Introduction
Although born on completely different sides of the globe, David Sedaris and Trevor Noah have one thing in common, which is their rebellion towards societal norms. Sedaris was born in New York in the United States having a loving a rather large family. Meanwhile Trevor Noah, born in South Africa with his family, but born during an apartheid. They are in certain ways one of the same both comedians with humble beginnings and a personality that contrasts the norms given by society.
What is Humor Theory?
Humor theory
Humor through situations is one important element that both authors grasps in their novels. Sedaris and Noah understand that relatability is essential to make their audience to laugh and feel engaged in their situations …show more content…
In certain cases, it makes the joke that much better because in real life there is not always a punchline or a three-act structure. It is also important to note that in Sedaris’ novel is not chronological whatsoever. Meanwhile, Noah although not completely chronological, it is overall around the same timeline. Both novels do not have an overarching story line, but rather have a several stories within the book. It is most likely a stylistic choice, to make the most humor out of their stories.
Background
In Sedaris’ novel, Me Talk Pretty One Day, he discusses about his childhood occasionally and at the beginning of the novel, he describes his life in elementary school. In Go Carolina, he describes how he survived with his lisp and how he avoided certain words when talking. Also, Sedaris talks about how his mother was an alcoholic and did not play a key role growing up. However, Sedaris’ father play an interesting role in his life especially since his dad was Greek and often did not understand “American” social norms.
Noah, on the other hand, was born a crime as the title implies since he was a mixed-race child. He was born during an apartheid in South African, in which being mixed race is not allowed due to the strict segregation laws. He was not able to choose his race …show more content…
In Learning Curve, humor theory is heavily applied. “Like branding steers or embalming the dead, teaching was a profession I had never seriously considered. I was clearly unqualified, yet I accepted the job without hesitation, as it would allow me to wear me to wear a tie and go by the name of Mr. Sedaris.” (Sedaris, 2000, pg.83). This is a prime example of incongruity-resolution model since it shows the audience that it is rather odd that he would take a white collared job, shortly after his history with drugs and art. No long after Sedaris (2000) mentions on how he managed to get his job as professor, “the position was offered at the last-minute, when the scheduled professor found a better-paying job delivering pizza. (Sedaris, 2000, pg.84). Like the previous example, this is incongruity since the average reader would assume a college professor would have a better salary than a pizza
Although born on completely different sides of the globe, David Sedaris and Trevor Noah have one thing in common, which is their rebellion towards societal norms. Sedaris was born in New York in the United States having a loving a rather large family. Meanwhile Trevor Noah, born in South Africa with his family, but born during an apartheid. They are in certain ways one of the same both comedians with humble beginnings and a personality that contrasts the norms given by society.
What is Humor Theory?
Humor theory
Humor through situations is one important element that both authors grasps in their novels. Sedaris and Noah understand that relatability is essential to make their audience to laugh and feel engaged in their situations …show more content…
In certain cases, it makes the joke that much better because in real life there is not always a punchline or a three-act structure. It is also important to note that in Sedaris’ novel is not chronological whatsoever. Meanwhile, Noah although not completely chronological, it is overall around the same timeline. Both novels do not have an overarching story line, but rather have a several stories within the book. It is most likely a stylistic choice, to make the most humor out of their stories.
Background
In Sedaris’ novel, Me Talk Pretty One Day, he discusses about his childhood occasionally and at the beginning of the novel, he describes his life in elementary school. In Go Carolina, he describes how he survived with his lisp and how he avoided certain words when talking. Also, Sedaris talks about how his mother was an alcoholic and did not play a key role growing up. However, Sedaris’ father play an interesting role in his life especially since his dad was Greek and often did not understand “American” social norms.
Noah, on the other hand, was born a crime as the title implies since he was a mixed-race child. He was born during an apartheid in South African, in which being mixed race is not allowed due to the strict segregation laws. He was not able to choose his race …show more content…
In Learning Curve, humor theory is heavily applied. “Like branding steers or embalming the dead, teaching was a profession I had never seriously considered. I was clearly unqualified, yet I accepted the job without hesitation, as it would allow me to wear me to wear a tie and go by the name of Mr. Sedaris.” (Sedaris, 2000, pg.83). This is a prime example of incongruity-resolution model since it shows the audience that it is rather odd that he would take a white collared job, shortly after his history with drugs and art. No long after Sedaris (2000) mentions on how he managed to get his job as professor, “the position was offered at the last-minute, when the scheduled professor found a better-paying job delivering pizza. (Sedaris, 2000, pg.84). Like the previous example, this is incongruity since the average reader would assume a college professor would have a better salary than a pizza