You Can't Kill the Rooster Summary and Analysis

Sedaris introduces his brother Paul, clearly the oddball among the Sedaris children. Paul, like his father Lou, has very little in common with Sedaris.

The essay begins as the Sedaris family relocates to Raleigh, North Carolina from western New York State. Once there Mr. and Mrs. Sedaris are adamant about preventing their children from acquiring the habits of the locals. The children are not allowed to say ma'am or sir, use conjugates like ya'll, or drink Mountain Dew.

While living in North Carolina, the youngest Sedaris sibling, Paul, is born. In contrast to his brother and sisters, Paul develops a thick southern drawl and a taste for Mountain Dew. He also develops an interesting dialogue that is spoken at a rapid pace, and is relatively unintelligible with the exception of the profanity that...