A Letter To My Grandson Analysis

How do comedians use their techniques to make their jokes laughable? Well in this case, a comedic author, Dave Barry uses a variety of comedic techniques in his writing “A Letter to My Grandson” to make his audience snicker. Barry’s letter is a high comedy that constantly uses sarcasm and hyperboles to create a comedic effect on the audience. Dave Barry’s letter to his grandson uses sarcasm and hyperboles to convey the universal truth that following the crowd isn't the best way to go because they aren't always right.

To begin, Barry uses sarcasm in his letter to kick some laughter in the audience. For example, when Barry first explains about not following the crowd he uses his sarcasm in the sentences after, “ Many people believe in astrology. Many people believe that their cats actually like them. Many people believe that the New York Yankees are not the agents of Satan. Many people …show more content…
Despite all the comedy involved in the letter, there was a lesson behind Barry's words, and his lesson to his grandson, Dylan, was not be a negative follower, but to be more of a positive leader instead. When it comes down to the level of comedy of “A Letter to My Grandson” by Dave Barry, this letter would be ranked as high comedy because the usage of two main comedic elements, sarcasm and hyperboles which are the many elements only found in high comedy. Throughout the letter, Barry's use of humor was effective because of his use of sarcasm and hyperboles. For instance, rather than ending his letter plainly, Barry uses sarcasm to finish off his letter, and in the beginning he starts off with the topic of condiments and how they shouldn't be refrigerated which seems odd to start off as a life lesson. Overall, Barry's use of humor was effective towards his