Vanessa Espin

Summary

In the story, “remembering My Childhood on the Continent of Africa” David Sedaris compares two lives, his and Hugh’s life. Hugh was an eleven year old who lived an exotic life in Africa, full of spontaneous, and outrageous moments. David on the other side described his civilized American life, as being dull and extra ordinary. He starts by telling the story of Hugh’s field trip to the Ethiopian slaughterhouse. According to David, “when in told such stories, it’s all I can do to hold back jealously. An Ethiopian slaughterhouse. Some people have all the luck”(Sedaris19). The entire story gives special importance to Hugh’s “lucky life,” from a slaughterhouse, to a dictator’s bloody bedroom, and the death of the man in the telephone pole outside the movie theater. David compares every moment to his, and craves to replace his life with the one Hugh had. He finishes the story with an understanding of his fortune and how many people would want what he had. He had finally appreciated his life.