NBC is home to two workplace based sitcoms: Parks and Recreation and 30 Rock. On both the shows they have a goofy, simple, and lovable employee, on 30 Rock it is Kenneth the buck toothed page from Georgia and Parks and Rec has Jerry Gurgich, the local frumpy and simple uncle. Both characters share the same television trope, therefore having many similarities, but the characters also have many differences. Both Kenneth and Jerry are simple, loyal, and kind employees who try their best to help their friends and loved ones, who they care for greatly, but these two workplace goofs differ in the way that Kenneth is extremely dedicated and completely revolves around his work as a page while Jerry, who still cares about his job, is more focused on
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Kenneth did this because his job as a page entails that he help the stars of TGS, and he follows every one of their orders to a t because he wants to do his job well. For example Kenneth “took dangerous Mexican diet pills for Jenna to check for any side effects” (30 Rock: Problem Solvers) and he let “Danny berate him to help Danny get better at acting” (30 Rock: Problem Solvers). It didn’t matter that these tasks were not best for his wellbeing because the center of Kenneth’s world was his page job, and he would do anything to do his job well. Jerry is pulled away from work after five o’ clock because of his family. Jerry said,” [he was] excited for when he can retire, and spend more time at home” (Parks and Recreation: Jerry’s Retirement). He enjoyed his job and thought it,” was very important work” (Parks and Recreation: Jerry’s Retirement), but his life outside the office brought him out his work. Jerry is very good at breaking up his time between work and family. Unlike Kenneth, who completely revolved around his page job, Jerry drew the line for how far he would go for his …show more content…
The first trait noticed about Kenneth is his “toothy smile that takes up half his face” (30 Rock: Problem Solvers). This expression, which shows up whenever he’s on screen, emphasizes how bright eyed he is. Kenneth looks at the glass as half full, and because he has this attitude towards life he can make the best of any problem that’s thrown his way. For example when “Danny refuses his help, Kenneth perseveres and convinces Danny that he’s here to help him, and Danny becomes a better actor thanks to Kenneth” (30 Rock: Problem Solvers). In this way Kenneth can turn problems into opportunities for him to grow and flourish as a page. Kenneth’s dream is to work in television it is what he “was supposed to do” (30 Rock: Problem Solvers), and he shows it by “always wearing his page uniform” (30 Rock: Problem Solvers). By wearing his page uniform, the symbol of NBC, religiously he shows he is serious about his job, dedicated to the game, and he will work hard until he makes it to the top. Jerry on the other hand is very simple and he often wears “grandpa vacation clothes” (Parks and Recreation: Jerry’s Retirement). This shows how lax he is about work and how excited he is to “finally retire” (Parks and Recreation: Jerry’s Retirement). This doesn’t mean he doesn’t care about his work it just means
Kenneth did this because his job as a page entails that he help the stars of TGS, and he follows every one of their orders to a t because he wants to do his job well. For example Kenneth “took dangerous Mexican diet pills for Jenna to check for any side effects” (30 Rock: Problem Solvers) and he let “Danny berate him to help Danny get better at acting” (30 Rock: Problem Solvers). It didn’t matter that these tasks were not best for his wellbeing because the center of Kenneth’s world was his page job, and he would do anything to do his job well. Jerry is pulled away from work after five o’ clock because of his family. Jerry said,” [he was] excited for when he can retire, and spend more time at home” (Parks and Recreation: Jerry’s Retirement). He enjoyed his job and thought it,” was very important work” (Parks and Recreation: Jerry’s Retirement), but his life outside the office brought him out his work. Jerry is very good at breaking up his time between work and family. Unlike Kenneth, who completely revolved around his page job, Jerry drew the line for how far he would go for his …show more content…
The first trait noticed about Kenneth is his “toothy smile that takes up half his face” (30 Rock: Problem Solvers). This expression, which shows up whenever he’s on screen, emphasizes how bright eyed he is. Kenneth looks at the glass as half full, and because he has this attitude towards life he can make the best of any problem that’s thrown his way. For example when “Danny refuses his help, Kenneth perseveres and convinces Danny that he’s here to help him, and Danny becomes a better actor thanks to Kenneth” (30 Rock: Problem Solvers). In this way Kenneth can turn problems into opportunities for him to grow and flourish as a page. Kenneth’s dream is to work in television it is what he “was supposed to do” (30 Rock: Problem Solvers), and he shows it by “always wearing his page uniform” (30 Rock: Problem Solvers). By wearing his page uniform, the symbol of NBC, religiously he shows he is serious about his job, dedicated to the game, and he will work hard until he makes it to the top. Jerry on the other hand is very simple and he often wears “grandpa vacation clothes” (Parks and Recreation: Jerry’s Retirement). This shows how lax he is about work and how excited he is to “finally retire” (Parks and Recreation: Jerry’s Retirement). This doesn’t mean he doesn’t care about his work it just means