Beard and Sedaris brilliantly create stories that read like a collection, each essay builds in depth, giving a narrative broader of the writer's life than a single essay can suffice. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay In her memoir essay collection, she uses metaphor to compare and contrast, allowing the reader to verify her truths as she writes them. Beard's imaginings of another universe are obviously imaginings; they do not reflect the reality of life on these planets but, by detailed analogy, the way it is perceived at that moment. To avoid sentimentality, Beard enters a different realm, space. Not only does she look at the stars in the wilderness and truly encompassed under the “terrible vault of the sky,” but she also tells of the vast solitude of such a great expanse. All of this happens moments after she takes Eric's hand. He doesn't punish her and she doesn't necessarily find comfort in his presence. On the contrary, it is at the very bottom, where “there is only the terrible vault of the sky, the sinking moon and nothing else”. The sky is uneasy with unpredictability, which Beard uses to create a feeling of helplessness. This passage, in itself, is complex and connective. His writing conceals a beautiful sadness. Poetic and yet absurd, it makes sense in her mind and she remains true to herself throughout the play. Sedaris, in his essay, Remembering my Childhood on the Continent of Africa, sets out to tell us a story that really belonged to his friend. But in telling this story, he makes a comparison with his own childhood. His rather understated comparison of the two childhood events shows the almost comical and striking contrasts of the experiences. Sedaris does not make fun of Hugh, rather he presents the facts, as if telling a story from his own childhood. He doesn't go out of his way to make a statement about Hugh or the environment around him in Ethiopia. In this way, the story remains true to its original teller. Although shocking for anyone not accustomed to seeing dead people hanging from telephone poles, the story continues as if nothing extraordinary had happened. Instead, when this story is relayed in the future, it is not the issue of the dead man that is noted, but rather the fact that Hugh had gone to see the movie about the talking car. Sedaris rather expertly avoids the dramatic trap that the story might allow and instead lets the story speak for itself. In his writing, Sedaris avoids self-centeredness and instead shares a true story that offers the reader an adventure through the experiences of others. Sedaris illuminates the meaning through his interpretation of the story. He draws comparisons to events that are best understood through their unique contrasts, and yet the title of the essay is Remembering my Childhood on the Continent of Africa, in which he claims this experience as his own. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. .Get a custom essay now from our expert writers.Get a custom essayBoth Barb and Sedaris rely on a comparison and contrast of raw materials; this done correctly, allows the reader to see a deeper side of the meaning. While Sedaris relies on a real-life analogy to compare his childhood, Beard is out of this world, but is no less effective for it. By going beyond the raw material, the two authors then manage to avoid egocentric stories..