Freedom Of Speech In Comedy

As Leo Rosten, an American humorist and author states, “Humor is the affectionate communication of insight” Humor is an intelligent way to enforce an argument to your audience. With the employment of humor, the authors are able to persuade their readers into understanding, and sometimes agreeing with their opinions. Humor allows authors to have the insight about their topic thus, giving the author credibility and zealousness. In Laura Fraser's essay, “Why I Stopped Being a Vegetarian”, she employs the element of humor to strengthen her essay in a myriad of ways. Fraser's utilization of humor works to keep the reader or the audience engaged, makes their work memorable, and provides comic relief which overall, greatly contributes to her arguments for and against vegetarianism.

The article “South Park and the Carnivalesque” written by Alison Halsall delves into both parody and satire within the context of the program. South Park’s Carnivalesque humor, or carnival laughter “is a method by which popular culture in general, and South Park in particular, provides liberation from constraint” (Halsall 24). South Park makes it a point to use humor that provokes the inherent “dirtiness” that we contain, in an attempt to expose cultural aspects that generally go undiscussed (Halsall 34). Through profanity, South Park brings carnival humor down to the basic grotesque humor that serves to “critique linguistic sanitation” (Halsall 34). These forms of “toilet humor” go past our social ideologies and violates the “norms of official

Comedy is a useful tool when it comes to teaching a large group of people. It isn 't just the best treatment for the common cold; comedy can break down the social or educational

Alain De Botton claims that the chief aim of humorists is not trying to entertain anybody, but instead to convey with impunity messages that might be dangerous or impossible to state directly. Alain´s claim is completely absurd and is wrong for many reasons, cartoons, comedians, shows and acts have been around forever if they were meant to cause harm in any way then in this day and age they would be shut down by now. The game show host of home Family Feud, Steve Harvey, is a comedian and would never cause anyone harm. Alain does make a good point however, it is easy to understand why one would think that chief humorists are trying to target a select few either throughout a show or act.

True humor is supposed to be used as way to make people look at situation from a different perspective and to laugh about it. An example of this is from the reading “SantaLand Diaries” where David realized that life was not going as expected. He is thirty –three years old and applying for an elf job. He tries to imagine a whole new world where he is able succeed and accomplish his dreams within three weeks of being in New York. In the reading he says “I’m trying to look on the bright side” he is using this imaginative world to help him get through a really tough time within his life. This is an example of changing the situation.

Humorists, such as cartoonists, satirical writers, and stand-up comics, often base their work on current events and issues. They never fail to put a twist on their subject, making it easier to digest and understand; therefore, they make the subject more appealing to otherwise uninterested or repulsed people. Albeit the fact that a large part of the public may be misinformed in response to the humorist’s twist on the message, humorists are able to state directly what news articles cannot by shedding light on a subject, by talking about controversial issues, or by merely giving busy people the ability to catch up on current eventualities in the short window of time they have.

Satire exposes and criticizes errors of an individual or a society by using irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose its stupidity or shortcomings. These comedies are important because they shed light on serious topics that would otherwise be too uncomfortable to talk about. Two television shows that exhibit these characteristics well are Larry David’s, Curb your enthusiasm, and Stephen Colbert’s, The Colbert Report. Satire in television shows can be used to entertain and inform by getting personal to connect with the audience, provoking meaningful thought, and make fun of the absurd.

In their essay, “The Coddling of the American Mind”, Greg Lukianoff and Jonathon Haidt express their concern about this movement. They point out how there has been a previous movement similar to this one in that they both seek to restrict speech and broaden diverse-prospective. However, they conclude that, “The current movement is largely about emotional well-being.” and, “…it presumes and extraordinary fragility of the collegiate psyche…” (4). Due to this oversensitivity of college students, some popular comedians have even stopped performing on college campuses.

Alice Walker’s Everyday Use (rpt. in Thomas R. Arp and Greg Johnson, Perrine’s Literature Sound and Structure 11th ed [Boston: Wadsworth, 2012] 166-173) is a short story told by the mother of two daughters, Mama. The story tells the tale of the return of Mama’s oldest daughter, Dee, and the problems that Dee’s return causes for Mama and her youngest daughter, Maggie. This short story includes humor and irony, displays detailed characterization, and portrays a very effective point of view. These three literary elements contribute to this story by giving insight into the past and the true personalities of the characters, and the way the characters have changed over time.

One of the most valuable aspects of personality is humor – we value one’s sense of humor and make friends often based on finding certain things funny. But how and why do we consider things to be funny at all? Human beings have strived to uncover fundamental truths about human nature for centuries – even millennia – but humor itself is still yet to be pinpointed. Henri Bergson is only one of many who has attempted this feat, and his essay Laughter: an essay on the meaning of the comic from 1911 breaks down comedy into what he believes to be its essential forms and origins. While Bergson makes many valid points, Charlie Chaplin’s film Modern Times that was brought to screens only twenty years later seems to contradict many of Bergson’s theories, while Bergson seems to contradict even himself over the course of his essay.

Compared to the 1930’s, things have really changed in the workplace. Especially with women. With the start of World War II women started their endeavor into the workplace. In the article “Scenes and Un-Scenes: A Woman’s Work” the photos really capture how women begun their work and moved up. The article’s images show the appeals of ethos, pathos, and logos in every picture to express how women have made their move in the workplace.

Bardon argues that the relief theory can be used to explain why we find awkward or situations saturated with tension humourous. He states, “The relief theory is the view that humorous laughter is a manifestation of the release of nervous excitement or emotional tension” (Bardon 468). By recognizing that laughter is “manifestation” of our stress and tension, Bardon recognizes that we need to release our anxieties and humor is a good way to allow the reader to cope with their current problems. This epitomized in Sedaris’ essay when he explains how he used to deal with situations that made him nervous. Sedaris writes, “We were alone now, and something unpleasant entered my mind. Sometimes when I’m in a tight situation I’ll feel a need to touch someone’s head” (Sedaris 219). As this entire essay discusses how the media and people in general viewall homosexuals as pedophiles, the reader feels anxiety and uncertainty, as Sedaris and the boy are in an elevator alone. This quickly turns to relief when the reader recognizes that the way Sedaris copes with his own anxiety is touching people's heads, contrary to what would be expected as the rest of society portrays homosexuals. Instead of holding preconceived views of groups of people, Sedaris informs the readers that we should focus on the individual and make each other better

Starting off with sentence number 1, In Sojourner Truth's, "Ain't I a Woman," she states, "Well, children, where there is so much racket there must be something out of kilter." Truth uses the persuasive technique of humor. While using humor Truth can calm the audience of anger and oppression. This technique can bring the men of the convention into her attention and out of the subject. Humor can also describe what

Many question if humor should be used when discussing serious topics such as rape, The Holocaust, and offensive language. By taking away the seriousness out of these topics through humor, allows readers to take their focus away from the negativity to

Everyone knows at least one person who frequently uses self-deprecating humor. People respond with laughter, and it passes for a nice joke, but there is true pain hiding behind the joker 's smile. This can become offensive if someone other than that one person speaks about an insecurity they have. The side effect being, possibly, depression which could lead to self-harm. It is important to note that Cyrano’s character is displayed as a well-known poet and cadet who is commonly in trouble. He is also easy to speak to, however while speaking to his one true love, Roxane, it becomes difficult for him for to express his true feelings. Making it easier for him to just tell Christian, Roxane’s love interest, what to