After reading the story Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris I wanted to invoke the same feelings he has in the book cover. While learning a new language, David finally understands all the words his french teacher is saying while she constantly insults everyone. He admonishes that this is merely a small step but it gave him a deep sense of satisfaction and comfort. The image on the book cover is a picture of a graded essay with a nearly perfect score–yet it is knocked down 30 points for being late, resulting in a final failing grade of 68. Just like in the story, I feel this image evokes a sense of accomplishment and almost pride at the 98, yet is bittered by how it is delivered with a 68. As a student, this resonates as a very bittersweet moment. While the material has been understood, it was delivered in a less than favorable way. The cover as a whole is fairly simply as a reflection of David’s story.