Chicken In The Henhouse Sedaris

Humor in the Henhouse

In his essay “Chicken in the Henhouse”, Sedaris utilizes various forms of humor to demonstrate that you can’t stereotype an entire group of people and that you shouldn’t judge people. Sedaris argues that stereotypes cause a negative self image and feelings such as guilt despite being innocent of any misdeeds society implicates him in. Serdaris uses humor to make himself more relatable which can be explained through the use of the superiority, incongruity, and relief theories to prove that stereotypes can not define everybody. By practicing humor throughout his essay, the author makes his argument more effective and able to further impact his audience more than it would have without humor. In his essay, Sedaris utilizes

Bardon argues that the relief theory can be used to explain why we find awkward or situations saturated with tension humourous. He states, “The relief theory is the view that humorous laughter is a manifestation of the release of nervous excitement or emotional tension” (Bardon 468). By recognizing that laughter is “manifestation” of our stress and tension, Bardon recognizes that we need to release our anxieties and humor is a good way to allow the reader to cope with their current problems. This epitomized in Sedaris’ essay when he explains how he used to deal with situations that made him nervous. Sedaris writes, “We were alone now, and something unpleasant entered my mind. Sometimes when I’m in a tight situation I’ll feel a need to touch someone’s head” (Sedaris 219). As this entire essay discusses how the media and people in general viewall homosexuals as pedophiles, the reader feels anxiety and uncertainty, as Sedaris and the boy are in an elevator alone. This quickly turns to relief when the reader recognizes that the way Sedaris copes with his own anxiety is touching people's heads, contrary to what would be expected as the rest of society portrays homosexuals. Instead of holding preconceived views of groups of people, Sedaris informs the readers that we should focus on the individual and make each other better