Theories of humor

Satire refers to the use of irony, or sarcasm, in verse or prose, to poke fun at or ridicule human folly and vices. Some literature is explicitly satirical, while others could be either serious, or satirical. Many reader’s of William Shakespeare’s As you like it believe it is a serious celebration of love. While, others believe As you like it is intended to be a satirical analysis of love. While both points have valid reasoning, I believe Shakespeare’s As you like it should be read as a satire…

The stance that Alain de Botton took in his 2004 book, Stress Anxiety correctly addressed the goal of humorists and their effect on society. He states that humor is used, “ to convey with impunity messages that might be dangerous or impossible to state directly.” In other words, humor used as a means to address the elephant in the room without fear of repercussion. Effective humorists have the ability to prompt or sway a person’s opinion in a way that a politician's speech simply can not. If a…

this uncomfortable pain arises in the abdomen from all the laughter. Or how about that one laugh that goes silent after a while, along with that bright red face. We all have those laughs and many more just like it. Everyone has their own sense of humor, we find different things amusing. For example during the Super Bowl there are always those memorable half time commercials that make us all laugh. The popular brands like Doritos, M&M, and Volkswagen etc. They use strategies to grab the…

avoided, but indulged in when watching prank videos, due to its relatable “loss of control” factor. Viewers share the transgressive experience with others, despite not being the actual victim in the prank, “by making the target the victim of disparaging humor, other group members can gain a feeling of solidarity and cultural superiority” (Hobbs & Grafe, 2015, para. 12). Thus, social solidarity is established from viewing these videos. It plays on familiar human attributes and brings people…

The role of humorists has expanded over the years, it has become an important way to communicate with the audience with one's ideas/mindset but it seems society does not fear to directly state their minds. Stating that, de Botton’s view of the role humorists, does not imply to our society, it is the truth. Our society is becoming a society with no filter, we speak our minds more louder and we take action more effectively. De Botton stated “... to convey with impunity messages that might be…

In the piece, “Back to School Satire,” the author gets his point across in an entertaining way, but is also contemplative about it. There are many times through this piece that I apprehend what points the author is trying to express to us as an audience, however, he goes too far with some of his comparisons. To start off with, in the second paragraph the author tries to humour us by saying, “Throwing one’s racquet at an opponent after a pingpong match build good character and strengthens the…

Authors and artists use satire to make a statement about the current state of economics or just the overall nature of different situations. In a story that has to deal with satire the author is criticizing human nature and society. How people act and feel. Irving uses satire to criticise religion and how not all religious icons (Popes and Deacons) are perfect and don't do bad things like everyone else. In “The Devil and Tom Walker” Tom the main character and his wife care more about…

has grown exponentially. Now there are comedians, cartoonists, satirical writers, and actors, that all do the same thing-make us laugh. These people also have something else in common as well, they express controversial messages through their use of humor. De Botton’s argument is valid when he believes that humorists can convey messages or ideas that are often unconventional or not so easily swallowed, when presented within a joke. Often times, especially nowadays with the ever growing amount…

influential comical writers to come from the United States. It is believed Thurber uses humor to cope with problems in his life. Thurber also uses his experiences from his own life in stories that he writes; the Night the Ghost Got in, is a perfect example of Thurber writing about his childhood. The second story The Catbird Seat is an example of Thurber coping with a problem of the world at the time. James Thurber uses humor to deal with more serious matter both in society and his personal life.…

A sense of humor. A quality many search for in the people that they associate themselves with. Some are born naturally with this gift, while others are forced to develop one over time. Every sense of humor is unique in its own way, leaving ample room for diversity. This uniqueness is key to making everyone their own and creating a sense of self, however this leads many people to difficulties trying to create or improve their own sense of humors. However many are left with the inevitable…