A Dead Man Laughing: Satirical Analysis

Smith’s A Dead Man Laughing discusses the life of her father’s infatuation with comedy, and how it became a vehicle for discussing deeper issues and its associated impacts. Smith’s usage of personal observations and irony along with strong imagery and her unique style of description allowed for the development of insights and maintenance of a cohesive flow of ideas.
Thus, allowing her to craft a compelling masterpiece. Through personal observations Smith efficiently displays the significance of comedy in her household that is often used as a coping mechanism. The author’s father formulates personal connections with comedic characters and is able to relate and commiserate with them “He loved
Hancock’s hopefulness, and loved the way he …show more content…
Another component that made this piece quite effective was its ironic elements. This played an essential role in making the piece more hilarious and enhanced its content. This is quite evident towards the death of the author’s father when his life becomes like that of the desolate comedy he so enjoys. From her importing a Dictaphone to collect his narrative and his absurd response of “Yes, dear- if you like” and his final joke of having a song that tells his loved ones to “fuck off” at his funeral. The series of events that unfolded around his death seemed like it was out of an episode of a bleak British comedy series. Smith shrewdly uses strong imagery and colorful descriptions that add to the durability of the piece. Like in the occasion she felt connected to her brother “Siamese-twin closeness: fearing for him was like fearing for me.” Or when she described the aftermath of a show when only comedians were present “I felt as if I’d arrived late to a battle ground that had seen bloody action.” Presenting the feature in such fashion allows for a more vivid reading experience