"Chicken In The Henhouse"

       David Sedaris delivers a purely sarcastic story in "Chicken In The Henhouse" to ridicule public conceptions about homosexuality, especially targeting a woman named Audrey who offered a more radical perspective on a "local talk show". The story is actually so serious that it seems like it is actually written through the perspective of a child molester, however; through further analysis of the text it becomes obvious that Sedaris seeks to ridicule the public in their belief that homosexuals seek to target our nations youth. He uses himself as a prime example in the story, characterizing himself as a sweaty gay man, standing next to a fashionable 10 year old in the elevator. Although he might actually appear to be the boy's father, Sedaris puts emphasis on the fact that because he is a homosexual, people would think negatively about his actions in the kid's aid. He also characterizes himself as wanting to touch the boy (as well as other people on the plane) in order to further ridicule Audrey's comments about the nature of homosexuals. Along with his humorous musings, Sedaris delivers a more serious message in the story, saying that "yes, I am a homosexual; yes, I am soaking wet; yes, sometimes I feel an urge to touch people's heads, but still I can safely see a ten-year-old back to his room". Sedaris' use of humor is more effective than using anger or indignation to reflect his views because I believe his wittiness and story-telling invokes the audiences emotions and sympathy rather than starting an angry debate that would do little to help people understand his views.