humorous. Unfortunately, whenever I find myself in that same situation, it’s too late and I wish I would have just ended the conversation before it even started. So, the way he handled it, I thought, was really funny. That’s just one example of him being funny in his essay. He’s comical throughout his whole story from the whole comment about how badly Americans dress at airports, to the flight attendants farting as they walk through the aisle, to the final paragraph when we, as the readers find out what it is exactly that flight attendants might say as flights come to an end.

  Sedaris wrote this text for a couple of reasons. The most obvious reasons he wrote this text was to get recognition as well as to entertain his readers. I think the less obvious reason he wrote this text is because he wanted to express an uncertain truth that the airport atmosphere might bring about people’s true nature. Moreover, he was presenting the idea that at airports, people take off their mask and present to society who they really are. I think for some people this may be true. In my opinion, being at the airport can be stressful, so of course people are going to be more pessimistic, negative, and maybe even rude. The airport for the most part is always going to be a chaotic atmosphere that test peoples patience. Then, again it depends on what airport you are flying in and out of. I’m just grateful that I can get on a plane today and not have to worry about the plane crashing because most airlines have such experienced pilots. “We’re forever blaming the airline industry for turning us into monsters; it’s the fault of the ticket agents, the baggage handlers, the slowpokes at the newsstands and fast food restaurants. But what if this is who we truly are, and the airport’s just a forum that allows us to be our real selves, not just hateful but gloriously so?” (Sedaris 277). This quote taken from his essay is his introduction to the idea that airports bring out our true nature. Again, I don’t think people are gloriously hateful people. I think that for the most part, most people are not hateful, but good people.

I mainly think that David Sedaris just wants his readers to think about the primary message he was trying to convey; the message that we are all truly hateful people. I don’t actually think he wants people to think that. I just think he wants people to dwell on the idea that we as people truly show our not so nice or hypocritical sides at the airport. On that note, people are always so upset at the job performance of the people who work at airports. But, do people ever think about all that the employees across the ticket booth have had to deal with? They deal with the same issues day after day. They deal with people that are late, don’t have the money to pay for their tickets, didn't print off their e ticket, do not have proof of identification, people who do not properly pack their bags, do not have the money to pay the extra fee to pay for their bags being too heavy, and the lists goes on and on. Maybe, David Sedaris wants us and other readers to just be more sympathetic to the employees at the airport or at any public service place. We are all on the same boat trying to achieve the American dream. So, maybe David Sedaris just wants people to be more patient, not judge, and respect each other. There could be any number of reasons to why he wrote this paper. In conclusion, I really enjoyed his story. It was a lot of fun to read.

Works Cited

Sedaris, David. "Standing By." First Year Composition Reader. Boston: Pearson, 2011. 275-277. Print.