A Satirical Analysis Of Bo Burnham

Improved Essays
Over fall break I went to see one of my favorite comedians, Bo Burnham, at Lincoln Center. I have been a fan of Bo Burnham for a couple years now so I was expecting his normal, crude sense of humor. Although he delivered, he also added in some social issues to his acts in a blunt yet refreshing way. Bo Burnham is known for his satirical songs that focus on touchy subjects such as race, gender, human sexuality, sex, and religion, and this particular performance was full of such comedic songs and jokes. To start the show, Bo Burnham opened with a song called “Straight White Man” where he sang ironically about how hard it was to be a cis, white man. With funny yet accurate lines such as “give me a chance to show you what it is like to be a

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Should Summer Heights High be used to teach satire? Intro: Satire is a form of comedy, a way of creating humour by using criticism, exploitation and exaggeration in order to get a reaction from the audience. this is to make them think of political or social issues in a way that's eye opening and Confronting. The show Summer Heights High uses these techniques in many ways which helps develop the show and characters.…

    • 890 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In his book titled “The Future of Life”, Edward O. Wilson effectively utilizes satire to illustrate the unproductive nature of an Environmentalist versus People-First debate. By lacking a complete arsenal of constructively, statistically, and logically correct arguments, both point of views were explained with the use of overly dramatic irony, extreme real life examples, and outlandishly childish name-calling. Wilson is able to depict a ludicrous display of an utmost unconstructive argument that ultimately leads to nothing except for the undermining of both parties. One of the highlighting uses of satire that Wilson was able to incorporate, was the manner in which both sides attempted to weaken the opposition with the use of unproductive name-calling. We witness this immature behavior in that the People-First would refer to the…

    • 754 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Sam Anderson uses rhetorical appeals constantly throughout his writing in order to "capture the hearts" of his readers. By using the rhetorical appeals Anderson is able to either make himself credible, emotionally connect to the audience, and use stats to prove that technology is distracting us on a daily basis but we also need technology to get through life. Furthermore, Anderson does this because he wants to make his writing more exciting and grab the attention of his readers in order to keep his readers coming back for more. Right off the bat Sam Anderson starts out trying to set the mood and secretly slipping one of his thesis' in his intro.…

    • 1229 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    In Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, much of the satire is being directed toward the military, military high command to be specific. Such is the case for the constant increase in the number of flight missions throughout the book. From 50 missions at the beginning of the book to 80 at the end, the increase never ceased and they were often increased for odd reasons. For example, when Kid Sampson and McWatt die, “Colonel Cathcart was so upset […] he raised the missions to sixty-five” (Heller 339) and “he increased the number of missions to seventy” (Heller 340) after being informed of Doc Daneeka’s “death.” The logical reaction to having people within your squadron dying would be to decrease the number of required missions, ensuring the safety of your…

    • 367 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Great Essays

    The present study investigated the possible relationship between self-defeating humor and the use of humor as a coping strategy. It also predicts that the use of humor as a coping strategy is negatively correlated with self-defeating humor Meaning, for example, if an individual has a lower self-defeating humor score, the lower the usage of humor as a coping strategy. However, the results of the present study do not support the idea of a negative correlation. Instead, there is a weak, but significant positive correlation between self-defeating humor and the use of humor as a coping strategy, rather than the negative correlation between the two measures.…

    • 1457 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Great Essays

    Satire has the power to persuade and influence the reader to view the poets/authors viewpoint and used to expose various flaws within society such as foolishness, corruption, or racism. Bruce Dawe, a poet famous for his use of satire, criticises aspects of his society during the end of the 1960s, and the start of the 1970s in the following poems; “ A Victorian Hangman tells his love,” a poem criticising blind obedience of such a cruel and inhuman act, and “Weapons Training,” of how our attitude to certain races changes when at war and how cruel and harsh we can become. Bruce Dawe is widely recognised as Australia's most popular poet, born in Fitzroy, Victoria in 1930 and was educated at Northcote High School, Melbourne. “Dawe writes with…

