Various Types of Humor

While both David Sedaris and Dave Barry use various types of humor, such as hyperbole and sarcasm, in their essays, one is commenting and criticizing on ironic situations people can relate to and the other shows how to turn uncomfortable situations around. In the essay “Me Talk Pretty One Day” Sedaris uses hyperbole to add humor in his essay, “Her rabbity mouth huffed for breath, as though the appropriate comeback were stitched somewhere alongside the zipper of her slacks, “(pg 12). He also uses hyperbole to describe how the mouth of a girl named Anna had teeth “the size of tombstones,” (pg13). It’s obvious the character does not have the mouth of an actual rabbit or the mouth size of tombstones or else the character would not be able to speak. Sedaris uses hyperbole to add humor to his essay; furthermore, it creates a better description of the scene for the reader. Sedaris also is a fan of the use of sarcasm in his essays. He pokes fun at a French teacher by mixing a bunch of letters that do not make any sense, “If you have not meimslsxp or lgpdmurct…” (pg 11), obviously when reading, you cannot pronounce any of these words; furthermore, emphasizing the point that the teacher makes no sense to the individual. In comparison, Barry uses hyperbole and sarcasm as well, to appeal to his readers. In the essay “Road Warrior” he refers road rage as “to the pent- up and explosively released anger and hostility that drivers feel and express in an era of increasing automobile traffic congestion and ever increasing delays…” (pg 91). Obviously, road rage is not explosively released because if it was, then the entire world would be in danger; his use of hyperbole was effective here. Barry uses sarcasm as well in his essay “Lost in the Kitchen,” he says men “are still scum when it comes to helping out in the kitchen” (pg 1). He is being jocular and stereotypical about men by commenting on how men are useless in the kitchen. These are examples of how Barry uses sarcasm