Discussion notes

Questions on Meaning

1.  The subject is David Sedaris’ childhood experiences in North Carolina versus those of his partner, Hugh, in Africa.  The subject is a comparison of David and Hugh’s childhoods. 

2.  The thesis of the essay is “Hugh’s life is one I will always envy, but I can steal.” “In life, you have to take the good with the bad.” “Mine and Hugh’s lives, though very different, parallel each other.”

3.   The irony is that two people desire one another’s lifestyles; each is dreaming of the other’s life without recognizing the bad portions of each.