Close Reading November 25

http://www.newyorker.com/humor/2011/02/28/110228sh_shouts_martin

"Who Am I?"

Many times, authors write to amuse and humor their audience. In Demetri Martin's piece "Who Am I?",  he successfully achieves his goal of amusement. In "Who Am I?", Martin uses syntax, diction, and details to entertain his audience, while also telling the audience about himself.

Martin successfully uses syntax throughout his piece to entertain and keep the reader interested and involved. The repetition of "I am..." throughout the piece emphasizes the ideas that follow, and keep the piece moving at a good pace. It keeps the reader thinking about what Martin is identifying himself as and comparing himself to. Another use of syntax within Martin's work is when he has one sentence separate from the rest of the paragraph, for example, "I am a man." "I am the silent majority." "I am the loud minority." When Martin chooses to separate these sentences from the rest of the ideas, he is emphasizing those points specifically, and making them stand out in the work. Throughout "Who Am I?", Martin uses syntax in a creative way.

The diction used in this piece written by Demetri Martin greatly supports the humor and entertainment part of this work. The words chosen and used throughout this piece give this piece a humorous tone that is exciting and interesting to read. He starts off this work by saying he is not something that lies around, like a pen, toaster, or housewife. The use of these words in the introduction bring the reader in because they are interested in what he will talk about next. Martin also uses slang in his piece. "I am friend. I am foe. I am fo’ sho’. What up, y’all?" This use of slang is very informal, and allows the reader to feel comfortable laughing with or at Martin. The use of diction in this piece successfully gives off a humorous, informal tone.  

Details are also used in Martin's "Who Am I?". Not only does he choose to include specific details that are relatable to his life, but he also chooses them because they are entertaining and funny for the reader. "I am Batman, but only on Halloween. And then I am not invited to many parties. But I am fine with that, because that just makes me an even more accurate Batman (because Batman does not go to parties as Batman but only as Bruce Wayne). I am right about this." This small paragraph presents a joke that relates to Batman, a superhero most readers know and enjoy. It also shows the reader a piece of Martin's life, being that he is not invited to many parties. The details that are chosen to put in this piece give information on the author, and also bring humor into the picture. 

Throughout his witty and humorous piece, Demetri Martin successfully utilizes features including syntax, diction, and details to entertain the reader and also let them know a little bit about himself.