    • 1751 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Alain de Botton once said, “The chief aim of humorists is not merely to entertain, but to convey the impunity messages that might be dangerous or impossible to state directly.” This quote shows that there is more to writing than just to entertain. Through writing, writers often convey messages that are not easily spoken about, such as criticizing a global trend or idea, by lightening up the topic and underlying messages through the usage of satire and humor. Joshua Ferris uses humor and satire to indirectly share his criticism on social conformity of people in an office and the American Dream.…

    • 918 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In John Smith’s informative writing, he narrates his experience in governing Jamestown involving the Native Americans inhabitants. Smith seemed to be fascinated by the way the Native Americans used their everyday resources to maintain a life. The land was not heavily populated, and the people differed in value, especially in language. Smith characterized the Natives as “crafty, timorous quick of apprehension, and very ingenious (America Firsthand, 20) Everything they did was extraordinary to Smith, from the apparel and being covered in the skin of a wild animal, to the homes that are similar to their arbors of small young springs bowed and tied.…

    • 519 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Anti Federalists Satire

    • 299 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The writer of the Anti-Federalists document was much more effective in their writing. The author’s purpose was to criticize the Federalists and show how the Anti-Federalists ideas were much better for the United States. The author is writing to all citizens of the United States unlike the Federalists because they use simple ideas and language. The Federalists writings were a lot more formal and showing how they want to control the power and influence of the lower class. How are we going to be the United States if we only listen and care about the ideas of the wealthy?…

    • 299 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Satire In Brave New World

    • 982 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Samuel L. Jackson once said, “We’ve come a long way in our thinking, but also in our moral decay.” This quote holds true today as society stays rapidly changing and people become more and more desensitized to the horrors of the world. The line between right and wrong fades and turns to a larger gray area, and many things that happen in society today make us question how we, as a collective people, ended up where we are and how we acquired the customs we have today. Aldous Huxley, in his novel Brave New World, uses a great deal of satire and exaggeration to express his concerns for the society he was born into and bring attention to the problems of moral decay, drug dependency, and brainwashing, among other things, in the world.…

    • 982 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Political Satire Essay

    • 480 Words
    • 2 Pages

    hank you. We have listened and you have told us --- ENOUGH. ENOUGH of feeling like your government is ignoring you. ENOUGH of Washington bailouts and handouts.…

    • 480 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Satire Essay On America

    • 1035 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Citizens, countrymen, folk of the land, the United States of America has created the strongest people the world has ever seen, second to none in all aspects of daily living. America has become the shiny beacon of light across the infinite black sea of ignorance. As a fellow countrymen I hear nay-Sayers speak of my own in only the highest of jests, in which we are cowards, they insult, without knowledge of remembering first the world policing policies America stands by! And to this I say, let’s make them right. It’s only fair, for America has been the super power in which all other nations stand up against and conform to, all others must bend to our whim and do as is told.…

    • 1035 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Rhetorical Essay - Black Men and Public Space by Brent Staples Black Men and Public Space by Brent Staples is an essay about his concern of racism and the struggles black people are put through each day. He uses pathos, ethos and logos to express his thoughts. I believe the pathos provide the reader with emotion, the ethos are factual and statistical, and finally the logos help the reader understand how he can see both sides of the story. Throughout the essay, Staples sets the tone and theme to be very negative and rhetorically correct.…

    • 987 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    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.…

    • 585 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    “At last I can be free, Yeah, listen, I mean, I really can be me, I’m happy, I’m carefree and I’m gay, I was born this way! I’m happy, I’m carefree and I’m gay, I was born this way!” — Carl Bean In 1978, Carl Bean, a Black gay male singer from Baltimore who was signed to the legendary Motown Records, released not only a triumphant anthem for gay communities across the globe, but a profound declaration through song that was a bold coming out statement, which spread across mainstream radio spaces.…

    • 1709 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays