In the article "Letting Go by David Sedaris, Sedaris employs the use of language, details, and diction in order to convince readers of the persona accompanied by smoking.
Sedaris uses vivid language to illustrate the power cigarettes. Upon destroying a few of his mother's prized cigarettes, Sedaris writes that his mom beat him and then, "panting" stated "“That’s . . . not . . . funny.” The word panting as well as the double set of ellipses are especially critical here as they provide a double meaning to Sedaris' piece. On one hand, Sedaris' mothers' out-of-breath state could be accounted for by the exercise of beating her son for "twenty seconds" but it can be justly assumed that as this article focuses on smoking, her inability to breathe is due to her smoking habit. Although this line adds humor to the piece, it also reminds readers of smoking's adverse health effects and addictive qualities.
Sedaris also employs magery to demonstrate the nature of smoking. Sedaris writes that he found the smell of smoke "depressing", as he describes, it was "the scent of neglect". He then goes on to recount that almost every room in his house carried that scent with the sole exception of his bedroom. The scent of his bedroom, he writes, "smelled like an album jacket the moment you remove the plastic" or "the smell of anticipation".
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