Response to "Son of Mr. Green Jeans," etc.

Honestly, I did not like Michael Martone’s “Contributor’s Note.” I realize the emphasis on the different names he had been given in his life, which led to him not knowing what to be called at his marriage. I did not like the experimentation in this story; it was far too confusing for me. Also, the third person point of view threw me off. However, I did enjoy both Dinty W. Moore’s (is this the food brand?) “Son of Mr. Green Jeans” and David Sedaris’ “Me Talk Pretty One Day.” Both of these pieces were in first person and used different approaches to telling the stories. The most effective and interesting way of telling a story, in my opinion, was the definitions of fatherhood in an alphabet. Immediately, the title caught my attention and I began thinking it might be boring. However, I was very wrong; Moore centered his piece on things such as Leave it to Beaver, Tim Allen, penguins, and his family. He used each letter in the alphabet, naming things that applied in these categories. Some were silly, others were serious. The effect this had on me was great. I read about penguins singing about eggs in one letter, and then move to suicide, alcoholism, and molestation. The way Moore introduced these topics were so subtle yet I think they affected me more because it was so simply put. Here are the facts, this is what happened. It’s life. Sedaris’ piece was hilarious to read. The characterization of the professor was humorous, and the way he worked her words into dialogue was enjoyable to read. I guess I never really entertained the idea of using humor in a non-fiction piece like these authors did. While presenting facts (some enjoyable, some terrifying), there was humor and playfulness in the way they were presented. I don’t know where to start possibly trying this, but I’d like to.